I do not like the Honda FSM.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by Xist

That has a distributor, not a coil pack. Someone told me that bad wires would cause a visible short in the dark, but water would definitely help.
If I knew where my multimeter was (or bought another) I could test the boring way.
It might only be an issue while idling, but I idled for a couple of minutes while I moved Mom's car out of the way.

Get the multimeter and check the resistance from under the cap,out the end of each wire.
A cracked insulator on any plug will cause an intermittent misfire ( I had one for 30,000-miles and HONDA dealer never could find it(which I finally did on a moonless night with the hood propped open)
If it were a bad coil,I don't think it would run under load at all.She'd idle fine,but as soon as you moved she'd fall on her face.
Some HONDA coils have a built-in resistor also.Afermarket coils don't necessarily have this feature.And I've also experienced a 'bad' brand new,$2.00 DELCO rotor (a walk-home failure).Sometimes it pays to use authentic HONDA parts.

[Xist]

NGK rates their wires to 8,000Ω per meter. My longest wire is 67cm and the multimeter said 6.2.

When I set my multimeter to 20,000Ω, as ChrisFix recommends, does it display kΩ?

8,000 * .67 = 5,360Ω

So, mine is 16% high. I do not remember the other wires, but the shorter the wire, the lower the resistance. Maybe new wires would make the misfires go away--for six days. AutoZone is the only place in my area that sells them.

I had wanted to check for sparks last night, but I really did not want to be awake anymore. I woke up about five and researched cleaning spark plugs and wires. I stopped around 6:15.

It was probably already getting light. I don't know, I covered my window with a campaign sign a year ago, but had I not waited until 6:30, made my brother's breakfast, and then resumed the project, maybe something would have worked out better.

The mechanic would have been less hostile? I would have been less late to work?

[Xist]

Follower of WatchJRGo on YouTube:

Loaded question friend.
Lots could be out of place as a simple mistake.

So, start at the beginning and move methodically through the entire process again.

1)Is the engine at TDC
2)Are ALL the plugs wires (and additional wires) in the correct location and securely fastened?
3)Do the timing marks line up?

mechanics.stackexchange.com:

Check the compression in each cylinder with a wet and dry test

reddit:

Get a new mechanic for starters

Pull the spark plugs and look inside the cylinders. If the old spark plug tube seals were leaking badly you could have old oil in the cylinders that's being burned and fouling your plugs. Also check the condition of the plugs, if they are black and sooty or wet with oil thats probably why you're getting misfires. If they look fine and your cylinders are relatively clean then it's time to do some more investigation

Replace spark plug wires entirely and see what happens they're cheap and easy.

You should probably not have cleaned the wires with hot soapy water. I’d say you now need to replace them.

If there is oil on the electrode tip, the rings or valve guides are likely worn out and fouling the plugs.

Oil in the tubes does not put oil on the tips of the plugs.

AxleAddict:

Closely check the distributor cap. it can also cause problems when hard to notice cracks and traces of carbon mess up with the spark. Since the problem is concentrated on those three cylinders, you may want to check the valve train components for those three cylinders. Make sure the valves are operating as they should. If possible, download trouble codes, just in case there's a pending code.

2CarPros:

This sounds like a problem with your spark plug wires. You have replaced every other component of your ignition system except the spark plug wires. They should be changed every time you replace the spark plugs. Try this and get back to us with how everything turns out. We can go from there if needed.

FreeAutoMechanic:

Have you ever replaced the gaskets? Maybe the hoses?

Three people said to check the wires, although one said that I ruined them by washing them. I only did that because I had found several comments saying that it was safe, but taking free advice from strangers on-line carries risk.

[Xist]

Someone from ericthecarguy.com kind of responded, they just linked a guide, which should be useful, but it is a click-through, and so far the first two pages do not really say anything, but probably show ads. Is this some kind of ad-revenue-generating trick?

Thanks Eric!

I read the one paragraph and did not really look at this button:


Eric! I don't approve of your color scheme!


I think that is much better. Anyway, before I realized there was a next button I looked at the topics on the left and started reading "Notes on Honda Ignition Systems and Aftermarket Parts:"

If your Honda has OE wires on it, leave them alone. In all the years I've worked on Hondas, I’ve very rarely seen any issues with Honda ignition wires, even at very high mileage. I've seen plenty of issues with aftermarket wires. So if you're doing a tune-up and you have Honda wires on your engine, skip replacing them and save yourself some money.

In addition, Hondas don't like aftermarket spark plugs. Use NGK or Nippon Denso plugs only!

Well, fun. I guess that I should have tested the original wires before I replaced them like everyone said!

My inbox is full of people stating that they've replaced their Honda's distributor sub assembly only to find they now have other issues as a result, most notably cam and crank sensor codes, and sometimes even a no-start condition caused by faulty cam and crank sensors. The cam and crank sensors for many Honda engines are located inside the distributor sub assembly.

Stick with OE ignition parts for your Honda and avoid these issues. It's frustrating to see people with the best of intentions trying to tune up or service a performance issue on a Honda using aftermarket parts. I will say that a good substitute for Honda wires are NGK wires. Those are the only aftermarket wires I'll stand behind for Honda vehicles.

So, an aftermarket distributor was a mistake. Swell. Majestic would ship one for $384.79, but Amazon shipped me a Spectra Premium for $173.25.

I have the same codes I did with the original distributor, though. At least the new wires were a good choice, but people keep saying to replace them.

I’d insist that you check these things prior to your diagnosis. Check your spark plugs, air filter, fuel filter (if your vehicle has one), distributor cap and rotor (if equipped), and the oil level.

1. Replaced with NGK
2. Will check now
3. It is in the fuel tank
4. Replaced
5. Also replaced
6. Checked when I first had the problem, will check again now.

Finally! On page nine(!) it talks about Power Balance Testing

A power balance test helps determine the source of a misfire(s). If you have misfire codes or if you have a rough-running engine, this is a good place to start your diagnosis.

My CELs specify cylinders. Isn't that adequate?

He says to disable fuel injectors one by one and see if the RPMs drop. The next step is to spray carburetor cleaner around the engine and listen for the engine to change.

Shouty recommended that, too!

By the way, I did turn out the lights, pop the hood, and check for sparks last night. I sprayed a ton of water, but did not see any.

[Xist]

I swear that I posted about it, but I cannot find anything. On September twenty-second I put my Civic wires on my Accord and most of the misfires went away. Strangely, they had much more resistance than my Accord wires, but I will replace the Civic ones once I fix everything else. The first chance that I had I bought new wires for the Accord. With a coupon I found on-line they were about $33.50.

Nuts. I need to look up how much everything cost:
Spark plug tube seals
Spark plugs
Distributor
Spark plug wires

I think that was everything!

It was at least five weeks between when I replaced the spark plug wires and this Sunday when I needed a jump-start in order to drive home from Church.