89 LXi lost power, cut out, won't restart

[rebuild]

Cranks but won't start. The engine sounded fine before this too. Gates timing kit has 40K on it. Top timing cover is off. Timing belt looks fine from top - so far. Belt deflects 1/4 inch both sides. Main relay clicks. Pulled plugs. Should have checked and changed earlier - out of specs. #1 was loose and badly fouled w/ oil too. Do not know how to do "ideal" compression check, but tried with: all spark plug wires off and all plugs/checker in. Got 70 for #1, 109 for #2, 50 then 75 then 80 for #3, 45 then 61 for #4. Didn't try adding oil yet. Why would the engine have sounded so good before with numbers that bad? Think when I started driving it all cylinder compression numbers were around 123 or 125 but #1 was 110. I thought distributor went, but should I have gotten better compression numbers?

Was low on gas when it happened. (It sounded like it had really bad gas when it stumbled and lost power.) Added more gas and gas treatment. On start attempt, made a whoomp sound that someone watching said coincided with a poof of dirt coming out of the air filter attached to the air intake - like a backfire out of the air intake. Does that sound like one or more intake valves are open, worn, or both? How can the timing belt be ok and the valves be off? Or at least that off?

Battery pretty strong so assume alternator was ok when it happened. It's the valves I'm wondering about now. Valve cover seemed welded on. Where are good places to tap it to free it? Thanks.

Has original head gasket. Occasionally would see tiny bubbles in oil. Almost 700K. Almost.

No engine check light / no flashing codes.

Want to just put in new plugs and have it all be ok..

[Dr_Snooz]

Does the distributor turn when you crank it? Are you getting spark? Fuel?

[rebuild]

Getting spark and fuel. Timing belt good. Shining light in valve cover looked ok. Back to suspecting bad gas though starter fluid in throttle body did not get a start only a stumble with a little oil smoke out the tailpipe. Have drained, dropped tank before? Can flush enough through drain bolt? Any way to test fuel? On the 89 LXi there is no second fuel filter - correct?

[Hauntd ca3]

With compression numbers like that , i would make sure the cam timing is spot on then do a wet compression test .
Bare in mind that a cold ,dry test will always read low but should still be above 100 psi at least .

[rebuild]

A shop also got bad numbers today and said it was the rings. I still can't believe it because I think of the rings gradually wearing down not suddenly failing, 3 cylinders at once.

[Shane86]

A shop also got bad numbers today and said it was the rings. I still can't believe it because I think of the rings gradually wearing down not suddenly failing, 3 cylinders at once.

I had a problem like this once three out of four Pistons were broken in between the Rings. Car still ran it just smoked like a mosquito sprayer when you went over 50 miles an hour

[Shane86]

Double check your distributor timing . I had a distributor lock up once and get knocked off timing. It's still put out spark like it was supposed to it was just sitting on 3 instead of 1 at top dead center. Pull the distributor cap and make sure there ain't no shavings

[rebuild]

it looked pretty decent when i had it off

[rebuild]

mine didn't smoke nearly at all - a little before it warmed up then none visible

[Shane86]

Make sure you're Distributing pendulum is sitting on the number one firing order for top dead center

[zenapup]

Cranks but won't start. The engine sounded fine before this too. Gates timing kit has 40K on it. Top timing cover is off. Timing belt looks fine from top - so far. Belt deflects 1/4 inch both sides. Main relay clicks. Pulled plugs. Should have checked and changed earlier - out of specs. #1 was loose and badly fouled w/ oil too. Do not know how to do "ideal" compression check, but tried with: all spark plug wires off and all plugs/checker in. Got 70 for #1, 109 for #2, 50 then 75 then 80 for #3, 45 then 61 for #4. Didn't try adding oil yet. Why would the engine have sounded so good before with numbers that bad? Think when I started driving it all cylinder compression numbers were around 123 or 125 but #1 was 110. I thought distributor went, but should I have gotten better compression numbers?

Was low on gas when it happened. (It sounded like it had really bad gas when it stumbled and lost power.) Added more gas and gas treatment. On start attempt, made a whoomp sound that someone watching said coincided with a poof of dirt coming out of the air filter attached to the air intake - like a backfire out of the air intake. Does that sound like one or more intake valves are open, worn, or both? How can the timing belt be ok and the valves be off? Or at least that off?

Battery pretty strong so assume alternator was ok when it happened. It's the valves I'm wondering about now. Valve cover seemed welded on. Where are good places to tap it to free it? Thanks.

Has original head gasket. Occasionally would see tiny bubbles in oil. Almost 700K. Almost.

No engine check light / no flashing codes.

Want to just put in new plugs and have it all be ok..

I would suggest a leakdown test if the shop did not do that yet. Could be valve problems (stuck open thus causing low numbers)

[Dr_Snooz]

How did the car run before all this started? You could break rings if you were drag racing an old engine...

And yeah, it would be pretty rare for rings to suddenly fail. Even rarer for the car to stop running altogether after failure. Unless you were racing...

How to Do a Compression Test: 8 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (http://www.wikihow.com/Do-a-Compression-Test)

[Oldblueaccord]

I would double check like said the cam/crank timing is spot on and not jumped one or two teeth. This will really effect cranking compression. Its easy and free thing.

The belt tension 1/4 each side is way loose for my taste. I run my timing belts very tight to keep the timing under load steady and no ping between hard shifts,manual car.

Thats not the whole problem,fouled plugs tells the tail of either no spark,excessive oil in the cylinders. New plugs with the bad hole gapped at .020" might help get you along.

Pulling the valve cover off and looking around there too is a good idea. Use a wood block against the cover and a big hammer will help knock it free.

Worn cam lobes,broken rockers or galled on ends plus the valve lash COLD should be checked.

[rebuild]

"Does the distributor turn when you crank it? Are you getting spark? Fuel?"

yes to all three though i've heard a bad distributor can still put out spark

[rebuild]

Make sure you're Distributing pendulum is sitting on the number one firing order for top dead center

the rotor button? it's about where it's shown at the bottom of service manual p24-16 (couldn't paste it) maybe it's pointing a little lower

[rebuild]

I would double check like said the cam/crank timing is spot on and not jumped one or two teeth. This will really effect cranking compression. Its easy and free thing.

The belt tension 1/4 each side is way loose for my taste. I run my timing belts very tight to keep the timing under load steady and no ping between hard shifts,manual car.

Thats not the whole problem,fouled plugs tells the tail of either no spark,excessive oil in the cylinders. New plugs with the bad hole gapped at .020" might help get you along.

Pulling the valve cover off and looking around there too is a good idea. Use a wood block against the cover and a big hammer will help knock it free.

Worn cam lobes,broken rockers or galled on ends plus the valve lash COLD should be checked.

I thought it'd be a lot harder to turn but was really easy. The crank TDC seemed to match cam TDC closely (and distributor rotor button pretty much too), but trying to eyeball it from above, it did seem like I was guessing. When I turned it, it was nice and tight on one side and the other did seem slack to me. Is the tensioner supposed to be silent or can it emit a small external metallic click sound?

I've not adjusted tension before and I forgot to look, but does the bottom timing cover need to come off to do it?

Then I drained oil and went for the valve cover - I wanted to have it off as I turned the crank. (If it was that easy turning it (I used a 2 ft breaker bar)) does it matter which direction? I tapped the valve cover with my lug nut wrench and a block of wood in a bunch of different places .. would not budge. Do you have to hit it really hard?

[Oldblueaccord]

I thought it'd be a lot harder to turn but was really easy. The crank TDC seemed to match cam TDC closely (and distributor rotor button pretty much too), but trying to eyeball it from above, it did seem like I was guessing. When I turned it, it was nice and tight on one side and the other did seem slack to me. Is the tensioner supposed to be silent or can it emit a small external metallic click sound?

I've not adjusted tension before and I forgot to look, but does the bottom timing cover need to come off to do it?

Then I drained oil and went for the valve cover - I wanted to have it off as I turned the crank. (If it was that easy turning it (I used a 2 ft breaker bar)) does it matter which direction? I tapped the valve cover with my lug nut wrench and a block of wood in a bunch of different places .. would not budge. Do you have to hit it really hard?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqgNRn3ashM

As far as the valve cover I guess your just gonna have to pry the thing off. Must not have been off in years and is stuck.

The timing belt tension can be done with out the lower cover off but if its got loose the belt is done and needs replacing.

Get the manual downloaded, read up on changing the timing belt and how to find TDC. Once you learn it its easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoJcAS58CHg

Video above Not our motor but it is damn close.

[rebuild]

Got the valve cover off fine today and watched as I turned the crank. All looked fine. If I had bent a valve stem I don't know if it could still go up and down as easily as it looked they were doing. A bent valve head I guess could.

I see the adjusting bolt easy enough, but I am not sure how to tension it and keep it in perfect time. As it is it's not loose enough to shift over a notch by hand. It's in a good place where it is but I think it needs tightening. Can I tighten it without losing time without taking it off?

How much oil should go in the cylinder holes? A third tsp?

Just saw your video - yours sounds noisier than mine did and when you rev it the timing belt sounds a little tight to me (that high pitched whirring sound), but your runs and mine currently does not.

[rebuild]

You all had a big enough chance to get to 700K before mine. The LX-i started yesterday and probably will make it to and past 700K now although it sounds louder than it used to..

A different distributor had to be turned slightly from where I had it (I tried to set it where the other distributor was set) and I had also put in a new battery and new NGK plugs. One reason it sounds loud is sounds like it's coming from the exhaust near where the gaskets are I think. It had been towed and I wonder could that have pulled on the exhaust?

[Shane86]

You all had a big enough chance to get to 700K before mine. The LX-i started yesterday and probably will make it to and past 700K now although it sounds louder than it used to..

A different distributor had to be turned slightly from where I had it (I tried to set it where the other distributor was set) and I had also put in a new battery and new NGK plugs. One reason it sounds loud is sounds like it's coming from the exhaust near where the gaskets are I think. It had been towed and I wonder could that have pulled on the exhaust?

Glad to hear you got it running.