ncstater6b

I have a bone stock 1998 Acura Integra LS. It has 177,000 miles on it. The timing belt was replaced 10k miles ago and have never had a problem with it. In the last 500 miles I have been getting misfires on all 4 cylinders on a consistant basis. I did the paperclip diagnostic w/the CEL codes getting 71, 72, 73, 74 as well as had autozone check it with their computer and they got the same readings...random misfires on all 4 cylinders. My car can drive great for 20-30 miles and then all of a sudden drive like crap...stuttering and causing a loss of power for several minutes at a time, and then randomly drive perfect again. It happens both when the engine is warm or cold, and also while accelerating or cruising at a constant speed.

Things I have done:

New:
Spark Plugs
Spark Plug Wires
Dist. Cap
Rotor
Coil
Fuel filter
Fuel pump
PCV Valve
Main relay

Seafoam in gas tank
Checked for vacuum leaks

I don't know what else to try. I have read all of the forums and websites I can find on the internet and can't find a solution. Any ideas?

Thanks!

all-mtr-teg

My gsr had the same problem, it was a bad ignition coil. It may also be your ignition module. Find a distributor that you know if good and swap it with yours.

94LS90RS

I noticed you replaced the cap and rotor. Double check to make sure the screw on the rotor has not come loose. This happened to me and the car missed terribly. Make sure the rotor is on tight and put some lock-tite on the rotor screw.

mouab18c1

iTrader: (5)

hmm weird my cousins ls is doing the same but drives like a champ even with CEL..

racebum

you double checked your ignition timing with the jumper jumped and the car warm right? a dying fuel pump can sometimes cause this since psi drops and you get a lean condition. normally triggers a lean CEL though. the idea about the ignitor is also sound. i would try a distributor swap.

djtsmith007

iTrader: (1)

Guarantee its the ICM (ignition control module) thats the only thing can cause the misfire on all cylinders give the symptoms of driving you described. I had the same problem turned out to be the ICM. Plus my Acura Service Manual says the ICM is usually the #1 issue. from there its others but more likely than not its the ICM.

ncstater6b

The screw holding the rotor on is tight and is diamagnetic or w/e its called. I will buy an ICM tommorow and hope it works

racebum

you normally can buy a whole distributor for the price of that ignitor

ncstater6b

I have read that the Ignition control module would cause my car not to start at all if it was bad. That is not quite the symtom I am seeing...could it still be a possible cause for my random misfires?

94LS90RS

Could you post a video of the car running? How does it idle? I'm still with everyone else and its something wrong with your distributor. Did you try replacing the ignition coil? Its another known part to fail.

ncstater6b

The car starts up and idles perfect every time. The ignition coil has already been replaced and it didn't fix the problem. The misfires occur immediately after start up when the engine is cold as well as after it warms up...so I'm not sure if it is the ICM. I may try a new ICM however b/c I can't think of any other ideas other than possibly the ECU going bad..but I have never heard of one malfunctioning.

1992blueGSR

i had this problem in my da, i replaced my icm, that i got from autozone, and it still did it. i then tried a known working icm out of a buddys car and it was fine, so just because you replaced it dosent mean its working right. and if you bought any of that stuff at autozone, return it, believe me, i used to work there

ncstater6b

Did your car misfire while the engine was cold or warm, and do it randomly?

I have been buying my parts from Advance Auto...i have used 2 sets of plugs, 2 coils, and 2 distributor caps. While I know OEM would be best, I find it hard to believe that by trying two of each that they could be bad. I might have to try a junk yard first for the ICM b/c it is $260 from the toyota dealership...but $90 from autozone

1992blueGSR

its only 43.99 at autozone part number: ja179

yes, mine would do it under any load if the car was cold, but it was only under high load if it was warm, if it did it at all, it was completely random, sometimes it wouldn't do it all day, but the problem never went away until i replaced it

ncstater6b

sounds exactly like my symptoms. I accidentally said Autozone...I meant it is $90 from Advance Auto. I will try to get an OEM one and hope that it works

racebum

parts store ignitors cost as much as entire distributors on ebay. just food for thought

ncstater6b

Just bid on a whole distributor on ebay...cant wait!

ncstater6b

Just put in a new Ignitor/Ignition control module and same symptoms. I noticed though that several of the wires in the distributor are missing some insulation. Is it possible that they are shorting out randomly? I had an additional CEL today that I didnt have last week that says "Catalyst system efficiency below threshold bank 1". Could my converter be getting clogged and cause misfires? Could gutting the cat fix this as a quick (temporary) fix?

boarderwayne

why dont you just get a new distributor like most people are saying and you wont have to replace every part of it. or try a known to work one from a friends car.

ncstater6b

I just bought a used distributor on ebay for $50 that came off of a 99 integra b18b1 obd-2 thinking it would fit my 98 Integra LS but the plug is different so I couldn't swap it out. The seller claims it should fit my car. WTF?

TheAsian

Disconnect your cat from the exhaust manifold< sounds like to me you have a cat that is clogging up. If you have a temp gun take a temp reading of the cat. and let me know what temp you got it to max temp.

All your systems could be caused by a clogged cat and with that code you just pulled thats where you should start

ncstater6b

Update:

I put in some fuel additive because someone suggested that maybe I had bad fuel. My car now runs great with no misfires once the engine is warmed up, but when it is still cold it misfires just as bad as before. Any ideas as to why it is only misfiring on all 4 cylinders only when the engine is still cold?

racebum

engine runs rich when cold.. i actually had this happen to a friend the other day. his issue was a plugged fuel filter and at least one dirty injector. you can pull the screens out of the injectors and clean them, then replace the fuel filter. it sounds like you might be facing similar. since cleaner helped, you're on the right track. change the filter and pull & clean the injectors.

ncstater6b

The fuel filter is brand new with less than 1000 miles on it. How can I clean my injectors other than running injector cleaner in the gas tank like I have been doing?

aemintgsr

iTrader: (1)

I would check for resistance in the injectors to make sure they are ok. i believe they should be between 11-18 ohms, and then check to see you get 12v through the injector's connector.