CRX gone weak, very weak

[FFHP.net]

I posted a thread earlier about a different CRX, that was a friends car, this one is mine.

I've an 89 CRX Si 200kish miles on the motor (220K on tranny/chasis), assuming it's never been rebuilt.

I'll give you the quick run down, but it's a bit of an unusual story. Tuesday night, coming down the street next to the smaller airport in my city, my car starts gluggin and chuggin. The check engine light comes on and the only way to keep it going is to tap the accelerator, else it WILL die out. The light turns Green, everyone speeds along their merry way, aside from me. I can't spin any higher than 3250 rpm without getting the same result as what had just happend, except this time it feels like it wants to go, but can't give me anymore than it's giving. I nurse the car home and shut it down. I turn the key back one position to shut down the engine, but keep the electrical on, the temp. gauge creeps up a bit, it had not done this through the short trip home from when the problem first occured (5 mins).

I popped the hood, pulled the cardboard from in front of the radiator (for now it's acting as my "thermostat") and got back in the car. Started her up, everything was fine. I say to myself, "Self, she's gonna drive like sh*t again". Sure enough I can pound her like always around the block as if nothing had just happened.

(sorry, I know this is long, but I want to give you as much as I can so I can get as much as I can back and fix the problem)

Next morning I drive to work in the next county, radio off and listening for anything that may indicate trouble. Other than the sound of 15 yr old suspension bouncing roughly along, nothing out of the ordinary. I make it to work (Wednesday) just fine. Spent all day working on another CRX and some heads and didn't get a chance to look at my car. Class started back today, so I had class after work. Ran fine then too. However after class, 11:00 pm'ish, IN THE SAME FREAKIN SPOT EXACTLY!! haha! I had problems the night before, I had the same problem. Except this time it ended in me pushing my car across 4 lanes of traffic into a gas station parking lot where it now sits.

The car finally started again and will idle, after many failed attempts, but you can't rev it at all. I have only one idea in mind, well several but the others are much more disheartening than what I HOPE the problem is.

On Tuesday at work, we were using my CRX to diagnose a problem on another CRX and I noticed a nasty sound coming from the distributor. A grinding sound is best I can describe it. So after my car quit running, standing in the parking lot in the rain, I pulled my tool box out of the trunk and went to work on the cap. I got the cap off and sitting in the bottom of the cap is a coating of metal flakes.

So obviously, the cap and all that needs replacing and I"m thinking/hoping that's the problem.

My question to you is, does this sound like the cause? What else do you suggest it may be? As I've said, it happened late and the car is still sitting all alone, missing me. When I get up in the morning I'll be attacking this inconvienance with a furry.

Any suggestions on replacing the cap/rotor? Autozone stuff should be well enough I assume (well, not their "ValueCRAP" stuff).

Thank you for any help or advice you can offer..(and for reading this novel of a post about me and my CRX)

Andy

(In a very "not a good way to fall asleep" mood) =(

[91civichatch2571]

from the sounds of it, your going to have to replace the whole distributor, not just the cap. what color were the flakes? did anything in the distributor look busted up?

[FFHP.net]

The flakes were silver, but dirty. The distributor didn't look busted up at all.

My next question would be then, aside from an Si distributor, what other distributors can I use? Will the one from the 1.5L work as well or only the 1.6L? Time to start calling the junkyards here soon and I'm trying to find out for certain what I need to look for.

Thank you

[4G4D Store]

I'd start with the cap/rotor, but the bearings might have gone out in your distributor. Happened to me and did the same thing. So you'll probably end up replacing the whole thing - if you take off the distributor and turn it by hand you'll know if the bearings are gone.

[crxlvr]

no u cant use a dizzy from a 1.5 trust me ive tired, they have different wiring harnesses on them, only the 1.6 model will work.

[Beater88]

The CRX HF Dizzy works too, same numbers TD02 or TD18, as the Si.

I would pull the dizzy off and check it out for bearing issues or something rubbing around.

I got a extra one, it works.
Dunno the exact condition tho, 180K on the car

[FFHP.net]

I got it fixed thankfully. Was a LONG, cold day though. Found a distributor at a u-pull yard, last one on the yard too. Got the whole bang, plug wires and all for 85. Runs like a charm now. And yeah, the only distributors you can use on the Si are from another Si or the CRX HF, called a Honda dealer to find this out.

Thanks for the help everyone.

[skotman]

my car did the sputtering thing when the screw flew out of the rotor while i was driving 75mph to work recently. at first it jerked and sputtered and all, but that was only because the engine kept the thing spinning, and it was in no way firing at any semblance of the correct time. it, of course, wouldn't run. after getting it home, i put the screw back in the rotor, and cranked it up. after the car warmed up a bit, (i could actually drive halfway around the block before the problem started again) the engine light came on, the rpms changed, and the car just jittered and shook. if you tried to drive it, it jerked and jerked giving you brief milliseconds of power. i had to replace the distributor, to make a long story short.

[EF You]

the "rotor falling off" problem happened to me on both of my previous hatches. it seems to be common. the first thing i did when i got my latest hatch was locktite the rotor screw

[jeef]

god you guys don't want to hear my rotor story...

I was moving from PA to Boston Ma, my car has been running like shit burning/leaking oil and just running like crap... any way I make it about 3 hours out of PA right into newyork, driving about 75 the car dies, I'm like wtf! can't figure out what is wrong with it... get it towed like 7 miles, just to get it off the free way, 100 bucks there... then i call up my dad and he has to drive out and pick me up and tow it back... so the next day I catch a bus to boston, which is a 13 hour ride! compaired to 5 driving... a week later my dad calls and says hey, your rotor fell off... I'm like that dirty little whore(ok i didn't say that to my dad, but i was thinking it) any ways he tows it up to boston for me... and now the damned thing is missing on cylinder number 1... i think it may be the dist. cap... its mad old... and i'm really to broke to buy a new msd cap...