(Update video) Car dies while driving!

[Ken]

Hello forum,

I just got back after a very hot and sweaty afternoon waiting for a tow truck after my car died while driving.
Thankfully the two truck was a front end lift tow instead of flat bed because I also discovered the car will not shift out of park!

I was coming down off a long exit ramp and when all of a sudden the car just died, RPM’s dropped to 0, engine shut off but power/acc was still on.
Check engine light turned on immediately as soon as the engine cut power, and the CEL has been on ever since.
Car will not start, or switch out of Park, please help. I’m getting a lot of information that’s all over the place.
At the time the car died I still had oil pressure and was not overheating. Car just cranks endlessly.

Where should I start troubleshooting, and any good steps/videos on it?

Vehicle: 1990 Acura Integra
Transmission: Auto
OBD-0
ATF fluid color: redish and at the right level (drain and fill done earlier this year)
Parts/service done in the past 3 years that might be relevant include: new fuel pump, main relay, fuel filter, distributor (aftermarket), NGK plugs, and Duralast wires, alternator (reman), starter (reman).

I’ll check back regularly, feel free to ask any further questions! Thank you kindly for reading.

Topic

[Rob]

also another FYI on some cars you have chipped keys that you might have to reprogram it… also some tumblers that have non key chips … still have a chipped tumbler system… my ex car was like that… if its a no chip key system and you see looking like 5 cable ribbin cable coming from the tumbler you most likely have that and will have to reprogram it… you will also see an anti theif light too.. like a 96 cavaler has that system in it… you like turn the key foward for like 5 mins and back and forth something wierd like that.. if you do you have to check out the instructions yourself for your car

[Caleb Stovall]

With generation two Acura Integras he doesn’t have to worry about that unless someone installed a very fancy aftermarket anti-theft system.
It’s just a straight up double sided key.

If you do end up having to get a new key made though you can buy uncut Acura keys for like 8 bucks online, not necessary though.

[Mike]

I would recommend not using graphite powder. It conducts electricity, and can cause all kinds of weird stuff to happen if it gets into contacts and connectors. And it’s hell to try and clean up if it gets into spots where it doesn’t belong.

[Ken]

Alright, as an update – I ordered a new cap/rotor I’ll try to salvage that distributor since a new one is $150+ and I’m unemployed.

Also discovered about half the fuses in my driver side footwell are blown.

Also, thanks for the heads up on the graphite powder, but that shift lock is completely mechanical, It’s not even really a key hole, a flat head could toggle it, I have yet to take any interior trim off, I’ll try the new fuses and cap/rotor, might also need a brake light switch, but they’re $25?! if the car has cruise control (which mine does).

Thanks folks!

[Bubba]

All the blown fuses…………can you attach picture of where this fuse box is located?

[Ken]

[quote=”BubbaGarage” post=170855]All the blown fuses…………can you attach picture of where this fuse box is located?[/quote]
In the driver footwell by the hood latch release, standard stuff.

Anyway folks, replaced all blown fuses, it does seem to be related to the distributor rotor going out, the car now comes out of park!! Using the brake pedal even, massive relief on that front!

I also did further research and it turns out a failing rotor can cause the car to shudder and shake (guessing its due to misfires) which it has been doing for over a year, and here I was replacing hundreds of dollars of worn suspension parts just to feel no difference.

I also checked the “dizzy” bushing the rotor mounts to and felt no play so I’m confident a new cap/rotor will fix both issues.

I’ll be picking up the parts later today and give this post (hopefully) a final update.

[Ken]

Late Saturday update:
The new rotor does not fit the (dizzy) bushing of the aftermarket unit. I’m stuck for now. Trying to contact some friends that are into modifying Honda’s to see if they have a spare B18 distributor.

[Ken]

Just for the sake of anyone looking this up in the future, yes that distributor was busted, I’d never recommend anyone buy cheap no name distributors especially since you can’t get OEM replacement parts for them! Hard lesson learned.

I replaced the distributor with a used OEM unit I found for cheap, still WAY better off than with a new off-brand unit. Car started right up!

Also, for the record you can use a manual ’92 Integra distributor on a automatic ’90 Integra B18A1 non-vtec, the only noticable difference is theres a metal notch that lines up with a notch on the cap, either cut the notch off, or buy a manual replacement cap (if you ever need to). Eric actually has a video from 6 years ago where he did exactly that.

[Author]

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