My 2000 Civic SI stranded me on the way to work last week. The check engine light started flashing and it quickly lost power and stalled on the freeway. I had a similar problem several months ago, but that was cured by a new ignition control module. This time it's something different. It will start, but it runs rough and the CEL will blink and the codes indicate multiple misfires. It will clear up and run smoothly at higher rpm's, but acts up again when they drop. All four plugs are sooty so there appears to be ample fuel available, just not enough fire at the proper time to burn it. I have another 2000 civic that I borrowed ignition parts from and have switched out the coil and the ignition module to no avail. Unfortunately, it's not an SI so the distributor is not compatible. I did check continuity on the TDC sensor and the other two position sensors in the distributor and they were fine. The plugs, plug wires, cap and rotor are all new from the last issue and it has been running fine up until the meltdown last week. The car has 180,000 mostly freeway miles on it, runs (ran) well and doesn't use much oil.

I'm pretty much out of ideas other than maybe checking for a stuck EGR valve or resetting the ECM. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Tom

 

The stock 00 Si does not have an EGR system.

Post all CEL codes that have been pulled. Do you have any CEL codes in addition the random misfire one? Reset the ECU, drive the car, and then pull the codes again. Do the same or different CEL codes reappear?

It's less important how new the ignition parts are and more important whether they are in good or bad condition. The first place to start when you have random misfires is the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor.

 

The only codes thrown were random misfires on cylinders 1-4. I have not reset the ECM, but I'll try that tonight. The plugs, wires, cap and rotor are all new and have been working fine for several months. There were occasional misfires that seemed to be high temperature related, but nothing bad enough to throw a code. I attributed that to the aftermarket ignition control module which is why I replaced it straight up. I also swapped that one out for a known good OEM module in and it made no difference.

Tom