HELP B16A Engine Problem!!!!!

I just did a JDM B16A swap in my 89 Civic sedan and ran into a problem. Here goes - When I drive around all day the engine runs fine but when I drive home from town on the highway at about 60mph the engine lags, and during the lag when I press the gas pedal nothing happens all it does is open the throttle and I can hear it but it the engine will not rev any higher. Now when I put it in neutral (still on the highway rolling at about 50mph) the engine shuts off. I then pull on the side of the highway and try to start it but it wont start. But when I wait a minute or so and try again it starts up and I drive off for about 10-15 minutes and it starts doing it again, and this keeps happening over and over. But here’s the funny thing, sometimes when the engine lags, I keep pressing the gas pedal and sometimes the engine kicks in and I can drive off till the next engine lag. What the heck is wrong? PLEASE ANYONE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!

you should try go post this in the 4th gen forum, 88-91 civic/crx.

when was the last time you did a major tune up ?

also are you getting thrown any codes ?

hehe I had the same problem and it pissed me off. First of all When it shuts off do you have ANY lights as interior and such... and also does it crank over. Next when you say you hit the gas and won't go anywhere is the motor still running? Whatever it is check your distributor. there are about 3 or 4 wires in it that are insulated with clear covers over the connectors. If those are loose then it will shut the spark off and in return shut the car off. One of those wires is a tach signal back to the ECU so it can alter the air/fuel ratio and if it isn' present then the computer will read as the car is off from the crank sensor inside the distributor and jsut completely shut the motor off. What you should do is take your dist. off and take the cap off then pull those wires off and slightly crimp them so they fit very snugly on the male connectors inside the dizzy. I hope that help keep informing me and whats happening Good luck.

I just did a JDM B16A swap in my 89 Civic sedan and ran into a problem. Here goes - When I drive around all day the engine runs fine but when I drive home from town on the highway at about 60mph the engine lags, and during the lag when I press the gas pedal nothing happens all it does is open the throttle and I can hear it but it the engine will not rev any higher. Now when I put it in neutral (still on the highway rolling at about 50mph) the engine shuts off. I then pull on the side of the highway and try to start it but it wont start. But when I wait a minute or so and try again it starts up and I drive off for about 10-15 minutes and it starts doing it again, and this keeps happening over and over. But here’s the funny thing, sometimes when the engine lags, I keep pressing the gas pedal and sometimes the engine kicks in and I can drive off till the next engine lag. What the heck is wrong? PLEASE ANYONE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!help

I know this is an old thread but since you brought it back up you must have the same problem...

Basically, the thing that causes this problem on old 4th gen civic/crx's is the main fuel pump relay located near the chassis under the dashboard behind the change tray. You have to remove the change tray to get to it. The problem is the weak solder point in the relay wire connections. If the connection is loose or broken, the engine gets no fuel. This usually happens during intermittant driving ie. stop and go or in warm climate.

Another weird issue with these cars is the rotor button being lose in the distributor cap... usually the car will just die in this case though.

If you have questions about this go to the 88-91 civic/crx section and search. You should find your answer there as it's been covered a bazillion times.