Help! Engine won't start

[tocivic]

Car: 95 Civic LX
Problem: Engine cranks, but will not start
What has been done so far:
1) Replaced spark plugs - and tested that there are sparks while cranking (by attaching a spark plug to a spark plug wire, and grounding the plug on the valve cover - tried this for all 4 plugs and wires - all have strong sparks)- i.e. ignition wires and distributor/rotor (brand new) are good. Also, checked resistance of all ignition wires - all are way below 25,000 ohms

2) Check Engine light goes out after 2 seconds when the key is in the "ON" position and I can hear the fuel pump prime during those 2 seconds - so, fuel pump and main relay should be good

3) Can smell gas while cranking - fuel is delivered to the engine without problems. Also, after removing a spark plug, I can see the spark plug is soaked with gasoline - so there IS fuel in the engine - so, fuel pump and main relay should be good

4) Since the engine cranks, then the starter should be good

5) Battery is fully charged using an external charger - so there's plenty of juice

6) Based on the above, ECU should be good - since the check engine light goes out after 2 seconds when the key is in the "ON" position. I've also tried an ECU that's known to be working properly - still the engine won't start.

7) Timing belt is definitely not broken - I saw the valves move up and down while peeking in the oil filler hole. Also, the distributor rotor rotates while cranking.

Please help! Any other things to check/test? What do you think the problem is?

Please let me know. Thanks in advance for your help!

[Stinky]

sounds like youve checked most everything... just a few suggestions:
Fuses, or mabye a loose ground wire. Good luck

[RedLine42]

I guess fuse too. good luck bro

[tocivic]

Thanks for all your replies! I should've mentioned that I've checked all under hood and under dash fuses already. They're all in very good condition (I not only did a visual check, I also used a multimeter to test them). I've also cleaned the 3 grounds in the engine compartment very well (the valve cover ground, the theromostat housing ground, and the tranny ground).

Also, I've bypassed the aftermarket alarm's fuel cut off function already - so the problem should have nothing to do with the aftermarket alarm.

Any other suggestions? Will a low compression cause the engine not to start? Thanks!

[eg eddie]

not unless your head is cracked but you would probably know by now

[C.F. Freak]

My car did the same last month. My o2 sensor wire was exposed and causing a short and blown ECU fuse. I would double-check all of your wiring for anything exposed, and double-check your fuses (especially your ECU fuse).

[EG_CaSe]

sounds to me like ur motor is flooded.. you could unclip the injectors and pull out the plugs then crank it a few times then reinstall everything or you could just push start it. also sand down all your main grounds and check ur ecu fuse like Cf said.

[Ho0k3d0nFoNiCs]

you seem like you know what you are doing.....but i have made the simple mistake before of having the wrong firing order with the wires on the cap

if the firing order is correct then i have no idea

[o0kuam0o]

same thing happened to me when i swapped my civic. there is a seperate groudn for your fuel injectors. make sure its TIGHT. mine was only finger tight and *looked* fine until i used a wrench and tightened it. then it started right up.

[tocivic]

But I'm getting fuel in the combustion chamber - so does this mean my injectors are working properly? Anyway, can you please tell me where the fuel injectors ground is? Thanks.

[Lavii]

im having the exact same problem as you , im going to start working on the car again later , if i figure anything out i will let you know.

[tocivic]

Thanks! I'll let you know if I figure anything out too. :)

[orfus5]

happened to me also, ended up being a blown ecu, because i didnt have all my grounds attached.
The check engine light didnt come on either.....

[white_egizzle6]

sounds like it is flooded

[tocivic]

I've unclipped the injectors (so that no fuel will get into the combustion chamber) and sprayed some starting fluid in the air intake. I then tried to crank the engine and it just kept cranking - I would expect the engine to at least "cough". I then took out the spark plugs and I can smell that they did fire while in the combustion chamber.

Can any one tell me what else I can try?

[Lavii]

i didnt get a chance to work on my car yesterday day , but i am going to work on it later today. ive got a few freinds helping me on it so it should fire up , im hoping. i will update you later.

[tocivic]

Hi...Did you get a chance to work on your car? Please let me know. Thanks.

[Lavii]

man i worked on it all day and with no luck , im giving it till sunday and if i dont get it working by then , im going to get a b16.

[o0kuam0o]

do you even have compression?

[tocivic]

o0kuam0o , I'm assuming you're asking me - as I mentioned earlier, I've disconnected the electrical connectors to the spark plugs and I've sprayed some starting fluid in the air intake. With or without compression, the spark plugs should at least ignite the starting fluid causing the engine to cough, correct?

But in my case, the engine doesn't even cough. Any suggestions please? Thanks.

[tocivic]

Any other ideas please? Thanks.

[moparfan]

you may have spark, but is it strong enough? carefully hold the spark plug approx. 1/2" away from ground, it should arc to ground as well as across the plug itself...if it doesnt jump 1/2", you may have a weak coil.
also, make sure the rotor is on correctly, easiest is to line up your "white" mark on the crank pulley, remove the dist cap and see if the rotor is pointing at #1 (may be #4 depending on where your crank is)
after I drink more beer, I may have more ideas... :)

[moparfan]

But I'm getting fuel in the combustion chamber - so does this mean my injectors are working properly? Anyway, can you please tell me where the fuel injectors ground is? Thanks.

a very important ground is at the t-stat housing...check that one as well...10mm socket

[Lavii]

yo , i think i found my problem , a fucked up distributor coil. im going to get parts right now and change it , hopefully thats it for my car. You should check yours also.

[tocivic]

Hey...thanks for the info....i checked my distributor coil too and the resistance between terminal A and B is 1.1 ohms. According to the Helm's manual, it should be between 0.6 and 0.8 ohms. So, I thought my coil is messed up too. So I bought a new one, and guess what, the resistance between terminal A and B is still 1.1 ohms, just like my old coil!

Anyway, I installed the new coil and gave it a try - still no start. So, I returned the part.

Please let me know if the new coil fixes your problem! Can you measure the resistance between terminal A and B of your old coil and new coil and let me know? Thanks.

[Lavii]

well i got the new distributor coil , but stll no luck , i also changed out my wires , and no luck there also. i am completly confused on this engine. but as i said befor i am getting a new engine soon. but i will continue to post up more as i continue to work on it until new engine is installed.

[tocivic]

Can you please measure the resistance between terminal A and B on your new and old coils and let me know? Thanks.

[xxsenceo89x]

check wirin. could have a loose wire on the harness. that or a blown ecu. fuels lines might be clogged. no gas? spray sum eather in there or sumthing..give it a good old fashion kickstart. idk GL

[tricked_civic]

has either of you checked to see if you are getting power to the coils? you might want to check that just to make sure, also i would have to check it as it has been a long time since i have checked spark voltage, but you can measure the voltage out of a spark, if i can remember on domestic engines the voltage was somewheres or maybe over 40,000 volts maybe wrong as it has been a long time since i went to trade school and don't really do that on a daily basis but maybe something else to check into

[tocivic]

I do have sparks from my spark plugs - so there's definitely power to the coil. Also, there's definitely fuel in the combustion chamber - plugs were soaked with gas when i removed them. I dried them out and also dried up the engine (by letting it dry overnight with the spark plugs removed). I've also tried spraying starting fluid (ether) in the air intake...the car doesn't even cough. So I know it's definitely not fuel related.

This is exactly what brings me back to the ignition part again. Since the Helm's manual says the coil's resistance needs to be without 0.6 to 0.8 ohms, and both my new and old coils are 1.1 ohms. I just want to know if anyone is able to start their engines with a coil that reads 1.1 ohms?

Also, it's not the ECU - I have 2 ECUs and one of them has been tested in a running car. And, I'm using that ECU right now. So I know the ECU is not the problem.

Can any one suggestion what else I can try? Thanks.

[tricked_civic]

ok you are getting fuel that is a good thing now this is my question lets look at this what color is the spark the reason why i am asking and i can check my coil today for you but i have a 96 but there shouldn't be much difference, but the spark color will make a difference letting you know that it will not be able to fire the engine. alsohave you checked the timing? the spark plugs might not be firing correctly, but let me know what color the sprak is, it should be a blue color

[kfreshhh]

well the only thing i can think of i the gnition coil, but im guessing uve already tried that. but idunoo. sorry if i didnt help at all.

[tocivic]

Can any one please measure their coil and let me know the resistance between terminal A and B? Thanks!

[whitepaladin78]

Car: 95 Civic LX
Problem: Engine cranks, but will not start
What has been done so far:
1) Replaced spark plugs - and tested that there are sparks while cranking (by attaching a spark plug to a spark plug wire, and grounding the plug on the valve cover - tried this for all 4 plugs and wires - all have strong sparks)- i.e. ignition wires and distributor/rotor (brand new) are good. Also, checked resistance of all ignition wires - all are way below 25,000 ohms

2) Check Engine light goes out after 2 seconds when the key is in the "ON" position and I can hear the fuel pump prime during those 2 seconds - so, fuel pump and main relay should be good

3) Can smell gas while cranking - fuel is delivered to the engine without problems. Also, after removing a spark plug, I can see the spark plug is soaked with gasoline - so there IS fuel in the engine - so, fuel pump and main relay should be good

4) Since the engine cranks, then the starter should be good

5) Battery is fully charged using an external charger - so there's plenty of juice

6) Based on the above, ECU should be good - since the check engine light goes out after 2 seconds when the key is in the "ON" position. I've also tried an ECU that's known to be working properly - still the engine won't start.

7) Timing belt is definitely not broken - I saw the valves move up and down while peeking in the oil filler hole. Also, the distributor rotor rotates while cranking.

Please help! Any other things to check/test? What do you think the problem is?

Please let me know. Thanks in advance for your help!

[whitepaladin78]

you may not be getting a good enough engine ground... i did a swap... racked my brain because i couldnt get it to fire... and it turned out to be a ground off the valve cover.. if its painted, it wont ground

[kdxrider9262]

you may not be getting a good enough engine ground... i did a swap... racked my brain because i couldnt get it to fire... and it turned out to be a ground off the valve cover.. if its painted, it wont ground

yeh we had the same problem with my buddy's car....you have to make sure ALL of the grounds are connected.

[tocivic]

Thanks for your suggestions. But as I mentioned before, I've checked all 3 engine grounds and they're excellent. Tranny ground, valve cover ground, and the theromostat housing ground. No, my valve cover isn't painted.

Now, can any one please measure their coil and let me know the resistance between terminal A and B? Thanks!

[tricked_civic]

i attempted to take my dis apart but when honda crap dealership changed my rotor and cap for emissions warranty looks like they stripped the head off of it so i am gonna work on it tomorrow and i will check mine i read the book i have on it and it states between .6 to .8 ohms but when you checked yours and the new one you bought you are getting 1.1 ohms i will check mine and then do an update on this thread to let you know

[tocivic]

Hi...

Did you get a chance to check the resistance between terminal A and B of your coil?

Thanks!

[tricked_civic]

Hi...

Did you get a chance to check the resistance between terminal A and B of your coil?

Thanks!

yes i was able to check it and it was .8 but this is also a 96 i checked it on not sure if it makes a difference or not sorry i didn't respond earlier

[civic98turbo]

check all your hoses on the intake manifold...if ones cut or detatched....


other than that...no idea

[peyton101]

I had the same problem I think, car turned over but wouldn't start...my buddy works at a local Honda dealership, told me to change the main relay...I did and it worked, he said they sell about 10 a week.

it's under the streering colum, it's a grey 2x3" box it should say relay assmly or something like that.

try that it should work.

[DAF]

It aint got no gas in it, mmmhhhrrrmmm, lol, jk

I dint take the time to read everyones replys but here is some things it may sound like.

1)you said your spark plug was soaked with gas, that's NOT GOOD. This may mean there is too much fuel being put in to your cylinders. Maybe a broken fuel regulator or busted injectors.

2)check your spark plug wires again. There is a small chance you may have gooofed up the firing order. I know I made that mistake a few times.

3)got a long ram cold air intake? Been driving in heavy rain lately? You may have some water in your engine. Water=BAD.

4)oil? When was the last time it was changed, or checked for that matter.

5)idle sensor. It could be broken.

To dignoce this better, I would have to see the car. Did you do any mods resently? What was it acting like b4 this all happened? Is there anyone who hates you enough to put something in your tank?

[slambed_civic]

not sure if the problem is fixed or not, but here are some suggestions. If it is flooded, DONT unplug anything, just simply get in the car, and hold your foot to the floor on the gas and crank it over to get air in there. Have you had any grounds apart on the car? Check the injector clips with a noid light, or a test light to make sure they are working. And if all else fails, just borrow an ecu from someone and see if it fires with that

[Goodmayn]

just a thought, but when my car wouldn't fire i was actually mising a fuse... so when i checked all the fuses they were fine, but the one that i needed to get her going wasn't actually in it's little spot in the fuse box... (thanks to orfus5 for finding it) :) figured i'd throw in my .02

[ubeakin4me]

just a way to save you some money there is a way to test your main relay on your vechicle using a multimeter. the chiltons manual or whatever your using shows you how to. I would go with what DAF said when he mentioned fuel pressure regulator it sounds like your getting to much fuel, but letting your car sit out all night should have allowed the fuel to evaporate enough to get somthing out of it. I also wanted to know when did this happen and if the car had been sitting or if you were just driving one day and it died. DOUBLE check your firing order....and make sure that your car is firing on each cylinder when it's supposed to.(rotor pointing at the correct cylinder)...is it possible that you put the new distributor 180 degrees out?(installed the distributor when it was on the exhaust stroke) im not sure if it's possible with honda's but I definetly know that it is with chevy's and o/ domestics. If you have access to it try renting or buying a fuel system tester, just to make sure that your pump is supplying enough pressure. Couple of ideas to chew on GOODLUCK!

[tocivic]

Thanks for all your suggestions! I bought a comrpession tester today and found the following at wide open throttle while cranking the engine:

1) cylinder #1 has 100psi of compression
2) cylinder #2 has 100psi of compression
3) cylinder #3 has 130psi of compression
4) cylinder #4 has 80psi of compression

The compression of each cylinder does seem low, correct? Also, the variations between then is greater than 28psi (which is what the limit is, according to the service manual). So, with these compressions, do you think the engine should even cough when starting fluid is sprayed into the air intake/throttle body?

Thanks!

[moparfan]

compression does seem low, but if it is flooded, that will happen...
did you check valve adjustment? cam timing?

[tocivic]

I've dried up the engine by removing the spark plugs and let the engine dry up over a few days. Can anyone tell me with those compression numbers, shouldn't the engine at least cough when starting fluid is sprayed into the air intake?

Please let me know. Thanks.

[moparfan]

did you check valve adjustment? cam timing?

:???:

[EG_CaSe]

Thanks for all your suggestions! I bought a comrpession tester today and found the following at wide open throttle while cranking the engine:

1) cylinder #1 has 100psi of compression
2) cylinder #2 has 100psi of compression
3) cylinder #3 has 130psi of compression
4) cylinder #4 has 80psi of compression

Thanks!

If possible do a leak down test.. The car i was having trouble with has 2-4 messed up valves.. not sure if they are bent or not but it did read alright on the compression test.. they read between 130-140, i wasnt there so i dont know exact numbers..

[tocivic]

I added a few drops of oil in each combustion chamber and here are the compression test results:

1) cylinder #1 has 150psi of compression
2) cylinder #2 has 150psi of compression
3) cylinder #3 has 140psi of compression
4) cylinder #4 has 130psi of compression

So it seems that the compression looks ok? However, the engine will still not start. Can any one please help? FYI, I'm getting strong sparks from each of the 4 spark plugs (sparks jumped a 1/2" gap), but the spark's colour is yellow/orange - someone told me that a good/strong spark should be blue? And I'm getting fuel in the combustion chamber. The engine did try to cough for 1 to 2 seconds after I've dried up the spark plugs - they were covered with fuel. After the 1 to 2 seconds coughing, the engine won't even cough - just crank, crank, crank. I've tested the ECU, main relay, fuel pump and they are all working properly. The battery is fully charged.

[tocivic]

Can anyone please help? Thanks.

[tocivic]

Any one please?

[keebs]

bump someone help this guy :(

[Lavii]

bump

[tocivic]

Anyone please?

[99siracerman]

dude did you try taking out your plugs and checking spark and timing if you dont kno timing i can walk it through yoou easy jw if you needed sum help let me kno

[99siracerman]

o woops i didnt read you whole thing if you dropping compresion from one side to another you might have to torgue your head down whoever did it might have done it in the wrong order thts what happenedto me with my ls

[99siracerman]

hey does anyone kno where the fuel pump relay is on a 97 ex

[Lavii]

bump

[Yongster]

my opinion its your ignition coil check your spark plug to see if you have spark,

[tocivic]

As stated in my original post:

1) Replaced spark plugs - and tested that there are sparks while cranking (by attaching a spark plug to a spark plug wire, and grounding the plug on the valve cover - tried this for all 4 plugs and wires - all have strong sparks)- i.e. ignition wires and distributor/rotor (brand new) are good. Also, checked resistance of all ignition wires - all are way below 25,000 ohms

[aleron]

have you checked the ecu code

[tocivic]

No codes in the ECU. Thanks.

[Lavii]

bump

[Yongster]

check your timeing remeber your pully has diffrent marks on it it might be your timing. make sure you # 1 piston is all the way up and on its stroke going down. when you check it

[Lavii]

did you put motor in yourself and put on the wiring harness yourself? If you remember i first started posting in this forum becuase of the same problem , which as of today is now fixed , i got my engine to start. But let me tell you what was wrong with mine. I had bought a wiring harness from a junkyard and then took it and put it on the motor i had. After putting it on motor didnt start and i checked everything humanly possible to get it to start. But today a ferind called me and asked me if the injector plug was capped , and that is where the problem was. Your ingector cap on the wiring harness is located near the firewall of the driver side. The cap has all yellow wires running into it. Make sure the top of that is cappd off. That was my problem , and now my car is running. I wish you the best of luck with your car man.

[99CivicSiBrian]

Two things-
First, are the cams and crank set properly on the timing marks and timing belt?

Second, are you sure you're using the right fuel injectors? Try matching the fuel injectors from your original engine. IT's always possible someone slipped the wrong injectors in there and they're flooding because they're the wrong resistance.

I hope you didn't answer these questions already or I'll feel pretty stupid.


B

[whitepaladin78]

ok... this might sounds stupid but its a mistake i made when i did my swap... did you paint the valve cover... if you did... and you bolted the engine ground back on... you wont get a good enough ground unless you sand the area you painted.. .the area you bolt your ground too... seems stupid but it will cause problems... my engine just cranked and cranked, didnt want to fire... just something you should check

[Mister_Perkins]

I just had the same problem two days ago... either your timing pulley that mounts on the crankshaft spun around like 180 degrees, or your timing belt jumped. If you go to your intake manifold, pull the pipe off and crank it and its blowing air out of it, thats what happened, and your probably going to need to replace the timing wheel, and possibly the camshaft, if the key was actually spun.. if your timing wheel is good, then check your valves, and check your timing belt.. make sure the timing wheel on the cam shaft is TDC, which will be TDC if the word up is up and there should be two lines on either side that will run parallel with your head, and then there will be another line near the bottom that will line up with a piece of plastic.. Then look down to your crank pulley and there should be a set of two || lines on the pulley and one line that lines up with a line on the plastic timing belt cover.. if everything lines up, your timing is right, then maybe your injectors are clogged?? other than that i have no idea whats wrong.



In my case two days ago, the timing pulley on the camshaft spun and broke the key, so what i did was just replace the whole head. While the head was off, I bored the cylinders out too. I pretty much rebuilt the whole engine. Now that its back together, im piecing a turbo together for it. Fun stuff :roll:

[rUdGrICk]

its either ur head gasket is crackd and u hav a small so it wont fire,or it could be flooded

[2QuickVics]

I cannot believe this thread is still alive. This is just depressing.

I'm having the same problem with my mini me. This hasn't worked for me but I know other people who it worked for....try clamping the fuel lines to the fuel rail. I don't know if it's necessary to clamp the line flowing OUT from the rail with excess gas, but clamp it anyways. Use vise grips or a C-clamp, just make sure you put a towel around the hose so you don't cut or damage it with the clamp. Cuz life > death. Try starting the engine that way and if it starts up, get out of the car and unclamp the hoses! Experiment with differing tightnesses on the hoses.

LMK if you have any results!! And other ppl, please make some suggestions on my help thread. I need it.

Also, does anyone know how to adjust the idle? I've heard that that will solve the flooded enginge problem too.

[\\ Forgiven //]

to adjust the idle, theres 2 little 12mm nuts on the throttle cable. Turn the one closest to the throttle toward the firewall to idle it down, away from the firewall to idle it up. You might want to use loc tite or something similar once youve found the idle you want so that the nut does not slip over time.

[2QuickVics]

to adjust the idle, theres 2 little 12mm nuts on the throttle cable. Turn the one closest to the throttle toward the firewall to idle it down, away from the firewall to idle it up. You might want to use loc tite or something similar once youve found the idle you want so that the nut does not slip over time.

Oh...so this is just the throttle cable? Shouldn't that be completely closed unless you're pushing the gas pedal?

[\\ Forgiven //]

well it can't be COMPLETELY closed, or it wouldnt let any air in for the car to run at idle, but it should be mostly closed yes.

[99CivicSiBrian]

to adjust the idle, theres 2 little 12mm nuts on the throttle cable. Turn the one closest to the throttle toward the firewall to idle it down, away from the firewall to idle it up. You might want to use loc tite or something similar once youve found the idle you want so that the nut does not slip over time.

Don't forget about the idle adjust nut located on the throttle body. That can adjust idle too. I'd actually prefer that method because by opening the throttle plate through cable adjustment, you risk some other problems. Say you adjust your TPS for some reason, it's going to be set to .5v when in reality the throttle is part-way open, so when the throttle gets to 100% open, the TPS will not see it . . . not sure if I explained that right but do you get it?
B

[\\ Forgiven //]

Totally forgot about that man, thanks for catching me. ^^^ listen to this guy.

[tocivic]

Hi...

I've set the cam pulley at TDC and here's what I found (as shown in the photo). Does this look like the crankshaft is not at TDC? Does the engine look like it's out of time? Can any one please confirm and also tell me how to reset the timing? Thanks in advance for all your help.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/athens2788/Timing/5dbd91bd.jpg

[Mister_Perkins]

if it is TDC, stick a small screw driver, or straw or something that can hit the piston down the spark plug hole, and when you hand roll the engine over, the piston will reach the top of the cylinder. TDC is when the piston reaches the top of the cylinder. If your engine is TDC, the UP word on the timing wheel on the head will be straight up, and there will be two - - that line up where the valve cover mounts on the head. and you already know about the bottom ||| | are on the crank pulley is, so when its TDC, check all of your marks, and if they are off, then that means your timing is off.

im not sure what engine you have, and i dont really feel like going to page 1, but i have a D15b7. I think the D15b7 and B15b8 both have the same timing method, but if you have a different engine let me know and i'll post some of the civic manual pages on where the TDC marks are on different engines,

good luck
Brandon