Hey I'm back. After sucking it up and spending over $1000 on a HG replacement to solve my strange overheating, I now have a NEW PROBLEM. I've only had the car back for a week, and it has been running great, until tonight.

I have a 99 Civic EX, SOHC D16Y8 series, 102k miles.

I got off the freeway and was going about 40 mph when suddenly, it was like my car lost all power and flooring the gas pedal did absolutely nothing, but the was engine was still running. I took my foot completely off the pedal and then I got power back. I stopped at a friends who happened to be about a mile from there. The car gave me no problems on the way to his house.

The car sat for maybe 2 hours, started right up, I drove it about 3 miles through the city and the same thing happened again, but the car regained power. I drove it about another 1 1/2 miles and then it lost power again, but this time, never regained. I coasted to a stop on the side of the road and when I came to a stop the engine grumbled very loudly and then died.

I tried to restart the car but it only half-*** started and died. I primed the gas pedal and tried again. It half-*** started again and then died. Tried again, but now the engine just turns and turns and won't start at all.
I turned the key on all the way without starting it and I CAN hear the fuel pump engaging. I looked through the tiny window behind my timing belt cover and I can see the timing belt is still intact.

The CEL is not on. However, the CEL doesn't even come on when I turn the key all the way, not even for a couple seconds, but I'm not sure if that is supposed to happen in my car, but I'm pretty sure I've seen that happen in other cars.

This is a list of all the parts that have been replaced recently:

Timing belt/water pump - 7000 miles ago
Fuel filter - 1500 miles ago
Thermostat/Radiator/ECT Sensor - 500 miles ago
Head Gasket/Intake Gasket/Exhaust Gasket/Valve Cover Gasket/ Cylinder head was milled - 100 miles ago


What are some possibilities as to what could be going wrong/broken?

 

Hook up a code reader & see if you have any codes.

 

I will have this done today. Working on finding a tow to my mechanic in between going to class and work, life is a bitch. I am now certain my CEL bulb is burned out and am also certain the ECU will throw codes, I'm definitely leaning towards cause of death being electrical.

 

Sounds like the ignitor in the distributor.

 

Scanner threw 2 codes. One was for ignition system, other was for cat, but I had the car scanned a few months ago and they said a code for the cat came up, but it appeared to have just been stored in the ECU memory.

I took apart the Dist and tested the terminals with an ohmeter. Readings were weird, I think it was just a crappy ohmeter, but the primary to primary terminals passed and so did the secondary to primary. Put the dist back together, but did not think to try to start it. Had the car towed to my mechanic, he put the key in and the car fired right up.

So screwing around inside the dist suddenly made the car work again. I'm pretty sure the fact that the car started again means the coil is good, so now I'm narrowing it down to the ignition switch or the ignitor.

However, my CEL/MIL never lights up, not even temporarily when I start the car or turn the key all the way on, and I was told this COULD be because of a faulty ignition switch and that it could also be causing intermittent loses of spark to the engine. I was also told the PCM could be to blame for the CEL not lighting up, but the car runs again and the CEL has not been coming on for months now, long before whatever problem I'm having now started. Could the PCM still be a possibilty?

Can someone weigh in with their thoughts?

 

Pull the cluster and replace the CEL bulb, see if that makes it work. It could have burned out.

 

If you bought the car used it's very likely that someone has removed the CEL bulb.

 

The guy I bought it from seemed decent enough, he swears the CEL used to work. I'll look into pulling the cluster to see how difficult it is. If it turns out there is no CEL bulb, I'll know that guy sold me a lemon.

However, I checked the CEL fuse and found there is no power on either side of the fuse, so I doubt the bulb has burned out, its just not getting power to it at all. Perhaps its a loose/severed malfunction switch? Anyone confirm?


I bit the bullet, just bought a new honda oem dizz for $230 @ wholesale, gonna install that tonight after work.

 

I think the CEL is on the same fuse as the oil light and the ignition system. Does the oil light come on when you turn the key on but don't start? It seems if the fuse were out it wouldn't run at all.

 

I replaced the dizz with a brand new Richport and the car runs great now.

CEL still not coming on...

When I turn the key all the way without starting it, the oil, battery and SRS lights come on. When I start the car, all three of those lights go off after about 1 second. The CEL never flashes.