1990 honda Civ 1.5L
Ok I found out that 1 on of my Cylinders is dead, after a buddy of mine ran a compression test, however my car still wont start. The plugs were changed, but no luck. Im thinking it's the Distributor. Does anyone know what 1 of those would run me new or used? Also if you have any suggestions on what else it might beplease feel free to add anything. Im taking the car in this weekend, and I wanted a ruff Idea of what might be wrong.

Thanks guys

 

If you did a compression test and found a dead cylinder (low to zero compression), it does not have anything to do with the distributor. It is something much more serious. Bad rings, bent valve, burnt valve, bad head gasket, stuck valve. I think that's about it.

 

I understand that one of my Cylinders being dead has nothing to do with the distributor, however the car was starting with th the dead cylinder, Im trying to figure out why it's not starting anymore..

 

I got a new distributor a couple months ago for 170.00 that is giving them the old one too.

 

Your engine is really not going to go anywhere that a cylinder is out. The fact of the matter is, if that much wear is on the engine, then the other parts might be about to fail as well. Try going to a junkyard to find a car that was rear ended or something that still has a good engine in it. It WILL save you a lot of money and frustration in the long run.

 

The first junk yard engine I put in my honda gave me alot of trouble since it was sitting so long. I spent alot of money on parts to try to get that thing going before I checked the compression, starter, alternator, plugs, battery distributor, and alot of hours trying to figure out why it wouldn't start. I got it running but it had internal troubles, and now has a hole in the side of the block, and is no good. If I had looked closer at the engine, I would have done a rebuild to start with, or gotten another. I ended up buying another engine off ebay. This one my brother and I tore down and are rebuilding, I wish I had done that with the first one.
Good luck with your engine

 

I appreciate all the help and suggestions guys.. The engine option is something I want to do down the line, but im only going to be driving this particular honda for about 2 months, then Im buying a 99 Accord. Then afterwards I would have the civics engine swapped completly with a JDM. Im gonna take it in and find out what the cheapeast temporary fix is, and go from there, I would put the money into it to get it done properly, but it's a waste if im swapping anyways.

 

Hi i have a 94 civic with 400k miles that wont start if left alone for four days.
I spray starting fluid ( ether ) in one cylinder and there it goes.

 

400K seriously? wow

 

Your car should start, even with a "dead" cylinder. There are two things that need to happen for it to start: You should have fuel at the cylinder, and a spark from the spark plug. Buy a "spark tester" at the local auto parts store, and install it in one of the spark plug wires and see if you have a spark jumping across when starting the motor. Do that with avery of the spark plug wires. This tester is just a small section of spark plug wire with a small glass window. It is installed between the spark plug, and the spark plug cable. The reason why you should always use the tester is because you can damage the computer if the spar plug wire is not close enough or grounded to the plug or engine block. The tester is designed with the correct gap for the spark to fly across.

If you get a strong spark from each plug cable, the next step is to to remove each plug to make sure it's clean, and is not coated with fuel. If it looks wet, it means that fuel must be there, or maybe oil from the compression test. Buy a new set of plugs, gap them properly, and allow the cylinders to dry before you install the new plugs. This may take a day or so, unless you can use a mechanic's shop explosion-proof vacuum cleaner (one of these can be used with a narrow hose to reach the top of each cylinder). WARNING: A household vacuum cleaner, Shop-Vac, etc., could ignited the fuel in the cylinder and explode on your face. If you don't have an explosion-proof vacuum cleaner, then take the car to mechanic. Otherwise, let the cylinders dry overnight, and then install the plugs the next day.

If you don't get spark on each spark plug cable: Follow the troubleshooting table for your car. You can start looking back for 12 VDC coming from the ignition switch to the Ignition Module on the distributor. It the required voltage is coming to the module, and the module's ground wire is good, then the module is not working.

If you get "spark" at the plugs: Then troubleshoot the fuel system.