B18C stopped and won't start, please help


Mick561

Mick561

Member
Joined
May 5, 2014
Messages
65
Hello guys, I hope somebody can give me a tip because I'm getting more and more frustrated.

Car is EK4 with rebuilt B18C managed by Hondata S300.

I made over 600 kilometers after rebuild without any significant issues, engine was pulling really nice. Good starts, good response, normal fuel consumption, no oil consumption, etc.

Last time I was driving in a rain, car started OK, i drove like 5 kilometers then I felt two or three very very soft twitches and then after few hundrer meters it started dying really fast. I put in a neutral and engine died. No CEL at all, Hondata shows normal readings on MAP, ECT and also other sensors. Since then I was not able to start it again. Engine turns but won't start - not even remotely.

Since then I did following things:

1) changed a module, cap and rotor in the distributor - did not help (distributor tested and worked in another B16A2)
2) spark plugs are new, look normal and give a spark
3) tried 3 different sets of cables - did not help
4) compression is OK in all cylinders
5) timing is spot on
6) ignition timing was set -16 degrees
7) main relay was working but we changed it anyway
8) controlled all the fuses - everything is fine
9) grounds are OK
10) it shouldn't be ECU issue since stock ECU did not help
11) battery is brand new

Generally the engine got fuel, air, compression and spark but won't start. Today it had a tiny willingnes to catch but did not make it and after that it's dead again.

The only issue I can think of is a bad fuel but it is high octane fuel from reputable company. Plus I would have to drain 3/4 of the tank and give it a new one. And I made minimally 80 km with that fuel.

Any help appreciated, thank you all.
 
Check fuel pump didn’t give up or blocked?

My ek4 that had been sitting a while wouldn’t start and if you left it a while it would start and then die again. I took fuel pump out and cleaned it and put it back in and it started first turn.
 
Interesting... I will have a look on it when the weather is good again. I did not consider fuel system very much at the beginning because it was driving just fine and then came a sudden death. But I'll definitely check it too.
 
When you turn the key once can your hear the fuel pump prime, I had a similar issue, ended up being the fuel relay but changed the pump at the same time.
 
If it is your pump I have a Walbro 255lph plug and play for an EK sitting here.
Try and get a fuel pressure gauge rigged up to check if it is supplying the correct amount of fuel. When I swapped my B18cR into my EK, the oem pump wasn't supplying enough fuel to the engine, so put in the Walbro.
 
Hello guys, problem solved. Turned out that a NEW distributor arm stopped working after 80 kilometers or so (therefore we really didn't search the problem there). It was not genuine Honda and we noticed the plate which actually distributes the spark was approximately 1mm shorter than the old one! We only found out because it stopped giving spart suddenly. Switched back 20 years old Honda arm and it's working just fine. So next time... buy only genuine Honda ignition parts.

Thanks for all the inputs anyway! Will work on the fuel system too just to be sure. :nice:
 
They're not even expensive either, no idea why it was cheaped out on haha but good thing you've sorted it.
 
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