Urgent help needed engine not running right after rebuild...

[bluecivic]

Hi all ill try and give as much info here as possible !

Ok i had a spare d14a4 engine and i have rebuilt it again has 60,000 miles on it. Engine was running perfect. So i had the head reskimmed and changed all seals and electrics all brand new.

So i have swapped the engine into the car today. It started no problems and ran 100% really quiet and smooth. I drove it out of bay where it was done into another bay and then the car now runs like its only on a few cylinders, running very lumpy !

Now its very hard to start and when it does start it will run lumpy for about 20sec and then knock off.

Anyone any ideas of what i could check ?

(quick note if i moved the dizzy towards the back of the car it would go smooth for 5 sec then lumpy again. and if i try and give it throttle it knocks off)

Any help would be much appreciated ! thx

[BETEK]

Timing is it ok?

[bluecivic]

I def think so. i marked up all marks before belt went on and when im putting the dizzy on i put the lines together then into cam.

[hondamake]

If it started OK and ran smoothly then the assumption must be that you got everything right. If it now won't run properly then either something has come loose (vacuum hose/manifold air leak/pressurised fuel circuit?) or a new component has failed. You said new electrics? The first path to go down is to substitute your new items with the old ones. Pay particular attention to the multiplugs in the harness, continuity check everything. My own car had an intermittent fault that I eventually traced to bad female in the distributor multiplug. Keep us updated, everyone likes a mystery with a good outcome!

[Dodo Bizar]

First thing I always look for is mechanical failure. When mechanical failures are ruled out, you should always be able to solve it easily by checking the electronic components one by one.

So my suggestion, make sure compression on all 4 cylinders is ok, if one of them is out of line, there might be something nasty there. Another still mechanical-ish issue would be if coolant leaks in the engine. Therefore it ran good for a little while and after it got flooded somehow, either leak in the intake mani gasket or really worse case, head gasket.

But I keep my fingers crossed for you you have just a 'simple' ignition issue of some sort.

[bluecivic]

Thx for the replies guys on monday im going to recheck the timiming just incase and swap out anything electrical ie sensors and stuff. Will keep you posted of the outcome.

[hondamake]

How's it coming on?

[bluecivic]

Sry i took so long to reply back.

Well after everything it turned out to be low on fuel ! ! ! Stupid mistake on my part !

But yes it is all up and running now and running gr8 i got the valve followers set as it was clicky but now that all sorted and its nice and quite and smooth.

Engine feels very torquey ! and will do 120mph in 4th gear with more revs left !

I think this is good ? lol

Will post a pic of work here...

[Dodo Bizar]

Thnx for the reply! And we add another item to the list of: "Did you check...?"

[hondamake]

Classic rookie mistake - and we're all guilty Empirical diagnostics, try the simple first, the common next, only when they're eliminated start looking for the exotic and unusual. Always remember that when you put your ear to the ground and hear hoof beats in the distance - you are more likely to be trampled by horses than zebras.