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Hello,
I have a 1998 honda prelude H22A engine. Not the Si or Sh or any of those fancy models. The issue I am having is a misfire on Cylinder 3. The tricky part is the car drives fine. The check engine light was flashing so I took it to advance auto parts to have the code pulled. It was a misfire cylinder 3. I changed all spark plugs and spark plug wires. A few hours later, the light came back on solid. Took to advance again and it was the same code, misfire cylinder 3. I am at a lost as to what it could be or what next to do. Can someone help?
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One possibility it could be is a faulty fuel injector. You can test for this by removing the fuel rail and swap the positions of injectors 2 and 3 . Reassemble, and see if the code moves. If the code moves with the injector to #2, the problem is the injector. If the code remains on cylinder #3, the next step is to run a compression test and/or cylinder leakdown test to verify the cylinder can compress normally and rule out a burned valve. Before swapping the injector, you might also want to check inside the cap and rotor for damage and to see if there is any carbon tracking causing that cylinder to lose its spark.
I am not sure how to test the distributor cap. Do you know if Eric has any videos on doing this or do you know of any other resource that can walk me thru the process ?
You don’t actually ‘test’ the cap, you just look at the inside of it, with the help of a bright light, and visually inspect it for damaged terminals (signs of wear/electrical arc damage), physical damage (cracks, missing material), and carbon tracks. Carbon tracks can look like cracks but are actually narrow streaks of carbon deposit.
What brand spark plug did you use?If NGK,you are good there.Wrong brand spark plugs used can cause misfires.See this with Bosch and E3 spark plugs a lot causing misfires.
For as little as they cost I would just change the cap and rotor to eliminate the ignition system completely.
After that I would move on to the suggested fuel system troubleshooting mentioned above.
As long as you used decent plugs and have them gapped properly I really doubt that is the issue.
Sorry about the delay in response.
I have attached a video link below. I have 3 questions.1) Does it look like I have an oil leak coming from the distributor seal where it attaches to the engine?
2) If that is where the leak is coming from, would it make more sense to just replace the entire distributor instead of testing it etc?
3)Does my distributor have an external coil or internal coil?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7hPzwGGjVNEai1zZWVHMHR3WEE/view?usp=sharing
The video is of underneath the distributor. The video was filmed sideways, so those electric connectors and the one line with the metal clamp on it are actually underneath the distributor.
Thanks so much for the reply and pictures. Really helpful. Just one more question for you. I decided to go ahead and replace the entire distributor because there was an oil leak underneath it. MY question is, do i need to be concerned about the timing when replacing the distributor? I read that I will need to manually turn the engine with a socket wrench to have the timing aligned correctly and I have also heard I don’t need to do that, I just need to unbold the old one and stick the new one in. If you can, please help me understand the correct procedure for this.
The reason you want to turn the engine to #1 cylinder TDC is so you can see where the rotor is pointing before you take it off (should be pointing to #1 spark plug). When you put the new distributor in, you need to make sure that the rotor is pointing the same way (#1 spark plug).
There is a slot in the camshaft that the distributor hooks up to and determines the position of the rotor. On previous engines like the F22A series, it was possible to mess up the distributor timing by flipping the shaft so the rotor would be pointing 180 degrees off towards #4 spark plug (Firing order is 1 3 4 2). If you ever hear someone tell you that your timing is 180 degrees off this is what they are taking about.
Honda since fixed the problem so the distributor only goes in one way, so technically you can just pull it off and replace it.
However, I would still take the timing to #1 cylinder TDC. It is a good thing to know in general so you understand how the engine works. You will need to know this if you ever need to do the timing belt, pull the head for any reason, or diagnose the wealth of other problems that can happen with an engine. You will also be armed with more information if for some reason you have a problem after performing the work.
Make sure when you pull the distributor cap off that you don’t remove the spark plug wires from the cap. If you remove the wires you will need to hook them back up in the correct firing order (see above).
Good luck buddy
Don’t rule out mechanical. That engine has adjustable valves and if they’re not adjusted properly it can set a misfire code. Also, aftermarket distributors often have issues on Hondas, I’ve seen it many times. As for TDC, you don’t need to be concerned. The keyway on the cam for the distributor is offset meaning it will only allow the distributor to be inserted one way. If it doesn’t go in one way, rotate the keyway 180º and try again. Yes, you do need to set the timing but be sure to follow the proper procedure.
BTW fuel injector problems on Honda’s are very rare. They mostly have ignition system issues and sometimes mechanical issues like misadjusted valves.
Here’s videos on how to set timing and also how to adjust valves. Not sure what engine you have but I have posted videos for both.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Thank you all for the help. I finally got around to changing out the distributor. And still have the same code. Here is what I have done so far.
-New Spark plugs
-New Spark plug wires
-New Distributor
-New Vtec solenoid gasket ( Still got the codes before and after I changed this gasket)The check engine light would continuosly flash and when i turn the car off and back on it would just be a solid check engine light.
1998 Honda Prelude H22A engine
Codes pulled:
P0303: Cylinder 3 misfire detected
P0301: Cylinder 1 misfire detectedI am at a lost. What should I do next?
P.S- The car rides smooth, no rough idle or anything like that even after I installed those new parts. But still same codes.Have you tested for vacuum leaks? Spray any vacuum source with carb cleaner or brake cleaner (just be careful because it is always possible it could ignite). I’d also spray the intake manifold gasket around the number one and three runners. If idle drops or surges, you have a vacuum leak at the gasket and will need to be replaced. Spray both the upper and lower plenums.
I will test for vacuum leaks next weekend. I did eyeball my engine for anything unusual. I found this hose, maybe you can help shine some light as to what exactly this hose is please.
The hose is the transmission vent. Nothing to worry about.
Have you checked for mechanical issues like burnt or misadjusted valves?
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-performance-issues
Yes, that hose does go to the transmission
No, I haven’t checked the valve adjustment, I know you did a video on it though. I was planning on doing that last because of how complex it is.Through my research I discovered that it can potentially be the coil pack. I did an Ohm test (hopefully I did it right, this would make for a good video Eric) and i believe it failed. The check engine light seems to come on and flash when the car has warmed up. Coil pack will be replaced this weekend.
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