Hey got a couple Questions I just finishedreplaing the head gasket on my 1991 honda civic hatchback 1.5L. And im having some problems getting it running again. I think that a couple of my problems could be timing, fireing order. so if some one could fill me in on how to find top dead center and the order of the wires on the distributer. now to my knowledge i have the timming correct and the fring order correct. so i would just like to couble check with you guys. Now when i turn it over it kinda fires and runs only when the starter is on. and it makes funny sounds in the egsuahst kinda like a fart. does any one know what is up? ive run out if ideas of what could be wrong.

 

top dead center is easy, but everyone has their own way of doing it. i pull the #1 plug and put the non magnetic end of a telescoping magnet it the cylinder and turn the crank. you can do this by bumping it with the starter, but that is really not advised. i'm use to working on V-8's and we just turn the crank pully. you will know where TDC is when you feel the piston start to go back down. i would also make sure that when you find TDC make sure you're on the compression stroke. with the way the heads are on hondas i dont know how you would go about doing that, but on the V-8's we would just stick our finger in the hole for the sparkplug. now your "farting" noise sounds to me like the timing is off. i only say this because you say that it only fires when the starter is on. i would also double check your wires on the distributor cap just to make sure you have the correct firing order. i am still new to hondas so i dont know the firing order. but then again it can vary from engine to engine. ex: the D16y7 probably has a different firing order than a H22 or a K20. refere to your hanes manual, or chiltons or what ever you use. lastly, did you do anything to the valvetrain when you had the head off. if your rockers are too loose or too tight the valves wont open properly which can cause this problem.

 

Firing order is 1-3-4-2 going clockwise looking at the distributor cap. Cylinder #1 is on the left side of the car, furthest from the distributor. Set the engine to TDC1 like you did to put the timing belt on and take the cap off, the rotor will point at terminal #1. This should be around 10 o clock on the distributor.

 

I will be doing the same later this week. I have a 1983 civic 1500.

All this is described in my 83 manual. Do you have a repair manual. I think you can find them online for your year.

There is an arrow on the camshaft pulley that goes at certain point and an arrow on the trans flywheel that matches a certain point too. Unless these are set together the cam and drive shaft will be out of sequence. And this is TDC center for my engine too.

Also I recall the rotor must be on number one piston andthe distributor positioned at a certain point.

I will need to check the valves since I believe the timing will change for me.

If I were you I would go through the manual and then check each step to b sure you did it correct and then move on to the next. Something is not done right somewhere.

It does sound like timing belt, distributor or wires to me but which one. My guess timing belt.

 

Might try here for a free service manual http://hondatech.info/downloads/Auto/Manuals/Civic/

 

The '83 will have a different setup since the dizzy is side mounted with a gear drive to the cam instead of end mounted like on the later non CVCC. I think it may rotate in the opposite direction. Take careful notes before disassembling. If you take the dizzy off of the engine, the gear can be engaged in about 8 different positions, only one of which is correct.

 

thanks guys when i had my head off i did have to replace a couple of the valves so i will check my rockers. now was far as the timming goes the best way to do that is find TDC then set the camshaft so that the up on the timming belt pully is up and the lines are lined up with the head. Is that right?

 

Right. If the up is down then you need to turn the crank around exactly once, back to TDC since the cam turns 1/2 turn for every turn of the crank.

Hopefully it is already close since if you try to start the engine with the cam way out of time the valves might crash and get damaged.