Back in September a spark plug came loose at 84,000 miles so I replaced all four torqued them down & forgot about it until a couple weeks back when the same spark plug violently exploded out of my head taking the threads with it.


So I removed the head & had the local machine shop install an insert, then put everything back together. Repair seemed to go well & would've been quick had the head gasket not been on back-order for nearly three weeks.


Anyway, after getting it all back together I started it up & it sounded like it always did & seemed totally fine, however after about two minutes of running it sputtered out & now will not restart.


I've confirmed all the sensors appear to be plugged incorrectly, vehicle definitely has fuel & is getting pressure, spark plugs pulled & grounded showing each coil throwing nice spark through its plug, spraying starter spray into the intake had no discernable effect.


It seems to be firing a little here & there when turning it over with the starter, just not enough for it to run? I'm beginning to think the cam timing may have slipped somehow? Is this possible?? I'm 99% certain I had it right when I put it all together & it didn't sound like it was off when it first started.


Also, the manual warns of never turning the cam counterclockwise; I didn't, but when it came back from the machinist the cam wasn't in the same position as it was previously so it is possible they turned it counterclockwise for whatever reason- COULD THIS HAVE MESSED WITH THE VARIABLE VALVE TIMING?


Any help is much appreciated, I really don't want to have to take this part again. Lost a little faith in Honda after all this, this type of repair shouldn't have been necessary with just 92,000 miles.


Kindest,


Fissel

 

Oh yeah- It's a 2008 manual trans, not modified, not CA emissions or anything....

 

if he messed up the variable valve timing the system will not operate, so the engine will lack power at high speed not at idle
Disconnect the brake booster hose and attach vacuum gauge to its port in the plenum.
The vacuum must be relatively steady 5 inches while cranking (throttle closed) TP reads 18%
If vacuum is vary between 0 and 5 one or 2 cylinders have no compression
If vacuum is 1 the valve timing is retarded.
Did you get chance to read the data from scanner (timing and rpms during cranking?

 

Wow, that's super helpful. I love forums. All I've got for a vacuum tool is a MotionPro Carb Sync (which wont work for this application) so I went ahead and ordered a proper vacuum gauge just for this task. Should be in Thursday or Friday & I'll check it out.
I also don't have a scanner (I really only work on aircraft & old $hit) so depending on the results of the vacuum test I may have to buy one of those too.
Thanks again for the help and I'll post results soon.
-Fissel

 

Same thing happened to a friend so im folowing this

 

Manometer came in today, will post results tomorrow-

 

You mean vacuum gauge? You must have a scanner as well, even 3040 Innova or such will work

 

Manometer is a type of vacuum gauge which reads in inches, all the proper vacuum gauges I looked at were 0-30" and it would've been tricky to decipher between 1-3" with such a small scale.
What I got is similar to this (but not as fancy)
http://www.russell-scientific.co.uk/...eter-166-p.jpg

 

If I test the vacuum to be 1" confirming the timing is off I really shouldn't need the scanner right? I guess the scanner you listed looks to only be about $75 but if I can avoid buying it why bother? Again, I work almost exclusively on old stuff & motorcycles...

Again, thanks for the help-

Fissel

 

Crank or cam position sensor is often the culprit with a sudden system shutdown.
Even if you lost compression in two cylinders, it should still try and start. (Run like crap and throw 99 check engine lights but it should start.. )
I'm betting on sensor or you have a bad signal to the injectors, or you plugged a fuel filter.

Cheers

 

Vacuum at brake booster hose is measuring over 6" so I guess the timing & compression are good?
Now to buy a scanner.... Anyone have any suggestions on which to buy?

 

No idea's as to what scanner to use to check this out? Should I start a new thread?

 

Innova 3040 from Autozone should fulfill these requirements. Any scanner that reads live data (NOT just a code).
The way an engine started and than died is very similar when timing belt is or chain is installed with retarded cam timing.

 

Good vacuum means the valves are not leaking.

 

Long awaited update:
Backstory- I did this repair in my parents garage as I didn't have the room & I though it'd be handy to have my folks around to hold a wrench from time to time (they're both retired) & since they have a two car garage they don't really use, why not?
Diagnosed- After I put everything together the car ran for 2-3 minutes & died, then would not restart. Though very confident in my work, I double/triple/quadruple checked everything & I still couldn't get it to run for more than 20-30 seconds. Eventually, I broke down & took it to the dealer. After spending "Much longer than we should have" diagnosing it, they found the car to have a clogged catalytic. Strange, how could the car have gone from running great, to clogged catalytic because a spark plug blew out....... I towed the thing home as a factory catalytic costs $1200...
Cause- Removing the catalytic should've been easy but thanks to salty roads I had to remove the entire exhaust & grind off each of the cat's bolts to separate it from the rest of the system. Borescope of the pipe found the culprit- WHILE THE ENGINE WAS APART I SARAN WRAPPED THE TOP OF THE MOTOR TO KEEP STUFF OUT BUT THE EXHAUST WAS LEFT OPEN. TURNS OUT A MOUSE WENT DOWN THE PIPE & MADE A COZY LITTLE HOME FOR HIMSELF. The 2-3 minutes of initial running was probably what it took to push the entirety of the mouse nest & baby mice flush against my catalytic to clog it.
All fixed- To get the many small holes of the catalytic cleared would have been difficult & the thing was kind of a rusty mess anyway so I purchased a brand new MagnaFlow Catalytic Converter (Part #51768) and my Fit finally has a clean bill of health.

Thanks all for the help, who could've guessed it was all because of a mouse........

 

Thanks for an update. I guess we have to look for uncommon non-mechanical causes. I would not be surprised to find a dead lizard in my car's ECU

 

Great story, thanks for sharing!

Now a little story of my own. Fifteen years ago, my mom passed and I was the estate executor. They lived way out in the boonies, far away from any town. My deceased dad's 1990 Corolla had less then 30K mi. on it, but it had not been taken out for awhile as my mom couldn't drive, but she would start it up every now and then just to run the engine.

So I find the keys to the Corolla and it starts right up. Great, I'm thinking, maybe it won't need too much work. Air up the tires, make sure it's ready to be taken out on the road, open the garage and off we go. I'm on my way to a gas station to fill up the tank.

On the way there, I decide to check the AC and heating system, so I turn on the dash vents and switch the fan to high speed. That turned out to be a really bad idea, as bits of torn-up tissue paper came flying out of the vents in such a flurry that it almost seemed like it was snowing inside the vehicle. So I turn the fan off and survey the fallout. It's like I'm driving in a snow globe. When I got out of the car, I had to brush myself off for a few minutes before walking away.

Turns out some rats had found their way into the interior, found a box of tissues, and used said tissues to make a nest deep inside the vents. Not something I wanted to tackle myself - I had other executor duties that took precedence - so had to take it to a shop to dismantle the vents and clean them out.

It all ended well enough - made sure my niece got the car at a super price from the estate ($3K if memory serves, which was dirt cheap for a '90 Corolla with low miles at the time) - but I know well enough not to engage the fan at full speed on the road if I suspect animal infiltration.