Hi, Please Help, I needsomesuggestions for what to do next. My '92 Civic witha D16Z6 and82000 miles on ithasbeenacting strangely. It was warm outsidea few days ago and the heat got turned offfor the first time in months.A few minutes later the engine simply died. It would start right back up but die againmoments later.I pulled over andopened the hood. It wasn'toverheatingcoolant from the radiator, and the temp gauge was in its normalmiddleof the scale.However,the engine seemedhot and thecooling fan was not running. I spent about ten minutes, checking wiring etc. whileletting it cool. Then it started fine and ran for another few minutesuntil it died againas I got it home.
I replaced the cooling fan switch(the old one that came out was confirmedbad). It startedandcame up to operating temperature but the lower radiator hose (from the thermostat) stayed cold so I replaced the therostat, refilled the coolant and bled the air.Running the engine about 3000rpm a couple minutes in the driveway got it hot enough toopen the thermostat (the hose got hot)and start the fan (it cycled on-off).
Unfortunately,minutes afterI get out on the road,the engine dies, and I find thelower radiator hose is still cool (which I interpret as notyet 180 at the thermostat).
When it dies it doesn't sputter or stumble at all, it just dies, and there's noexhaust smoke or smell.
Also,after it dies, it will crank, butwont startagain until the key goes fully back to the off position (odd?).
Ever hear ofindications like these? Any suggestions would be appreciated? Thanks, ernestbd.

 

have you tried stepping on the gas lightly to see if it stays running? I ask this cuz same thing happens to my car.it would start and stay running in 20 degree weather but when it gor warm outside it would start and stay running perfect but when I shut it down and tried turning it back on again when warm it would die after a few secs. try this;

1. turn the key to the point just before starting the engine.
2. go to where the fuel pump is located and listen for a whirring sound.
if you do hear the sound it is not the pump; it could be a problem with the fuel injection

if this suggestion does not help sorry, but Im sure some of the other guys here have more sugg.

 

Actually, Ive wondered about feul injection, and Ive been looking for vacuum leaks, particularly near thepressure regulator, but it seems fine. And I can feel the pressure spikes in the feul delivery hose when its running and i can hear the fuel pump whirr with startup.So far i haven't been under the hood the moment it died so im not exactly sure whats what. Im hoping some of the expertscan give me suggestions about what to look for. Especially if there are heat issues with the feul delivery or distributor/timing systems. Also,Im short on timeso Im getting ready to take it to radiator shop for a complete system flush, so any advice for that would also be great.

 

you might have be having trouble with vapor lock...basically a bubble of fuel vapor thats stuck in your fuel lines. Not a problem when its cool, but when it warms up thats when you'll have problems. I'm pretty sure its a fuel system problem of some kind though

 

Since last post Iverified the thermostat begins opening and is full open at the proper temps. While the thermostat was out, I flushed the cooling system with water through the radiator and the engine and sawgood flowthrough both. I alsoperformed a cooling system flushwith the Peak brandchemical flush. So Ireinstalled the thermostat.
Ialso replaced thetemperature sensor(TW temp sender to the ECU).
After idling up tooperating temp, when the cooling fan cycled,it seemed fine.It took nearly 15 minutes on the road before it died again with all the same indications,thetemp gauge needle never above half way. After cooling off with hood open a few minutes it would start up and run again for a few minutes, enough to get it home.
So now that its hot, next step was temperature measurements with IR temp probe. Most interesting was the radiator itself, running about 175F when the fan starts and dropping to 90F bythe time thefan shut off. Knowing that the thermostat is open, the only conclusion I can make is thatflow is way too low, and the TW sensor is doing its job protecting from way too hot.
I orderedtiming belt and water pumpfor install this weekend.

 

Looking at the timing belt procedures I notice thatsetting #1 TDCis directed before begining, BUT during install of new belt you have to set the crank and cam timing marks all over again anyway so whats the big deal about doing it before you start disassembly?

 

Main relay? Resolder or replace your main relay first of all if you haven't already. Next suspect would be the ignition module (inside distributor) going out from heat under the hood. When it dies, crank a few times then check for codes from the ECU. Also while it is dead, check if sparks are being generated at the distributor.

Sounds like the cooling system is fine. You could try taking the thermostat out so it never warms up. This will prevent the ECU from going into normal closed loop mode, where there may be trouble. But I still suspect the main relay, ignition module, distributor pickup coil, etc.

 

Awakward because I have had the same probl. w/my "96 . I could drive for 7-10 miles and it would die. Took it to my mech. 3X and he check it and could not find error codes. It seemed to me to be a fuel prob. so I changed the fuel filter. I drove the car for 25-30 miles (longest I've driven it in 2wks) and it crapped out again. I was able to start it right back up but I can't figure it out? Good luck and if you figure it out let me know!!

 

Here's a comment about one thing I didn't notice before in post #5. The ECU is not programmed to shut down the engine even if severely overheated. Plenty of people have burned up engines in all kinds of cars running them with faulty cooling, and Civics are no exception. I guess manufacturers would rather sell new cars than protect the engine. Also they could get sued if a car shuts down on a freeway or in a bad neighborhood, because it could've gone a few miles further at the expense of a ruined engine.

So something is defective, this is not a result of normal operation.

 

Water Pump and Timing Belt replacement went well.I was surprised I had to remove the exhaust downpipe and bothlower engine-transmission brackets just to get the flywheel inspection plate off, sobeware of thoserusty exhast bolts. Also,loosening the pully bolt with3/8 inch drive simply equals broken tools, but a two foot long 1/2 inch drive breaker bar worked just fine.

So now the engine sounds great, the previousminor pop of exhaust noise is gone andthefamiliar belt whirringnoise is much quieter. I was dubious of the timing belt tensioning procedure but it seems to have produced the desired result.

The old water pump had some discoloration but no real erosion or buildup, and the ports and pathways into the block were completely clear.

The old timing beltshowed onlyminor wear and minor cracking. However,with thecoversoff andthe crank markatTDC, the camshaft timing mark wasnt quite to itsmark yet. Then, when the new belt went on, the camshaft timing mark was a hair past the mark.Easily a couple degrees of difference in camshaft position thats producing the better result.

Unfortunately,the cutout problem still remains. It idled up tooperating temperature,the fan cycledon and offonce, and a few minutes lateritdiedjust like before.