'90 civic STD barely/doesn't run
 

My brother picked up a '90 civic STD, with a stock dual point d15. When he bought it the guy said it would run for a while, then die, then after a little while more it would start up and run again. We drove it without a problem for a few months, then one day my sister was driving it, and it died. Ever since then we can't keep it started.When it dies, it's like you just turn the key off. It was just a clean shut off. I say was because today I started it and took a full throttle run down the street, and it sputtered, like a bad miss, a little. A little ways down the street, I pushed the clutch in, and hit the gas to rev it, and it died. The previous owner replaced the started, alternator, distributor, plugs, wires, battery, fuel filter, fuel pump, and a few other little things. I checked the main relay, and swapped the ECU from my other civic into his, but no luck. The fuzes look fine. I know it needs a valve adjustment, the alternator belt was way to tight from the previous owner, the throw-out bearing is shot to ----, and I think it has a spun bearing. Today when I was cranking it, it would make a loud metal grinding noise, like if you engage the started when the motor is spinning. And I think I smelled gas coming from the injectors. I doubt the starter has anything to do with it, but I'm thinking the injectors will be my next best bet. Oh, and the battery light is on. Anyone have any other ideas? I just want to get this pos running already.

Re: '90 civic STD barely/doesn't run
 

for some odd reason on my 4 door ef the dattery light stays on with a new altenator and battery i put black tape over it so i didnt see it it was also the d15 with dual point never figured it out because it kept running id say try a new o2 sensor and adjust the valves my brothers legacy had the same problem and that fixed it

Re: '90 civic STD barely/doesn't run
 

do you have spark, fuel pressure, injector pulse? check all of those before you buy more parts.

Re: '90 civic STD barely/doesn't run
 

sounds like the problem i had with my 88 hatch.....ended up being the main relay

Re: '90 civic STD barely/doesn't run
 

Re: '90 civic STD barely/doesn't run
 

dizzy. probably has ozone built up on on it how many miles does this dizzy or engine have on it. check the dizzy buy pulling the cap off and looking for whiteish brown build up on the ignitor. if so probably a bad dizzy. easy way to check aslo would be pull one wire and acr it off a vavel cover nut. orange spark is a bad sign.

Re: '90 civic STD barely/doesn't run
 

i doubt that its the injectors. metal on metal=bad. blown bearing. bad rings. could be a couple of things. take the haed off.

Re: '90 civic STD barely/doesn't run
 

highroller and F22guy got it right: fuel, fire, and compression? Which one do you not have?

If it's lack of spark, I'd guess coil. Previous owner might have replaced the distributor, but swapped the coil from the old one.

First rule of mechanics is listen to what the guy who couldn't fix it says, and then don't trust a word of it because he's the guy who couldn't fix it.