1998 Honda Civic hard starting and running when cold

ROBSTER51

MEMBER
1998 HONDA CIVIC

Engine Performance problem
1998 Honda Civic 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Manual 210K miles

Problem started with faulty HV contact spring on ignition coil. Car stalled out, so was diagnosed, and replaced cap, rotor, plug wires, plugs & coil. Car ran well for a while, then developed cranking issues that have progressively worsened. Starter turns engine over and spins just fine. Pumping the 'gas' pedal eventually causes the engine to start firing slightly. Continued cranking (crank/off/crank/off) eventually results in sudden flooding, and gas vapor cloud emerging from air cleaner. A couple more cranks, and the engine starts, runs roughly, then begins to heat up, and after 5-10 miles, runs better, but you can feel some hesitation when trying to drive at a constant speed. "Aha, fuel delivery issue!" New fuel pressure regulator, fuel pump & strainer. No solution. Also NO codes on OBD port either, having had it checked 3 times. Have service manual, not sure which way to jump or what to replace next. Thanks!

1 Reply

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,815 POSTS

Hi robster51,

Thank you for the donation.

Symptom description seems to indicate a likely ignition fault rather than fuel related.

Was the ignition coil replaced of the correct spec? Check if the primary and secondary resistance are within specs.

Hitachi system
Primary resistance = 0.45 - 0.55 ohms
Secondary resistance = 22,400 - 33,600 ohms

TEC system
Primary resistance = 0.63 - 0.77 ohms
Secondary resistance = 12,800 - 19,200 ohms

While you are at it, check the igniter and coil wires and connections.

Test the plug wire resistance as well. All of them should have continuity and less than 25 k ohms.

Look out for arcing at the distributor rotor and caps.