Engine died while on highway

Post whatever you like in here but try to keep it Honda City related!
bayar

Engine died while on highway

Postby bayar » Mon May 14, 2007 12:09 pm

:? I was on highway when the car lost power and then the engine died completely. When I tried to restart there was no combustion in the engine. There is a click when the key is turned on. I haven't done anything yet and would like your advice on what is the best way to go about it. Is it the relay, fuel pump, fuel filter? Or is it something completely different. Oh, and my oil pressure indicator was on for about a week before it happened. There is plenty of oil and fuel in the car. Battery is new and alternator is good.

User avatar
James
Moderator / Donating Member
Posts: 3092
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2003 1:59 pm
Location: Putaruru
Contact:

Postby James » Mon May 14, 2007 3:08 pm

Firstly, what do you drive?

Secondly, your oil pump is probably shagged, driving it with the oil light on is asking for a boat anchor instead of an engine.

bayar

no it isn't going anywhere so oil filter will be changed

Postby bayar » Mon May 14, 2007 4:59 pm

Honda City Pro 1983 - not turbo

User avatar
James
Moderator / Donating Member
Posts: 3092
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2003 1:59 pm
Location: Putaruru
Contact:

Postby James » Mon May 14, 2007 7:19 pm

You may well have seized the engine.

Does the engine turn over when you turn the key to start? Or just click.

bayar

Postby bayar » Mon May 14, 2007 9:29 pm

yes it does turn over, but there is no fire in the engine. fuel does not seem to reach the engine. i hope the engine is OK for now.

AnimaLector
Forum Enthusiast
Posts: 261
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2003 1:34 am
Location: Brisbane

Postby AnimaLector » Tue May 15, 2007 6:36 am

I had a similar problem once.. was running on highway then just died.. problem was ignitors in the distributer.. needed replacement dizzy... Could be similar fault.

I was lucky and after they cooled it worked again for a little while.. but not long.

Andy

bayar

Postby bayar » Tue May 15, 2007 8:44 am

the car won't start again, not after 20 minutes not after a day

AnimaLector
Forum Enthusiast
Posts: 261
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2003 1:34 am
Location: Brisbane

Postby AnimaLector » Tue May 15, 2007 10:11 am

pull a spark plug then reconnect the lead and hold it up agains the engine somewhere while sombody else cranks it over.. watch for a spark. if it's there you will see it plain as day.. if there's no spark go down the path of distributer fault.. if there's good strong spark that will jump maybe 1cm or more pull off the filter / intake and have a look for fuel..

goodluck..

Andy

bayar

Postby bayar » Tue May 15, 2007 2:09 pm

there is no fuel in the fuel intake, it looks very dry. i will check the spark plugs leter and let u know

thanks for your suggestions

city_cabriolet
Forum Addict
Posts: 609
Joined: Mon Apr 01, 2002 2:02 am
Location: Newcastle, NSW Australia

Postby city_cabriolet » Thu May 17, 2007 12:10 am

Non-turbo have carbie, so there's no fuel pump, its all vacuum.

If there's no fuel, look towards your fuel filter?

User avatar
James
Moderator / Donating Member
Posts: 3092
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2003 1:59 pm
Location: Putaruru
Contact:

Postby James » Thu May 17, 2007 6:21 am

city_cabriolet wrote:Non-turbo have carbie, so there's no fuel pump, its all vacuum.

If there's no fuel, look towards your fuel filter?



There will be a mechanical fuel pump mounted on the engine won't there...

bayar

fuel pump

Postby bayar » Thu May 17, 2007 10:09 am

when i turn the key just before the engine starts turning i hear a click in the fuel tank area behind the passanger seat. i ckecked under the car and saw what looked like a pump and a filter. am i right? where is the mechanical pump?

AnimaLector
Forum Enthusiast
Posts: 261
Joined: Wed Mar 26, 2003 1:34 am
Location: Brisbane

Postby AnimaLector » Fri May 18, 2007 8:41 pm

I just have to say at this point however that when my coil failed, I removed a plug as suggested (by me) and there was a spark although not a terrifically strong one.. replaced the coil... bigger spark.. and alas, running vehicle.. so not the be-all-and-end-all of solutions but a good diagnostic anyways..

hope you are getting this sorted.. I know what it is like to be without a car for a few days

Andy

bayar

no spark

Postby bayar » Sat May 19, 2007 12:49 pm

finally got to check the things on the car. disconnected fuel line from carby and there is weak flow of fuel.

disconnected the spark plug conection and held against the engine while cranking the engine. no signs of sparks. is it the distributor? do i need to replace it? fix it? where is it?

User avatar
falco
Forum Regular
Posts: 60
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 5:55 pm
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Contact:

Postby falco » Sun May 20, 2007 10:39 am

Heh, it sounds a bit like it. This is what I'd call 'a challenge' - at absolute least, three possible faults. Weak fuel flow, no spark, and likely internal engine damage through running with no oil pressure. (I still can't believe someone would drive a car with the oil pressure light on for a whole week... might as well just drive it into a lake and buy a new car.)

So yeah, while I like to encourage people to try to do as much as they can themselves (really worth it for the experience), this one really sounds like it may be too difficult for a beginner. Mainly, before anything else is done, the oil problem has to be solved, whether it's a failed oil pump, some other oil pressure related problem, or just a failed pressure sender.

If you're really keen to give it a try... The nastiest and messiest (but surest) way to check this is to remove the oil pressure sender, and put your thumb over the hole while someone cranks the engine (preferably with spark plugs removed to avoid stressing the engine). If there's air pressure against your thumb, oil pressure is probably OK - oil should squirt out like water would out of a hose if you put your thumb over the end. So, a drip tray under the car would be a good idea!

Unfortunately, I don't know precisely where on that engine the oil pressure sender is. Someone on here will, I'm sure.

So that's the shitty no-tools home-mechanic approach to checking that fault. If you have plenty of oil pressure, but the warning light's on, you'll need to get another sender. If there's little or no pressure, your engine is screwed, basically. After a week's regular running, even if the problem was caused by a failed oil pump, the rest of the engine will be in bad shape as well.

f.


Return to “General”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot] and 59 guests