Car wont stay running almost out of options!

Maintenance/Repairs
,
1

So heres the deal 1989 civic dx hatchback 106k on the odometer automatic 1.5l d15b2 engine . I’m in chicago

It’s been having delayed starts taking 3 to 6 cranks before firing up then running fine, suddenly it dawned on me maybe it was the distributor , so I swapped it with a spare I had because sure enough the old one had red death red dust in the cap. Cleaned the contacts set the timing reassembled, some wires broke on the back of the wiring harness to the distro. Rewired them, the car kept getting worse I jumped it and took it to my friend a vw mechanic it drove 49 miles there fine after the jump, new plugs new wires new fuel filter we did the wire job set the timing checked the timing belt got the battery tested and the alternators new and did a oil change also did a coolant flush a few weeks ago. It started right up drove it back to Chicago , in the morning I was getting off the highway it stopped running no noises I pulled over 8 cranks later it started parked it 3 blocks away, went to test drive it when I stopped at a light it shut off cramming it and hitting the gas pedal got it to start drove it a block down it shut off at a stop sign and I parked it. No idea what it is I’m throwing code 8 which is a top dead sensor which I think is in the distro which I replaced a month ago. Fuel pump sounds like its priming but you have to gas it and crank it to start it which is odd for a automatic , it is girk injected is this tds sensor going to do that by itself? Or could it be a ignition module? ( what I read online) starter? Main relay , fuel pump switch? Any help appreciated my friend is purchasing it this week and I don’t wish to purchase a new distributor to find out its a relay switch or a ground or something?

2

Maybe a failing ignition switch. Many late model Hondas are under a Recall for failed switches but your car is not.

There are politics involved in Recalls and just because a car is not covered does not mean it cannot suffer the same problem. As a matter of fact, switch failure on Hondas is something that has been around for several decades.

3

How would I check the ignition switch? That’s not be same as ignition coils correct?

4

Could it just be a bad distributor?

5

It could be a faulty distributor. About the only way of knowing if it’s the ignition switch is to test for power at the ignition coil when the car is acting up.

6

I’m going to see if I can test the starter today and the distro.

7

From what you describe it sounds to me there is a fuel delivery problem causing the trouble. To see if that is so you could try spraying a small amount of starter fluid into the intake and see if the engine wants to start then. If that works it may just be a clogged fuel filter causing the trouble.

Here is a little info covering the code 8 error.