Engine Problem

did you check the gap on each plug to make sure they were within spec? did you torque the plugs down to spec? one of those two things could be the answer to your problem.

are you suggesting that i tighten the plugs down further? that's all i could come up with.

pardon my ignorance, but i have no idea what you're talking about. i bought the plugs that were designed for my car (98 ex), installed them and new spark plugs wires. all this about torque and air gap, i have no idea.

Spliced16 said:

pardon my ignorance, but i have no idea what you're talking about. i bought the plugs that were designed for my car (98 ex), installed them and new spark plugs wires. all this about torque and air gap, i have no idea.

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You can't just tighten the plugs until you see fit.. They have torque specifications.. When you use a torque wrench, you can set it so you don't over or under tighten something..

uh oh. so without a torque wrench, i'm kinda screwed, huh? i didn't think there was that much to it...

so what do you think i should do? see if i can find one?

Spliced16 said:

uh oh. so without a torque wrench, i'm kinda screwed, huh? i didn't think there was that much to it...

so what do you think i should do? see if i can find one?

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You don't necessarily NEED to use a torque wrench when doing plugs.. I forget what it tells you in the service manual for if you don't have one.. It tells you like how many turns you should tighten it or something.. Maybe someone knows

i don't have the manual, so that's no good. i didn't tighten them down too far, so, unless someone can help me out, i'll just tighten them down some more and see if that works. can you guess at how many turns it would take?

Oh yeah.. what year is your car?? If you want to diagnose the check engine light.. Do this:

Insert key in ignition, turn to on (just accessory power, not the engine) turn off, turn on then turn off, then turn on.. The 3rd time you turn it to on, the check engine light should flash.. The LONG flashes are the first number of the code.. and the short flashes are the second number of the code.. i.e. 3 long flashes and 2 short flashes would make the code a 32.. then you have to look that up in the service manual, or www.jdmfan.com has a list of all the different check engine light codes.. Then you can better diagnose what is wrong

98 civic ex. it blinked at me 1 time, by the way.

Spliced16 said:

98 civic ex. it blinked at me 1 time, by the way.

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According to the list.. 01 is: Primary O2 sensor.. Open or short in O2 sensor circuit; Defective primary O2 sensor

I'm not sure what your problem is though..

i posted on hondamod.com also... they suggest that i recheck the wires going into the distributor and re-tighten the plugs. this makes a lot more sense than the error code i got... actually it was 10 (1 long, 0 short), which was something to do with intake temp.

he cant adjust his air gap since he has platinum 4's..... if you still have your old plugs i would try putting them back in the car and see if it works fine then... if it does then one of the plugs is faulty.... or maybe the wires arent in all the way? i dunno but if it just happened from the spark plug change then its somthing with the ignition..... sounds like its from the ignition to me... but check them plugs

You can rent or borrow tools from parts stores. Where I live Canadian Tire will lend you a torque wrench and you bring it back when ya done. I'm sure they require a deposit.
Just an idea.

i know a couple of honda techs and from what they say ...the best plug to use on any honda is still a NGK....they say platinums for some reason dont wurk that well on hondas

you can do it with out a torque wrench.
when the plugs feel like they are getting tight give it one half turn tighter. that will put it where it needs to be
and as far as spark plug gap it should be.o4o in.
you can buy a gapper at any auto parts store for around a buck

what is the spark plug gap supposed to be in a 98 civic ex? and how do you do it?

RageAgainstNate said:

did you check the gap on each plug to make sure they were within spec...

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How the hell are you going to gap a +4??? It's impossible... HELLO!?!?!?

ZenkaiRacerSi said:

he cant adjust his air gap since he has platinum 4's...

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Thank you! I thought I was the only one that caught it...