Honda Repair: honda, right place at the right time, intake tube

Question
my 1990 honda civic motor will turn over but will not start and the timing is in line. It also sounds like it is pushing air back out the carb. when i try to crank it up. I dont know what could becausing that to happen. It started when I was driving down the road and missed 3&4 gear and went stright to 5th by mistake. could you help me find out what is going on with this.
                   
                       Thank you
                       matt hand

Answer
Matt,

Wow, too many questions to ask you. It is so hard to diagnose over the internet but I will start with the basics. By the sounds of it, if the car is pushing air back into the carb. (By the way your civic does not have a carb., its fuel injected) sounds like you are explaining a back fire through the intake tube. This usually means that your timing is off. When you say the timing is on, does that mean you pulled the timing belt cover and checked the marks on the cam and the crank pullies? If you indeed did that, then you need to check the ignition timing. Did you mess with the distrubitor any? How about the wires? Maybe the rotor in the distrubitor? Check all of that stuff very carefully. It is very easy and I have seen some good techs, (including myself) put the rotor on 180 degrees off. That will cause the backfiring thru the intake. While you are in the distrubitor, check the pick-up coil. The coil tends to break free from its holder and will also cause a no start. Another known problem is the ignitors (also in the distrubitor) If it is an OKI brand, it is probally bad. NEC was the updated ignitor that performed much better.
In any case, you need to check your ignition timing. First thing you should do is check for spark at the wires. If you have spark, you need to be sure it is going to the right place at the right time.
Good luck