Honda Car Forum

My 94 Honda Civic is sputtering. Acceleration is weak and the sputtering
causes a bit of a jerky ride. The sputtering happens inconsistently at all
different speeds including idling.

The temp gauge just shot up close to the red -- don't know if this is a
different problem or not.

I replaced the distributor recently, could this be related?

Thanks....

"hutchtoo" <hutchtoo@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:LZOdnRZapLqsx6beRVn-1g@rcn.net...
> My 94 Honda Civic is sputtering. Acceleration is weak and the sputtering
> causes a bit of a jerky ride. The sputtering happens inconsistently at
> all different speeds including idling.
>
> The temp gauge just shot up close to the red -- don't know if this is a
> different problem or not.
>
> I replaced the distributor recently, could this be related?
>
> Thanks....
>
Dunno - but the distributor was the first thing that came into my mind. If
you check the timing I think you will see it jumping like a hop toad
(technical description). I think that distributor has failed.

Mike

hutchtoo wrote:
>
> My 94 Honda Civic is sputtering. Acceleration is weak and the sputtering
> causes a bit of a jerky ride. The sputtering happens inconsistently at all
> different speeds including idling.
>
> The temp gauge just shot up close to the red -- don't know if this is a
> different problem or not.
>
> I replaced the distributor recently, could this be related?
>
> Thanks....

=======================

Fill the reservoir to the MAX line and check each morning before
leaving. No tap water . . . Your engine needs to be FULL of coolant,
since any air can throw off the computer when sensors aren't fully
emmersed.

'Curly'

My aftermarket distributor is still good.

The problem was simple: new plugs and wires. Turns out I was running on
3-1/2 cylinders, amazingly.

"Michael Pardee" <michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote in message
news:TLWdnacGz-R0_6beRVn-qw@sedona.net...
> "hutchtoo" <hutchtoo@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:LZOdnRZapLqsx6beRVn-1g@rcn.net...
>> My 94 Honda Civic is sputtering. Acceleration is weak and the sputtering
>> causes a bit of a jerky ride. The sputtering happens inconsistently at
>> all different speeds including idling.
>>
>> The temp gauge just shot up close to the red -- don't know if this is a
>> different problem or not.
>>
>> I replaced the distributor recently, could this be related?
>>
>> Thanks....
>>
> Dunno - but the distributor was the first thing that came into my mind. If
> you check the timing I think you will see it jumping like a hop toad
> (technical description). I think that distributor has failed.
>
> Mike
>

"hutchtoo" <hutchtoo@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:LIudnaVWPrfsfKDeRVn-gA@rcn.net...
> My aftermarket distributor is still good.
>
> The problem was simple: new plugs and wires. Turns out I was running on
> 3-1/2 cylinders, amazingly.
>
Congratulations and thanks for the feedback!

Mike

> "Michael Pardee" <michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote in message
> news:TLWdnacGz-R0_6beRVn-qw@sedona.net...
>> "hutchtoo" <hutchtoo@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:LZOdnRZapLqsx6beRVn-1g@rcn.net...
>>> My 94 Honda Civic is sputtering. Acceleration is weak and the sputtering
>>> causes a bit of a jerky ride. The sputtering happens inconsistently at
>>> all different speeds including idling.
>>>
>>> The temp gauge just shot up close to the red -- don't know if this is a
>>> different problem or not.
>>>
>>> I replaced the distributor recently, could this be related?
>>>
>>> Thanks....
>>>
>> Dunno - but the distributor was the first thing that came into my mind.
>> If you check the timing I think you will see it jumping like a hop toad
>> (technical description). I think that distributor has failed.
>>
>> Mike
>>
>
>

In article <LIudnaVWPrfsfKDeRVn-gA@rcn.net>, "hutchtoo" <hutchtoo@gmail.com> writes:
>
> The problem was simple: new plugs and wires. Turns out I was running on
> 3-1/2 cylinders, amazingly.

Years ago I had a Hyundai Excel. I had some routine maintenance,
including a tune-up, done right before a two-day drive from
Massachusetts to Florida. On the morning of the second day it was
running roughly and I couldn't get it past 70 MPH on the highway. At
my first stop it kept threatening to stall, so I popped the hood in
the hope that it would be something obvious and easy to repair.

It was: one of the plug wires had come off the plug and was dangling
free. I'd been running on three cylinders. Put it back on and
problem solved.

I've also had a Dodge van that ran for months on five of six
cylinders; finally got around to changing the plugs and wires, and
one wire had disintegrated completely inside the plug boot.

Modern cars, even relatively crappy ones, are impressively resilient.

--
Michael Wojcik michael.wojcik@microfocus.com

That's gotta be one of the principles behind reality. Accepting things
that are hard to comprehend, and leaving them that way. And bleeding.
Shooting and bleeding. -- Haruki Murakami (trans Philip Gabriel)