I have a 92 Civic LX with 183,000 miles(automatic) on it. About 3 weeks ago I changed my timing belt because it was all cracked...after changing it I went for a test drive and the idle was kinda low & it was rough...after about 2 blocks of driving my car couldn't go anywhere when I step all the way on the gas..it felt like I was in idle all along when i was really in "drive" or "reverse"...it doesn't rev up..it just sits there...It only drove in "D3" oddly, so I put it in "D3" and drove it back to my home(2 blocks).

I thought it was my acceleration linkage which I tighten later on but to no change..So I waited and did some research & it might be that my timing is off.

I tried to test drive it one more time & when I hit the gas the idle goes down(car shudders) & the car shuts off.

2 weeks later I decided to change my water pump(since I had a coolant leak anyway) & to get the timing right on my car. Well I stopped the coolant leak(of course) BUT..my car is still acting the same..only it doesn't shut off this time. I took the top timing cover off & checked out my crankshaft alignment with the Oil pump arrow...looks pretty str8 to me.

In addition..this is what I replaced or did to my Civic:

New Distributor Cap, Rotor & ICM & Coil
New spark plugs(gap is correct)
New fuel filter
New Battery
Flushed the coolant
Cleaned out the PCV Valve
Cleaned the Throttle valve(the flap) with Carb cleaner.

I don't know what to do at this point other than take out the WHOLE Throttle and clean it inside out because I'm thinking it's has to do with something clogged inside the Throttle.

Can someone help me out with this one? Someone told me about getting a timing light to set the timing ignition but why would I need a timing light when I see the timing belt is set right by the book(s)? I read right out of 2 different manuals (Hayes & Honda's Motor's Co.) and they don't say a thing about "ignition timing".

 

You need to get a timing light. First of all it will show you right away if the cam timing is off, which it really sounds like it is. Maybe you are not reading the marks correctly. The arrow on the oil pump points to the little mark on one of the crank gear teeth, NOT (as might seem to the uninitiated to be the way to do it) the key slot in the crankshaft. Again, do not use the key slot in the crankshaft for timing. You can also remove spark plug #1 and probe in the cylinder to set the piston to TDC.

Civics before 2001 have distributors and adjustable ignition timing. It has to be set by rotating the distributor while the engine runs with a timing light on AND the ECU running in test mode (code readout jumper installed). Both the Haynes and Honda manuals cover this procedure.

 

 

Ok I understand everything else when it comes to the timing light BUT I don't understand step 4. It's saying "RED" needs to be at a certain degree...do they mean the red mark on the Crankshaft? Because I know there's a group of 3 marks(the middle one is red) on the crankshaft..then there's the mark thatss kinda separate that you have to align with the pointer on the oil pump(or bottom timing belt cover).


Ok hold on...after further observation of the instructions in this thread it saids i have to have the WHITE mark aligned with the pointer when putting in the timing belt...BUT when I get to the Ignition Timing part it says I have to have the RED mark aligned with the pointer.......Now I'm really confused.

 

Exactly.

You do the ignition timing with the engine running. The timing light has a strobe effect which will make it look like the pulley is sitting still. The red mark (center of the group of 3) should be under the pointer.

 

Got the Timing light today but DAMN!!!!
I checked out the marks from above(looking down the side of the engine with the timing light aiming at the pointer on down) & did all the steps with the adjusting the distributor.....My freaking Belt is off by at least 2 teeth(even when I adjust to have the marks moved as close to the pointer as possible).
That just brought me down with a hint of annoyance because it took so freaking long take all the other components out that's in the way, taking off the crankshaft bolt(superman put it on) lining up the pointer with the line, then reinstalling the belts and making sure they're not too tight or loose then putting everything back together just to come up short by 2 teeth on a timing belt!!

Has this ever happened to anyone out there?
I'm not saying I'm gonna give up but it freaking sucks to consume so much time & effort just to move the timing 2 inches to the right.

 

It happens. After you reinstall the timing belt with the cam and crank at TDC1, rotate the crank 3-4 revolutions only COUNTERCLOCKWISE to verify that the mechanical timing remains dead on. If so, install the lower timing belt cover and tension the belt. Then you should be good to go.

 

Finally!! Got my Civic running right...it took forever but I took a few short-cuts so i won't have to take off so many components. Took it for a 8 mile drive & it ran better then the way I brought it a few months ago. Thanks Ron & Mk.

Now only if I can get my damn combination lights working on the passenger side...orange light that is(non-blinking)...

 

Good job. Blown bulb?

 

On a 92 it's a dual filament bulb there, one filament for blinking and one on steady with the tail lights on. If it's not the bulb, check the ground wire on the fender.