I have an 89 Civic LX 1.5L that idles rough and is slow to accelerate. The engine runs rough until about 30mph. I've checked the ECU and am getting no codes. The ECU light flashes only when the ignition is first turned on and then when it is turned off. My initial thought was a bad ECU. Any guesses?

F.Y.I. About a month ago the engine timing became mysteriously messed up. One day the car ran fine, and the next day it wouldn't start. The distributor was adjusted and it ran fine until the rough engine started. The timing belt was inspected and was fine also.

 

fuel filter, plugs, wires, bad gas, check the dist cap and rotor. Check all of those first.

 

The fuel filter, plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor are all new. I've tried gas from two different stations as well with no luck. There seems to be some sort of problem around the number 2 cylinder. The spark plug was fouled, but there was no oil or antifreeze in the cylinder or oil. The plug was replaced but it too did not work. Also, I am not getting a check engine light.

 

once uve done a full tuneup do a compression check, see if u get any surprises maybe a blown gasket somewhere

 

I did a compression check and it turns out the number 2 cylinder has low compression (30psi to be exact, the others are at 120psi). I put a small amount of oil in the cylinder to check the rings and did a second compression check. The compression only went up to 50psi. My thought is a valve problem or a worn lobe on the cam. Does this sound about right?

 

or blown head gasket around that cylinder, scard cylinder wall, valve not working correctly, could be a few things