Car won't start after driving

Christophe Crowe

New Member
the ECTs are located in the distributor that the machine tested and said everything works. also i still have my old distributor that is used on other honda and plug it in the one messing up and it still does same thing.
 

Esotericimage

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Well.. you need fuel air and spark..

Is it getting gas? You never answered if the pump is priming. Prob the pump or pump relay
 

xxBLOOD88SHOTxx

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The only insane person here is the one trusting a "mechanic" that couldn't figure it out and is crying here. The fact that you think the ECT is located in the dizzy proves you and this mechanic don't know s**t. Yeah it needs fuel to run, but it also needs the RIGHT amount of fuel to run. So if you have shifty/weak spark and a ton of fuel flowing in it probably won't start or run like crap. But what do I know....
 


mc360

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Holding the throttle wide open while cranking is telling me your either getting to much fuel or not enough, if the pump is priming when hot then my guess would be that the pump is still working and your getting to much
 

lethal6

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ECT, as in Engine Coolant Temp? Not located in the distributor.
 

Christophe Crowe

New Member
Yes ect engine cooling temp that was the one I was asking about not saying it was in dizzy. So I should check ect. But first tell me how a bad ect will make me get too much fuel? Don't want to argue sorry if came out that way just frustrated and need amswers

And yes I am having to hold down throttle so I know it is a fuel problem and my sparks are flooded with gas so I know I am getting too much.
 
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xxBLOOD88SHOTxx

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When cold these cars dump fuel in order to heat up (some explanation I don't understand because a lean mixture burns hotter) until it gets to operating temperature. Then any time you fire it up after it's warm it will inject less fuel because it's already warm. If the ECT is bad, your car will think it's cold all the time ( even if the gauge says it's warm, they are separate sensors though) symptoms would be shitty MPG, poor performance, hard starts when warm or possibly no start. We are telling you to test it (Google that) so we can eliminate a possible issue. We trouble shoot around here.
 

lethal6

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Yes ect engine cooling temp that was the one I was asking about not saying it was in dizzy. So I should check ect. But first tell me how a bad ect will make me get too much fuel? Don't want to argue sorry if came out that way just frustrated and need amswers
the ECTs are located in the distributor that the machine tested and said everything works. also i still have my old distributor that is used on other honda and plug it in the one messing up and it still does same thing.
Contradicting information and the reason this thread is going no where. No one can help you if you have no clue what to do with provided information or where stuff is to check it.

At this point, I would recommend taking it to a more competent mechanic as yours seems like he is clueless. You have been given advice on where to start with the troubleshooting and keep finding excuses not to take the advice or are not being given the answer you want so there is no where to go from here if you aren't going to listen. There is a reason why xxBLOOD88SHOTxx is getting so frustrated. It isn't because he is insane, it's because he has someone that is asking over and over about a problem without taking the advice that is given which was solid advice. You need to actually troubleshoot to find out what is wrong. You understand this is on you right? We can't reach through the screen and fix your car for you. You either need to start the troubleshooting measures given so far or take it to a mechanic that can.

Having to hold down the fuel doesn't automatically point to a fuel problem. You need to also test the fuel pressure when cranking. It is possible that spark isn't strong enough so you are trying to overcompensate thinking to give it more fuel. What color is the spark through every plug? Is the timing correct?
 

bairdandrew77

New Member
So it started having these weird issues after replacing the distributor? What brand did you buy? Almost all aftermarket Honda distributors are bad right out of the box or go bad soon after.
I've had enough experience with them, now I always rebuild them (have a few parts ones with good pieces) or get a richporter (only aftermarket one I've had good luck with).
Also, is it possible you installed it backwards?
 

Christophe Crowe

New Member
Hell it was the cheapest one on carports.com and how can i install it backwards? I checked the ECT. First off, when i drove it today it was idling crazy high so i turned it off and checked the ECT. When i unplugged it and back again i noticed the idle went normal again at first. I let it run a bit and unplugged the ECT again and back. Well ever since i messed with it it starts every time now but it is still running crappy. Should I go ahead and replace it? My fans still kick on but only for a short time.
 

lethal6

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Hell it was the cheapest one on carports.com and how can i install it backwards? I checked the ECT. First off, when i drove it today it was idling crazy high so i turned it off and checked the ECT. When i unplugged it and back again i noticed the idle went normal again at first. I let it run a bit and unplugged the ECT again and back. Well ever since i messed with it it starts every time now but it is still running crappy. Should I go ahead and replace it? My fans still kick on but only for a short time.
That is part of your problem. Hondas do very badly with cheap electrical parts. Sensors, distributors, plugs, wires, etc, they respond very poorly. Some have gotten lucky but I can't count on my fingers how many I have helped replace or have ordered parts for people that have cheapened out on something as important as a distributor or even an O2 sensor. These things need to be factory. If you can't afford a factory new or reman one, you need to source a known good used one. There are tons of them out there for sale on the internet. I learned the hard way myself. Thought I would save a few bucks and went through 2 cheap distributors before wising up and getting a real one. Never had a problem after that.

Second, I would sit here and tell you how to test for a bad ECT sensor (no it isn't just unplugging and plugging it back in, you have to actually TEST it), but they are like $15 so just replace it, bleed the coolant system correctly, and see where you are after that. If you are adamant on testing it for real instead of replacing, google it. There are tons of articles on it some even have videos, but honestly for the work involved against the cost of the replacement, it isn't worth it to me.

Third, return that cheap ass distributor and get a proper one in there before it gives you more problems down the road.
 

Christophe Crowe

New Member
Yall got it on the ect. It was the start up problem, replaced it and it starts every time now. But there is still a problem. Well I checked the timing everything good belt is good and marks. Cleaned intake with sea foam and replaced a fuel filter which was clogged. Well I drove it for a few days and it ran great! But I did notice when it got warm it seemed sluggish. Well I finally took it on the highway and after completing trip it started running like it wasn't getting power. Had to hold pedal all the way down and it would act like it wanted to cut off when I threw it in neutral. It started throwing a code. Misfire in cylinder 1 and 4. And random misfire. Unplugged the fuel pressure regulator and it ran a little better but still seems sluggish. Ugh it's a piece
 

Christophe Crowe

New Member
I just put the stock dizzy back on and still sluggish. How do I check the cat and what am I looking for? And why does it keep throwing the codes for the misfires?
 


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