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wrs209 · Mar 26, 2009, 01:17 PM

I have an 89 honda civic lx 1.5L 5-sp. The car was running great until one day I was driving along around 60mph when the car sputter and lost power as if running out of fuel. I pulled over and the engine sputtered a little more but then was fine. This happened several more times over the course of a week or so until one day, the engine stalled at a stop sign and would not restart. After several hours my dad and I returned to tow the car, but it restarted and drove home fine. Reluctant to drive it on my 80 mile round trip commute anymore, I only drove the car on short trips around town. One day I drove the car 3 miles or so and it stalled on me while pulling away from a stop sign. I walked home and returned a few hours later. The car started and drove fine back home. Not wanting to be stranded anymore, I stopped driving it altogether. I would start the car from time to time and let it warm up. Soon after doing this a few times, the engine would stall more quickly each time until finally it would start and stall right away. The car has 371K but was running great, getting 37-39 mpg, burned no oil, when all this started.Ive replaced the coil, ignitor, plugs,wires,fuel filter. Also a few years ago the main relay and fuel pump were replaced, but with after market parts. Please, someone help!

TxGreaseMonkey · Mar 26, 2009, 01:21 PM

How long ago did you install the new ignitor and coil? Were they new or used? Did you apply a thin, even coat of silicone heat-transfer compound to the back of the ignitor, when it was replaced?

wrs209 · Mar 26, 2009, 01:25 PM

I replaced the coil and ignitor shortly after the first time it stalled a few weeks ago, they were new parts from autozone, and yes I did apply the grease. When it stalls, its as if it were out of gas.

TxGreaseMonkey · Mar 26, 2009, 01:36 PM

If the CEL always comes on and goes off after 2 seconds, when the ignition switch is turned to ON, and you hear the fuel pump run during this period, I would replace the distributor housing (Genuine Honda only):

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...tml#post288473

This is a high-wear item and the internal sensors (CKP, CYL, and TDC) eventually become unoperable. Install the ignitor that you are presently using in the new housing.

wrs209 · Mar 26, 2009, 01:44 PM

Do you mean the whole distributor or cap?

TxGreaseMonkey · Mar 26, 2009, 01:48 PM

The whole distributor--you can reuse your cap and ignitor. Honda sells them this way. Typically, they don't last more than 90,000 miles on Hondas. They sometimes fail in as little as 50,000 miles. There's one main bearing in them--when the oil in the grease wears out, wear sets in fast and the distributor is useless. They are not serviceable. Remember, 90%+ of "crank but won't start" situations are electrical-related. For cars that die at 60 mph, the problem is almost invariably electrical-related.

If you still think it's fuel-related, check the fuel pump pressure. I just noticed the mileage on the car--I would check the compression of each cylinder. One last idea is to pull the Backup Fuse in the underhood fuse box for 10 seconds. This will reset the ECM--I've have, in a few instances, seen this make all the difference when cars are randomly stalling.

wrs209 · Mar 26, 2009, 02:11 PM

O.K. Any ideas where I can find a genuine honda distributor other than honda? They want $379 just for the housing

TxGreaseMonkey · Mar 26, 2009, 02:20 PM

This outfit has had good prices, in the past:

Honda OEM Parts Cheap & Honda Factory Dealer Parts | South Bay Honda

Before buying the distributor housing, check fuel pump pressure and cylinder compression.

wrs209 · Mar 26, 2009, 04:04 PM

I think its electrical related because of the heat up shut off/cool down start up. But it got to the point where it would shut off almost imediatley after starting. I did check the fuel pump pressure today and it strong.

TxGreaseMonkey · Mar 26, 2009, 04:57 PM

I agree. Assuming the compression is good, I am lead to the distributor housing, since the ignitor, coil, and main relay are new. Just for the heck of it, clean the main ECM ground on the thermostat housing. I love old cars with a lot of mileage on them--hope you can keep it going a lot longer.

wrs209 · Mar 26, 2009, 06:13 PM

Yes, this has been an great car and has been in family since new. I was hoping to get 500K out of it and am not willing to give up on it. O.K. I will clean the ecm on the thermostat housing and have started pricing distributors online. What about the ones I see on eBay that say they are "brand new with lifetime warranty", they come complete with coil, ignitor, cap and are anywhere from $110.00 to 130.00, are they to go to be true? After all this is a 20 year old car, even if it lasted 50k or so it seems it would be worth it, no?

TxGreaseMonkey · Mar 26, 2009, 06:24 PM

Those distributors on Ebay, NAPA, AutoZone, and AAP look okay but they are not reliable. We have had many new aftermarket distributors not work on the site--hence the recommendation to only only buy genuine Honda. I'm not aware of an instance where Ebay distributors worked on Hondas. We've had enough major problems with NAPA and AutoZone distributors. It's not pleasant to tell someone their new aftermarket distributor is bad. There are not many parts for Hondas where I'm opinionated where they come from--this happens to be the main one. As a generalization, shop for price and warranty. When I replaced the distributor housing on my Honda, I bought genuine Honda. This is not a part you want to go on you at an inopportune time and leave you stranded. It's important to ensure the integrity of the basic electrical system. Distributor failure at 70 mph, in the left lane during rush hour, could be fatal.

wrs209 · Mar 26, 2009, 06:35 PM

I appreciate all your help, but I can't afford almost $400.00 for a repair to this second car. I don't know what else I can do, I really want to get it back on the road, but I guess it's just not in the cards right now.

TxGreaseMonkey · Mar 26, 2009, 06:43 PM

Call this outfit on the phone in the morning:

College Hills Honda Parts

I've bought from them before and they are very good. For some reason, they don't list distributor prices, even if you have the Honda Part No. They want you to call. Just remember, distributors failing on Hondas are very common.

wrs209 · Mar 26, 2009, 06:51 PM

O.K. I'll give them a call in the morning, I'll let you know what I find out. Thanks again for all your help.

TxGreaseMonkey · Mar 26, 2009, 06:52 PM

Okay.

TxGreaseMonkey · Mar 27, 2009, 08:10 PM

I thought of you, when I got this report:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...on-286655.html

wrs209 · Apr 13, 2009, 04:11 PM

I purchased a used oem distributor from a reliable source on eBay. After installing it,the car started and ran great... for about ten minutes, then stalled again, as if running out of fuel. My brother was visiting from out of town yesterday and suggested the fuel pump. After removing the rear seat, he listened closely as I turned on the ignition switch and heard nothing. We tried several times and nothing. We unhooked the wiring harness from the pump and tested it, it read 6.7 volts, I'm assuming the pump is bad. Do I really have to drop the tank to change it out? What do you think? It seems logical that pump is bad.

TxGreaseMonkey · Apr 13, 2009, 05:27 PM

Follow these steps, before doing anything else:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...ml#post1245523

wrs209 · Jun 10, 2009, 12:32 PM

After several months of letting the car sit, I purchased an oem distributor from a reliable seller on eBay. After installing it, the car ran for about 5 minutes and shut off. A friend suggested hitting the top of the sending unit under the rear seat with a rubber mallet several times. Much to my amazement the car started right up and as not shut of since. I've put about 75 miles on it since then with no problem. What (if anything) would you suggest I do now. Thanks TX