sigh If it ain't one thing... (Teg trouble)

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10-22-2008, 05:23 AM
MadMonkey

*sigh* If it ain't one thing... (Teg trouble)

::Rant::

I've been living on the ragged edge of disaster lately.

Last night I was coming home from the hobby shop in Dallas where I work (2nd job) when my Integra just up and dies on me on 635... so it's sitting there forlornly, right at Exit 22C (tollway).

The car hasn't given me a lick of mechanical trouble since I've owned it; the only things I've done is routine maintenance (brakes, plugs, distributor cap, etc). Sure, it may be ugly but it's been perfectly reliable.

I was cruising at about 70mph when I completely lost power and the car coasted to a stop; it felt almost like the ignition system went out. Once I stopped I tried turning it over, and it hit a couple of times at first but never hit again. The battery is new and I have plenty of power, so that's not an issue.

What should I look for first? I'm going to try to get my manager to tow it either to the hobby shop where I can work on it or back to my house.

Think it could be my Autozone distributor cap and rotor? Fuel pump? Any more ideas?
10-22-2008, 06:16 AM
sammm

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMonkey

Any more ideas?

Timing belt/chain, BFH, blow torch (not necessarily in that order).
10-22-2008, 06:27 AM
Titus

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMonkey

::Rant::

I've been living on the ragged edge of disaster lately.

Last night I was coming home from the hobby shop in Dallas where I work (2nd job) when my Integra just up and dies on me on 635... so it's sitting there forlornly, right at Exit 22C (tollway).

The car hasn't given me a lick of mechanical trouble since I've owned it; the only things I've done is routine maintenance (brakes, plugs, distributor cap, etc). Sure, it may be ugly but it's been perfectly reliable.

I was cruising at about 70mph when I completely lost power and the car coasted to a stop; it felt almost like the ignition system went out. Once I stopped I tried turning it over, and it hit a couple of times at first but never hit again. The battery is new and I have plenty of power, so that's not an issue.

What should I look for first? I'm going to try to get my manager to tow it either to the hobby shop where I can work on it or back to my house.

Think it could be my Autozone distributor cap and rotor? Fuel pump? Any more ideas?

I had an '88 Integra that did that exact thing to me once many years ago. It was the ignition system on mine. About a year later, I got a recall notice for the igniter. They replaced the replacement igniter that had gone in after the first one failed, and reimbursed me for the first repair and tow fees.
10-22-2008, 06:45 AM
Dave04

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammm

blow torch

TC, Altiain and I know how to use one of those now... We'd be glad to help!
10-22-2008, 07:03 AM
jrj512

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMonkey

I've been living on the ragged edge...

Last night I was coming home from the hobby shop...

Those are two phrases that are not typically seen together. ;)
10-22-2008, 07:42 AM
Nexus Flux

I agree with Titus, I had the same thing happen to my 1990 Integra. Fortunatley the distributor is easy to replace and it's pretty cheap at the Vatozone. If I remember correctly it's 3 bolts and a little tweaking to get the ignition timing right.
10-22-2008, 10:37 AM
miataspeedracer

Let's hope it's NOT the timing belt that gave way...

That happened to me many years ago in my '88 CRX Si. $2500 later...
10-22-2008, 01:54 PM
MadMonkey

Welp, I'm off to pick it up... here's hoping it's nothing major. I'll go with the distributor first, probably. Thanks for the tips...
10-22-2008, 02:18 PM
Titus

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMonkey

Welp, I'm off to pick it up... here's hoping it's nothing major.

here's hoping it's all still there. :chug:
10-22-2008, 10:14 PM
creek

94 Civic Si did the same thing to me. Coil was bad. Had hell figuring that out because it tested good with the VOM.
10-23-2008, 05:15 AM
MadMonkey

Welp, it's back home... I headed over there yesterday afternoon to check it over (in the light) and discovered that the contacts and the rotor in the distributor cap were VERY corroded. I cleaned them as best as I could with the tools I had, but it still didn't hit... luckily, there's a guy who shops in the hobby shop who happens to have a wrecker, so my manager asked him to take my car back to Grapevine, which he did last night.

I'm going to pick up a new cap and rotor today and see if that's the problem. I hope so, I don't feel like putting a lot of money into this car just yet...
10-23-2008, 08:30 AM
TurboDuane

Quote:

Originally Posted by miataspeedracer

Let's hope it's NOT the timing belt that gave way...

That happened to me many years ago in my '88 CRX Si. $2500 later...

It shouldn't be the timing belt, because the Integra should have an interferance engine, if it was the belt it would have made some very bad noises.
10-23-2008, 08:39 AM
miataspeedracer

Quote:

Originally Posted by TurboDuane

It shouldn't be the timing belt, because the Integra should have an interferance engine, if it was the belt it would have made some very bad noises.

When my belt broke on the CRX, it was not a noisy event...
10-23-2008, 02:07 PM
MadMonkey

When it died, it made no noises at all. The only thing you could hear was the RPMS dropping as is started coasting to a stop... that's when I decided that something might be wrong ;)
10-23-2008, 03:04 PM
Ataim

Don'y blame Onething.
10-23-2008, 08:06 PM
Radio-Active

Don't forget the points and condensor. ;)

But seriously, check out the coil.
10-23-2008, 10:45 PM
creek

The coil on mine was inside the distributer cap with the module, which I thought was the problem and changed first. No go. Replaced the coil and it fired right up. $54.00 at Vatozone four years ago if I remember right.
10-24-2008, 05:15 AM
MadMonkey

Quote:

Originally Posted by creek

The coil on mine was inside the distributer cap with the module, which I thought was the problem and changed first. No go. Replaced the coil and it fired right up. $54.00 at Vatozone four years ago if I remember right.

Well, since the distributor cap and rotor need to be replaced anyway, I'll go for those first. If that doesn't work, I'll go with the coil.

If THAT doesn't work, I'm completely lost ;)
10-24-2008, 08:08 AM
Radio-Active

If those don't fix the problem, I would go looking into the fuel pump. My brother and my dad were both left stranded on the road side with there vehicles having a sudden fuel pump failure. One was an 86 Nissan Pulsar and the other was a 83 S10 pickup. You should be able to check the fuel pressure on the fuel rail with a gauge.

Also you could check and make sure the cam is spinning by looking in the oil cap while someone turns the ignition.
11-04-2008, 09:30 PM
MadMonkey

I just now replaced the cap and rotor, and it's still not starting.... guess it's on to the coil then :(
11-04-2008, 09:52 PM
Nexus Flux

Just get a whole rebuilt distributor from Autozone. They come with coil, igniter and all the sensors. The Integra integrates the cam and crank angle sensors into the distributor.

Just looked it up and they go for $225 Part number should be 31-17423 or there abouts

The coil alone is $65, and the ignition module is another $97. They are buried in the distributor. The reman distro comes with lifetime warranty to boot.

I had a bearing fail in my distributor, so if you swap the whole thing, that's one less part you have to worry about down the line.
11-05-2008, 03:32 PM
boisking

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMonkey

I just now replaced the cap and rotor, and it's still not starting.... guess it's on to the coil then :(

Before you start spending money, do you know what the problem is? Get somebody to turn it over while you check under the hood for spark. Don't buy a new coil if you have good spark. If you don't have any spark, use a test light (or multimeter) to see if there is good power supply to the coil/distributor unit. If there is a electricity going into the coil (the little wires), but not coming out (the "spark plug" wire), that is your problem.

If you do have good spark, go to Autozone for a "loan a tool" fuel pressure gauge and a compression gauge. Check these next. A good fuel pump should give a very minimum 30-35 psi to the fuel rail. I wouldn't be surprised to see 45psi.

When you check the compression, look for two things. First you want minimum pressure required for combustion. Most cars are in the 125-145 range, depending on compression ratio. Second, you want to see compression of each cylinder to be pretty consistent across the four cylinders. Generally, 7-10psi between the highest and lowest cylinder pressure reading is a sign of a healthy engine (mechanically).
11-16-2008, 11:46 PM
MadMonkey

It was the coil!

$70 part, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that I figured out the problem and repaired it myself instead of taking it to the shop like some dumb yahoo.

Actually, I bought a voltmeter and continuity tester, but I said screw it and went to Autozone, bought a coil, replaced it, and it fired right up. I never used the testers. I suck at being a mechanic. ;)
11-17-2008, 04:23 AM
black roadster

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMonkey

It was the coil!

$70 part, but I have the satisfaction of knowing that I figured out the problem and repaired it myself instead of taking it to the shop like some dumb yahoo.

Don't worry, you're still a dumb yahoo to us. ::fool::
11-17-2008, 08:22 AM
creek

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMonkey

It was the coil!

I hate to say I told you so but........ Glad you're going again.
11-17-2008, 11:34 AM
Darron65

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadMonkey

I suck at being a mechanic. ;)

A lot of parts changers call themselves mechanics. This illustrates the difference perfectly.
11-17-2008, 12:20 PM
flyin94m

Aww... No blow torch??

*sigh* If it ain't one thing... (Teg trouble)

sigh If it ain't one thing... (Teg trouble)