i know ive posted this problem several times, but i have some new information. in short: my car refuses to run correctly and im fairly sure that ive eliminated everything but timing problems as a possible cause for its shitty-ness. whats happening is the car starts up and runs relatively normal but consistently backfires and misfires when you get on the throttle and literally has half the power it should have when im driving it. ive replaced the distributor cap and rotor, plug wires, and plugs because i thought maybe it was an electrical short/ weak spark issue but it seems to be getting plenty of spark. took the valve cover off and nothing seems to be sticking, valvetrain looks fine to me. the car is running rich (backfiring) but i dont beleive its a fuel problem. also, when the car is running i can completely unhook cylinders 3 and 4 and the car will keep running, whereas if i pull 1 or 2 it dies. i compression tested it and i have a clean 175 psi across all four cylinders, and from what i hear it should be between 160-180, so that sounds ok. the timing belt was recently replaced before i bought it and i hear if the tensioner wasnt replaced with it theres a possibilty that it can slip out of position causing timing to go bad. i want to look into this as a possibilty but the only idea i have on this is what im going to read in a manual and itd be great to have someone who knows what theyre doing to give me an idea of what to expect/look for. any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks guys,
wes

 

It is possible for it to skip a tooth...replace the tensioners and belt

 

how much do you think that might run me? and is it possible that i can do it if i get a manual? ive done all sorts of shit with this car, but ive never done a timing belt before, is it something im better off taking to a shop.

 

Have you checked the engine timing? You do this by setting the engine to Top Dead Center by turning the crankshaft with a ratchet and the proper socket. There are a few marks on the crankshaft pulley that look like a hash marks on the inner lip of the pulley. If I remember correctly, there are a few different colors. You need to align the white to the mark on the lower timing belt cover. The lower timing belt cover has an embossed mark on the timing belt cover that sort of looks like an arrow. You can see the embossed mark on the timing belt cover if you are looking from the power steering pump towards the crank pulley. This is a general viewing direction, so don't take what I said literally. Once you line the the white pulley mark with the lower timing belt cover mark you need to remove the valve cover so you can see the cam shaft timing gears. There are marks on these that need to line up when the engine is set to top dead center.

If your engine checks out at top dead center, then your timing belt is not the issue. You could have an issue with the crankshaft position sensor or the camshaft position sensor(inside the distributor). If you need more detailed info on top dead center and timing belt replacement search this forum or check out the team-integra.net article -> http://www.team-integra.net/sections...les.asp?Show=4 <- first link under the "Engine" section is what you need. Its for an B18B1 engine.

 

thats what ive been looking for in a response. thank you vpuppy. im gonna give it a go this weekend.

 

No problem. Let us know what you come up with. The only way a tensioner could slip out of place is if the retaining bolt was no properly torqued. The reason you have to replace it is because they can seize, just like the water pump, causing the belt to snap. What kind of distributor cap did you use (some of the cheaper caps can have internal shorts even when new)? The ignition control module, located in the distributor, can also cause a misfire. Keep that in mind.

 

when i bought the car there was all sorts of ricey crap on it, including the red see-thru "high performance jdm tyte" distributor cap. i took it off and a whole bunch of green corrosion poured out so i replaced it with a brand new oem piece from an autoparts store and i figured maybe that was the problem but it really didnt correct anything.

oh and about that control module in the distributor, if that things shot would i have to replace the whole distributor or no?

 

Check your vacuum lines. I had a big loss in power after swapping my gsr (first swap) and didn't know shit about vacuum so I just started plugging shit that affected idle...mine still idles high but the evap emissions control canister is in the back seat until tomorrow...so just try that one if you run out of options