Dead cylinder on 2.2 vtec….

[chris]

Ugh,ok.

Made a post about a fuel pump that i had to replace. put in a denso,car runs perfect.

well,before then car had a misfire (its my sisters in laws car)

its i believe cylinder 4,(far left passenger side) i can pull the plug wire and no change in the rough idle. Im new to the honda scene, ive built cars from Chevrolet 350s etc. So i know a little.

Well,i replaced plugs,wires,cap,rotor. Still dead miss on 4. today i pulled the valve cover and started her up. (i got a hella oil clean up to do later lol) well the small far left rocker isnt moving. is that normal or is that part of the vtec operation? I know how vtec sorta works,but staring at the setup confuses me a little.

Compression is 140-150 across all cylinders. (dry compression tests)

recently did timing belt. this issue showed up weeks later. put a noid light on the injector plug,it works,so its not fuel. replaced injector too. it works.

if i can get some help it’d be great. poor girl with 2 kids is bumming rides to work etc.

Topic

[Ingvar]

Ugh.. So do you have spark to that plug or not? That you replaced “everything” does not mean you have spark to it, right?
Honda distributor will introduce you to two new areas of concern: ignition coil and ignitor.

[chris]

oh yes,i do have spark to it for sure.

[chris]

so im bumping this.

[none]

Do you have access to a small scan tool that can pull your engine codes? I’d want to try and make a new misfire code if you’ve got the means to read your codes. If you’re content that spark isn’t the issue, fuel would be a good thing to chase next. Swap the number four injector with another and see if the misfire moves with the injector. You can either look for a new misfire code or try your power balance testing again.

When you did your compression testing, did you also do a running compression test? Cranking compression testing will tell you about engine sealing. A running compression test can tell you about engine breathing; as in a clue to whether or not that rocker is opening a valve.

[chris]

i didnt do a engine running compression test. just a typical test.

As far as the fuel,i used a noid light to test power. had that. replaced the injector,no different. if i run the car without the spark plug i smell fuel. So,fuels not the problem. as for the scanner i can get access to a snap on solus with obd1 testing if i want. but no codes are stored while checking using the paperclip method.

[none]

I’d suggest moving on to the running compression test. You could try a cylinder leak down test too. Or, grab a dial indicator and a set of feeler gauges and try and get a measure of your valve lift and your valve lash since you know that one rocker isn’t behaving like the rest of them. I’ve never had to work on a v-tec valve train either, so please keep us posted as you learn stuff.

[EricTheCarGuy]

Honda’s rarely have injector problems. They rarely have fuel delivery problems for that matter. The fuel pumps hardly ever go bad unless they were replaced with aftermarket units. It’s good to hear that you used a Denso unit for yours. Also, they really don’t like aftermarket ignition parts. I write more about that and how to solve performance issues like this here.

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-performance-issues

That said, I have seen many burned up and cracked exhaust valves due to misadjusted valves. You can find that with a leak down test.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[chris]

UPDATE :

So……problem has not been fixed,but maybe a progression has happened today to further find the fix.

I pulled the valve cover,and looked at cam lobes etc. looks ok. pressed down with my thumb on the intake valves and pushed em 1/2 inch or so to see if they were stuck on the cylinders misfire cylinder. seems fine. threw cover back on and started it up. Car ran PERFECT.let it idle for 10 min or so. i could pull the plug wire and it made a difference. i was like… heck yea! hmm maybe a valve was stuck?

well. while it was idling perfect,i pushed on the egr diaphragm and it wanted to stumble. which is normal. well,i got into the car and put it in reverse and gave it a bit of gas. INSTANTLY the misfire/dead cylinder came back. I got out,and pressed on the egr again. NO change. and seemed a bit soft. i could push all the way in and nothing…

So….i know theres a plate i can remove,and clean out the ports etc….but can a egr system cause a dead miss?

[Ingvar]

No but a bad rocker will. Or sticky valve. It’s VTEC, right? So valve timing is hydraulic pressure operated and extra rocker is there, right?
I am getting known around here as Mr Seafoam. Run can of Seafom through crankcase for a few hundred miles and change oil. Also look into finding out if there are any filters for VTEC actuator. Say, Toyota VVT-I system has 2 filters on V6 engines, before VVT valves, and they get dirty. Few know about them and get into spendy replacement for what is simply undo bolt, pull filter out, clean with some spray, put it back in.

[EricTheCarGuy]

The EGR should only be active under load, not at idle. If it is sticking and allowing EGR to flow during idle it can cause a miss.

Also, consider what your asking if you believe the EGR passages are clogged. If they were clogged you would not have EGR flow therefore it could not cause the miss you described because there isn’t any flowing. If there were clogged passages it could cause a miss under load or misfire codes to set.

Have you checked compression at all yet?

[chris]

had a friend check compression a few weeks ago and said it was “good” i was busy resodering the pump relay to fix a no start before the pump died. (by the way,its because of your video,thanks eric it fixed alot.)

im just so burned out on this. its for a girl with kids with little money,and i just cant give up because ive done the timing belt,water pump,fuel pump,solenoids on trans and now this. shes paid for all parts. ive barely made a dime. but i know how it is when you are in her situation.

ANY help appreciated.

edit. eric,you said egr shouldnt happen at idle. so if i touched the diaphragm at idle,would idle change? once it went into gear. roughness came back even at idle. and i could push the egr in and no change.

double edit. also,if say 2,3,and 4 is clogged. and only #1 (which has the misfire,i believe i said 4 earlier,but its # 1) is open,could enough egr cause a misfire?

[chris]

bumpppppppppppppp

[none]

Did you attempt a leak down test yet? There has to be a next step and I think most can agree that the leak down test is it.

[chris]

So its been a while. im hoping eric and the rest of you that has replied will read this,maybe reply.

Since ive posted. i pulled the egr,fuel rail,and egr passage plate. ALL ports were plugged except the misfiring cylinder. EVERYTHING was clogged within the plate. cleaned it all including egr. Idled perfect for a hour. put it into gear it died,wont start unless gas pedal was floored.

waited a week or 2 to cool off before i burned it down lol.

Now,it starts up,runs perfect forever until i touch gears,in drive it idles 400 rpm and wants to die. So heck with it. pulled the fast idle valve and iac. cleaned both. backed the fast idle in according to erics video. Did the idle relearn. At hot temp i pulled the iac wire. Upon looking at the base idle screw someone had messed with it big time. almost all the way in. i backed it out till 750 rpm or so,turned it off. plugged the iac back in,started it back up. idle seemed ok. but then started missfiring on random cylinders. pulled 2 plugs. fouled out pretty bad. So…

Now…im going to pick up some new ngk plugs and see what happens…And a battery. one in it is bad after a day. so resetting the ecm everyday testing isnt helping. Figured id update. even though im sure i will lack replies. thank you for the ones committed.

[Author]

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