Horrible mpg vx 17mp

[VX.hatch]

Thanks for the input. The car has power, or at least what I think 90hp feels like, at wot. The issue is part throttle mainly. I compression check it and numbers are starting from dizzy 170-170-165-155. Number #4, closest to dizzy, plug was wet and black and smelled like gas. The others were dry and white. I ordered a new reman dizzy and see how that goes. Thanks for the input and more input is still valued. Also I think my cat is already shot so I'm not worried.

[user removed]

If #4 is wet, check spark on that plug before replacing anything. Even then could be a plug, wire, cap, or other things like the closest to the vacuum line for the fuel pressure regulator. Could be a fried injector. Replace parts AFTER you have done the proper diagnostics or you could be throwing money away. Poor injector connection could be the problem but it does not sould like that.
They key to proper repair procedure is to identify the sympton, then the cause of that symptom before replacing parts.
The symptoms you have described would not lead me to conclude that a distributor is necessary and the cat issue would possibly be resolved by elimination of the fouled plug.

regards
Mech

[user removed]

Look at it this way, if you paid me to fix the problem and I replaced the dizzy and cat and that did nothing to solve your problem, you sure as %^&* wouldn't want to pay me for that work, expecially since it did NOT constitute a REPAIR which eliminated the obvious symptoms.

regards
mech

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

Replace parts AFTER you have done the proper diagnostics or you could be throwing money away.

Or, as a guy on Honda-tech always says, "test, don't guess." Empiricism and diagnostics... good.

[VX.hatch]

I agree with the throwing money away thing. I figured that if its not the distributor my brother can have it as his is bad. How would I test an injector? Pull it from manifold and lay the rail and injector and let it squirt? This scares me as I don't want fire. I think my ignitor or coil is going bad in the dizzy or at least this is what my research is telling me.

Are there any tests I can do with basic tools that you suggest and that I can do out in the cold. It's freezing here and really don't want to be outside, lol.

[user removed]

I used a mechnics stethoscope and listened to them. You can do the same thing with a screwdriver. Put the tip on the body of the injector and put the handle in your ear. On a good injector you will hear it ticking, while a bad one usually makes no noise, or less noise compared to know good ones. You can pull the whole rail out and crank the engine over to check spray patterns. Just pull the coil wire off the distributor and ground it to metal.
regards
Mech

[user removed]

If I was diagnosing your problem, knowing you have a wet plug but good compression, the first thing I would do would be to change the plug and plug wire on that cylinder with one I knew was good. Then test drive and pull the plug after the test drive. Total time 10-15 minutes. If the plug now looks good, drive it some more. This allows you to separate the problem between ignition and fuel delivery. If the plug quickly fouls out again, you are most likely rich on that cylinder alone. Pull the pressure regulator vacuum line and see if you can smell fuel in the vacuum hose. If so the problem is a leaking diaphragm in your pressure regulator. Most likely the vacuum line will be nearest the malfunctioning cylinder, since that cylinder is sucking the excess fuel from the vacuum line.

regards
Mech

[VX.hatch]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

If I was diagnosing your problem, knowing you have a wet plug but good compression, the first thing I would do would be to change the plug and plug wire on that cylinder with one I knew was good. Then test drive and pull the plug after the test drive. Total time 10-15 minutes. If the plug now looks good, drive it some more. This allows you to separate the problem between ignition and fuel delivery. If the plug quickly fouls out again, you are most likely rich on that cylinder alone. Pull the pressure regulator vacuum line and see if you can smell fuel in the vacuum hose. If so the problem is a leaking diaphragm in your pressure regulator. Most likely the vacuum line will be nearest the malfunctioning cylinder, since that cylinder is sucking the excess fuel from the vacuum line.

regards
Mech

Never thought of smelling the vacuum line, you are smart seriously no joke. I'll wait until the excess gas smell from motor dissipates.

I tested the injectors, pull rail method, and they all fire with good spray pattern. Pressure I think is good cause a few injectors shot out before I realized I needed to hold them in and have a second person cranking. Going to check spark again.

Again thank all of you for your input.

[pgfpro]

I would switch a good spark plug to number four and see if it runs any better?

The way the exhaust looks to me and the sound of the engine plus the compression test you might have cross over on 3 and 4 cylinder (head gasket).

But first I would like to know if number four will fire and run clean with a known good spark plug.

[VX.hatch]

I tested spark. Its strong white blue and a little yellow. swapped plugs 3 and 4. Filled up at a different gas station and it runs better today. Not saying its fixed just better. It went down from jerking to hesitation or loss of power feeling only part throttle or should I say 40% throttle is the worse. Past that it runs fine and below that not as bad. The car felt like it had more power today, spun second gear instead of chirp. I'm going to drive it more and keep an eye on fuel consumption and report some more.

I'm thinking bad ignitor or coil as last time I drove it the car had snow on it and today its dry.