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Hello all,
I have a 94 integra with a 1.8 liter non v-tech 5 speed manual. I have been working on changing the timing belt and water pump for a while now and I finally got the timing correct and was able to drive my car yesterday (first time in about 3 weeks). When I start it, everything runs fine. It sits at idle and has no problems. But as soon as I start moving for about 5 seconds, it produces a large cloud of white smoke or steam. What could cause this and how can I fix it?Thanks,
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How do I test the ECU to see if its functioning properly? Also, the problems stated above only happen when the engine is warmed up. It didn’t happen today but on Friday after driving around for a while, the engine was warmed up and the issues began. Yesterday I let it sit at idle for about 15 min and as the car warmed, the rpms fell all the way to 700 before I turned the car off.
Forget about testing the ECU. You don’t test ECU’s you test everything else to eliminate it and then look to the ECU. That said, I don’t think that’s your problem. Honda ECU’s rarely have issues. Static battery voltage should be 12.6 or above. If you just have 12volts then your battery may be bad causing all of your problems. Have it load tested to see if it’s good.
Another common problem on your vehicle is the ignition switch. When one goes bad, it can cause problems similar to what you describe with the exception of the slow cranking. It can however cause the engine to cut out randomly. If it’s bad, you don’t need the entire switch, just the electrical portion. It’s actually a very affordable part.
Check the battery and it’s connections first. LOTS of problems caused by low system voltage or poor connections.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-no-start-problems
Continue to keep us posted.
I agree with Eric when you add more symptoms of your car problem. Low battery won’t give enough power to have a spark powerful enough to start an explosion. A ECU in modern car ,with electric powering, will cut off the power steering when the batteries is too low. The connection on the battery can have rust on It. Rust is less conductive then metal and can create voltage variation when the car is running. With a fail ECU you will have a lot on problem together related with electricity (stalling, no start, misfire, multiple wrong code, multiple light open up and disappear during the drive). You can’t test the ECU with tool, you need to replace It to see if It’s the case. But before replacing this, you need to examine and test the part that can cause problems. A home computer can run bad when the electricity is not stable enough and have nothing wong in the computer.
Does the ignition switch have any connection with the brights switch? I could get my car to start for the longest time yesterday. Same issues of dimming lights, a sound that sounded like the mechanism that starts the started was trying to start but did not have enough power. Finally, while messing with different dials and knobs, I flashed the flasher switch and all the lights came on full power and I was able to start it. I checked the battery again and it was holding at 12.7. I’m still going to have it load tested though just to be sure.
I don’t think the headlight switch has anything to do with it. I still recommend checking the battery and making sure that’s good before you go further with this. The entire electrical system starts and ends at the battery. You need to address that first, if not, everything else will be off.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-no-start-problems
If It’s cold outside (below 10°C) the white smoke is normal at idle. The ignition switch and even a short (wire that is not insulated with plastic that touch metal part in the car). You need to buy the official electrical workshop repair manual for you car brand made by your car brand to understand what wire do and where they go. A multimeter and power probe are essential to diagnose electrical issue.
The link to see where to buy the power probe
I finally got the battery load tested and they said it was ok. I haven’t had any issues since I last posted. The idle is normal and it’s been starting every time. I don’t know what happened but if it does it again, I’ll break out my multi meter and see what I can find. I do have another issue though. My car has been making a sound when I’ve been driving for as long as I’ve had the car (about a year now) and when I bought the car, the guy said it was caused by a worn tire that had a dry spot from sitting. It sounds like low or flat tire (only not as loud and doesn’t cause shaking or impaired driving). So I slowly changed all the tires one by one as I could afford and finally all the tires were changed. The sound remained. So I thought it might be the cv axles, which were very worn and the cv boots were torn to pieces. So last night I replaced both sides. I can still hear the noise. Could the bearings be bad and can I change them or is there a special press or something I need?
You can investigate the noise from all the pulley that run the serpentine belt. A little bite of graphite aerosol grease in the wheel bearing to lubricate them. You can buy a serpentine belt conditionner to add more tracktion if some greace groplet land on the belt and the groove wheel.
I don’t think its a any of the pulleys because its coming from the passengers side of the car. I just jacked it up and I could feel play at the 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock positions. But when I spin the tire as its jacked up, it sounds like its coming from the area that the axle enters the transmission. It sounds like a pulsing flopping sound, or a worn tire. And as I increase in speed the sound increases. Its connected to the speed that I’m going not the speed of the engine.
A tie rod can be the cause if you have a tie rod.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ9w7LXPXbY#t=203[/video]
I’m not sure that the tie rods are the problem. I can still hear the sound when the car is jacked up on one side and I spin the tire. Also, this morning my car would not start again for a long time. I opened the car door and the dome light was dim. I tried to start it and all the dash lights were dim a well and the car wouldn’t turn over. I turned the lights on and could hardly see anything. I checked the battery connection and everything looked fine. I had it load tested last week and they said it was ok. I proceeded to check other parts and made sure the fuses we all connected and such. I opened the trunk to get some tools and when I looked to the front of the vehicle, my lights were on bright. I hoped in and started the car. Where should I look next? What, past the battery, controls all the electrical flow? What ever the problem is, it is effecting all the electricity of my car.
http://ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-electrical-problems
Grounds. Follow the lines off the negative battery terminal. I would not only check and clean those points/washers(disconnect negative terminal of battery first), but the cable itself, just wiggle it near the battery and frame points, as the cable itself might need replacing due to corrosion. It’s obvious that the issue is something common since it’s headlights, dash lights, etc, so that leaves main contact points and cables, positive or negative up to that of the engine bay fuse box. Just need to narrow down the cause with a voltage drop test by the sound of it. A short could also be a cause, but you’re not noting any smoke, smell, or fire, which would occur. Although leaving a serious problem such as resistance in either the positive or negative portion of the system can do the same if left unchecked.
View at around 9:10 onward:
As to noise, yeah, 6/12 oclock play, you need to look to see if anything moves behind the wheel with that play. If not, then bearing issue.
Keep us posted on the other issue. As for the noise, this might be helpful.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/diagnosing-noises-in-your-car
Hello all. I replaced my passenger side bearing and now I can actually hear the engine while I’m driving. Something I’ve never been able to do before. As for the strange problem of my car not starting, it has not done it since my last post. I have noticed that the cooling fans have either stopped working or have not been working for awhile. Even when I turn on the AC, they do not kick on. I checked a diode in the dash but it was ok, and I checked the fuses and relay. Any ideas on where else to look?
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