Josh DeVille

well it all began when my car started to chug a little. and when it acted up the speedometer would go nuts. (shown below in video) discovered it had something to do with moisture. and then i discovered that my O2 had an exposed wire. one day when i was picking up a friend from work in the rain, my car started stalling, ended up killing the battery trying to start it and get back home. since then i had repaired the O2 wire and put it back in, and then it began to start, but stall right after starting. THEN it got cold out and would not start at all.

i suspected the Main relay was bad so i warmed it up overnight (left it in the house) and in the afternoon the next day i plugged it in, and the car fired up. it was chugging a little, but running. (edit: also was a warmer day in general, i suspect something else affected by the cold temperatures) so i figured the O2 was completely shot and i bought a new one, got home the next day with it, plugged it in. once again i had a no start, and this time the Relay was warm as well. so i thought the main relay was toast now, SO i replaced it! plugged it in...no start =/

i have tested the fuel pump, it works fine, tested for spark, there is spark. when i tested it, it was weak at the plugs and weak from the coil as well. so i replaced my battery. still didnt start. im not sure where to go from here. i am all out of ideas.

ive replaced:
-O2 sensor (downstream)
-Main relay
-Battery

would really like some input on what i could test next to try and get her running! any advice it welcome

this is what my car sounds like trying to turn over now:

this is what it sounded like/looked like when i turned over on that warm day. notice the speedometer!



P.s The Check engine light was on because the O2 was not plugged in during the start (thought it would chug less if O2 was out, nope lol)
check engine like is now off with new O2 sensor plugged in.

Former User

Test the coil and have AutoZone test the ICM.

Also check whether 7.5A dash fuse 15 is blown.

Josh DeVille

i have already tested the plug wires and the coil for spark both had spark, but it was weak thats why i replaced the battery. i will check the fuse but i cant get the icm check cuz its not running to take it there lol

Former User

If after replacing the battery, spark is weak, then the problem is likely the coil or ICM.

Also test fuse 15.

Josh DeVille

the spark is strong now. has a blue/white spark. before it was more red. so spark is fine. but car still not starting.

Former User

More blue than white or more white than blue?

Are the plug wires installed in the correct firing order on the distributor cap?

Are you avoiding testing fuse 15?

Does the fuel pump prime?

Do the injectors spray fuel?

Josh DeVille

its 12:24am, and i have to be up for work at 5am. i dont really have time to go out and rest the fuse right now. lol
the pump does prime, but im not sure if the injectors are spraying, not sure how to test that to be honest.

Former User

This^ doesn't prevent you from responding to questions/suggestions as you're still online.
Post back when you get the diagnostic test results and the fuse tested.

Josh DeVille

More blue than white or more white than blue? more white than blue

Are the plug wires installed in the correct firing order on the distributor cap?yes they are

Are you avoiding testing fuse 15? tested with test light, works fine.

Does the fuel pump prime? yes it does

Do the injectors spray fuel? not sure yet, have to look up how to test without starting car.

datsol94

Will the car run momentarily if you spray a quick shot (don't overdo it) of brake clean into the intake tract?

Josh DeVille

i have not yet tested that. i will do it after work tomorrow and get back to you. thanks for the tip

DarkFlame

I'm watching this thread. My '98 Civic LX was running fine, until we got to a stop light, and then it just died. Cranks & cranks, but won't start. Fuel pump seems to be priming, but the engine isn't catching when it's kicking over. I am digging further, but keeping one eye on this thread.

Off to check to see if the the 7.5A dash fuse 15 is blown.

New development: I have checked the 7.5A dash fuse 15, and it has full continuity across the two contacts. So, that is good. I also hear the fuel pump priming for a few seconds every time I turn on the key - WITH the fuse in place, but without it ... I hear nothing. So, the fuse appears to be good.

NOTE: I have no desire to hijack this thread. I just felt we would be on the same troubleshooting path to repair. If I need to pursue my solution under a different thread, please let me know and I'll be GLAD to post separately. Thanks, David.

Josh DeVille

sorry i havent replied lately, been very busy with work. and its been in the negatives lately. today it was finally over 20 degrees lol.

so i tested for compression and it checked out fine. ranged between 140-150

AND i did spray some brake cleaner in the intake and it DID turn over for a split second. so i guess my engine is not getting fuel? but what could be causing that if my relay is good and my pump is working correctly?

is there a way to test the injectors individually? or the connections on the intake manifold or something? please let me know!

-josh-

TomCat39

The simpliest test for the injectors themselves is to unhook the clips so you can unplug them and then use an ohm meter and read the resistance of them.

They should be between 10-15 ohms each assuming they are saturated type injectors (didn't see an injector driver box on your videos). If all 4 have similiar resistance readings then your injectors should be okay, if one is severely different than the others, that's your bad injector. They rarely go bad. And if it was just a bad injector it would still fire in most cases but run really rough. It could be a bad pressure regulator on the fuel rail, that would affect all 4 cylinders and prevent it from firing at all.

Also a clogged fuel filter could affect all four cylinders and put undue stress on your fuel pump.

One trick to see if you are getting fuel is to crank the car a little bit then pull your spark plugs. If you smell fuel then you know you are getting fuel but maybe not atomized properly (partially clogged injectors) or maybe not enough (bad regulator, clogged filter) and if you don't get any fuel then it's definitely some sort of fuel problem.

Josh DeVille

well when i removed the spark plugs to test the compression they were very black. i dont know what that means.. i did however put an old set in the car because they still work, and i didnt know if the black plugs were the problem.

and what setting do i put the ohm meter on to test the injectors? i just bought one yesterday and still not really sure how it work lol

TomCat39

200 ohm setting should be fine, peak and hold injectors are low ohm (1-5 ohm) while the saturated are 10-15 ohm. 2K or 2000 ohm is a bit much for only 10 ohms of resistance. The 200 ohm setting will show you whole numbers for the injectors.

Former User

Test whether all 4 injector clips get battery voltage with the key in ON(II).

Josh DeVille

i tested the injectors and was getting on average 11.5 for all four injectors.

and i tested the clips with the test light and they were all getting power.

i also tested the two clips on the intake manifold with the test light and i got power but it was a weak light, is it supposed to be like that? just thought i would test them while i was there and see what came up.

Former User

Stock 98 Civic EX?

Josh DeVille

yes it is stock.

Former User

Key off.

Unplug ECU connector A and test for continuity to body ground at pins A10 (PG1) and A23 (PG2) in the connector.

Josh DeVille

i noticed it is for the d16y5 motor. and mine is the d16y8. does that matter? just making sure..

Former User

Relook -- 96-98 Models

Josh DeVille

i did not get continuity on either a10 or a23? i had the multimeter set on ohms.
touched the one end (+) to the connector and the other to a bolt.
multimeter stayed at one and did not drop to 0.
so no continuity, meaning?

Former User

The key should be off for the test. Was it? If so, you found the problem. The black wire between A10/A23 and the G101 thermostat ground is broken.