D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

hi guys ive just put my civic back together and it does not start. ill tell you what ive done to this engine

its a D16Z6
its got eagle rods
cant remember what pistons but they are low comps
a turbo kit
walbro fuel pump
and a blox fmu
six puck clutch

it used to run quite well untill the head gasket went
then the piston rings
and also the clutch was useless

ive done the timing to what my haynes manual says so that should be correct
the distibutor looks in the right place
i have compression (the head has been refaced and a cometic gasket was used)
the car sometimes fires possibly on one cylinder then nothing so i thought that i might have the distirbutor 180 degrees out so i swapped the leads round and it fires up runs quite well but im sure its firing on the exhaust cos it doesnt rev up and its quite loud.

any help would be great as i have a week to move the car.

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

I don't think it will run at all if you're 180 degrees off but otherwise properly timed. Double check the timing marks and make sure the rotor points at wire #1 when the "UP" is up on the cam pulley. Put a timing light on it.

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

Have you checked for spark at all four plugs or measured the fuel pressure? Is the ground wire on the thermostat housing connected?

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

i have check the timing and that is ok. i have checked the distributor and thats ok but there is a small oil leak coming from it. i havent checked for a spark cos it fires up when i switch the leads round 180 degrees (fires on exhaust). i havent checked for fuel pessure cos the fuel pump does prime and then goes off and you can smell the fuel. i have bought a new rotor arm distributor cap and ht leads. which i should have in a couple of days. anything else i should check for? i will check the gound wire tomorrow.

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

As you mentioned earlier, the engine may only be firing on one cylinder. Therefore, you should check for spark at each of the four plugs. Have you inspected the distributor cap and rotor, as well as the coil and igniter unit? Is the CEL ON?

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

I was intrigued by this concept of "firing on the exhaust" so I went out to my car and switched the wires around 180 degrees. Turn the key, and as I expected, it's dead as a doornail. Makes kind of a low thumping noise once in a while like it's backfiring thru the exhaust weaky, but it's certainly not going to start. How could it start? With the valves open there's no way for any fire to build pressure to push the piston down.

You have a major timing issue. Go thru the whole chain and trust no one. Don't trust the marks on the external crank pulley, put a rod into the #1 spark plug hole to feel when the piston is at top. Did you ever take the pulley off of the camshaft? The keying pin may not be in the right place. Take the dizzy off. When at TDC the slot in the end of the cam that drives the dizzy should be straight up and down (relative to the head, the engine is tilted slightly when installed in the car). I think the narrow side should be towards the front of the car at TDC1 but not absolutely sure of that.

Also once you identify which terminal is #1, the wires connect 1-3-4-2 going clockwise around the distributor looking at the top of the cap.

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

the cel comes on then goes off like it should. i will re-check the timing again just to be sure. i already have put a rod in number 1 and my timing marks on that pully are correct. also i never removed the camshaft pully.

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

ive check the timing the earth leads. ive replaced the ht leads cap rotor arm and coil but it still wont run with the firing order 1-3-4-2. but it kinda runs with the firing order 4-2-1-3 just doesnt rev up very well. i need it running tomorrow please help

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

It really sounds like the distributor is 180 degrees out of phase. Is it possible to install the rotor out of phase? Also, are your camshaft gear and crankshaft pulley perfectly synchronized at TDC?

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

the rotor only fits one way. yes my timing is correct. im gonna get a compression tester just to make sure. and i gonna play with the advance and retard on the distributor

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

ya sounds odd to me....
you sure the timing is correct? tested with a timing light? i had my belt off by 1 or2 teeth and it would fire up BUT took forever to get it started up at first and then it ran doggy and loud and slow to respond as well. and the timing light was WAY OFF by about 1/4-1/8 a turn on the crank...

i pulled the belt again and put the belt where it should be from the cranks oil marker and cam marking and it fired right up and ran great.... you cannt be sure unless ya really put the timing light on the motor.....


it sounds to me like you put the cam shaft pulley on upsidedown if ya think it fires on the exaust....

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

the distributor was 180 degrees out so i turned that back round and thats ok. but it still runs rough it wont accelerate it just miss fires is there a way of checking that the cam pully is correct my friend said to take the cam cover off and check that alll the valves are closed on number 1 cylinder at TDC is this correct?. also the exhaust blows really badly between the turbo and down pipe will this affect it?

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

Have you now set the ignition timing to spec?

The camshaft gear and crankshaft pulley must be perfectly synchronized at TDC. You can determine this by pulling off the valve cover and upper timing belt cover.

Attachment 27932

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

i have aligned the cam pully and the crankshaft pully they are correct. i have also got the cel light on now but i cannot find the service connector thingy ive looked all over the passenger side footwell but no luck.

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

It's way up high above the ECU on the side panel of the car. Almost above the top of the carpet and under the dashboard.

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

well are you sure the timing marks are still lined up?
even tho you put it on the right marks.... doesnt mean the belt had correct tension, which is why the manual recomends you spinning the motor over a few times back and forth and recheck the timing marks....
but ya that little plug is a PITA to get to... and it VERLY is long enough to reach out from under the dash by only like a inch :(

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

the car runs now but it will not rev up properly and the engine check light comes on. but i still cannot find the service plug i have pulled out the ecu and most of the carpet, the only connector i found has a blue connector with one black wire (quite thick) and the other i think is brown with silver blobs on it. is this the one?

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

Pictures here may help:

http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread/1901557

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

thanks for the info it seems to me that i have the 96-00 wiring as it says that the 92-95 has a grey connector but i have a blue one. any way it came up with a code 9 which is a cylinder sensor? ive never heard of a cylinder sensor. any ideas?

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

If the sensor is bad, you'll need to replace the distributor assembly:

Attachment 26925

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

These 3 sensors are the reluctor coils in the bottom part of the distributor. Check for resistance and ground faults at the distributor plug. Officially, the distributor is not intended to be taken apart to replace the sensors individually. You would replace the distributor complete.

Since this is a swap job it's more likely the harness is wired improperly. You can pull up a diagram and identify which pins on the ECU are involved with each sensor. Unplug the ECU and measure sensor resistance and ground faults at the ECU end of the harness. Note that the 3 sensors are electrically the same but send different pulse rates to the ECU. If you have them switched around that will cause a lot of trouble.

RE: D16Z6 not starting help!!!!
 

you mentioned the head was refaced. Was it professionally done? I'm not a mechanic but I heard if you shave off too much you are at risk of screwing the timing.