eccards

Ok, I have been working on my Nephews Civic. While I have never owned or worked on any Hondas, ( Im a Toyota owner.), Im trying. It started one morning when he went outside in the morning to go to school. I am told the engine started and sputtered to a stop. That was the end of the line. The fuel gauge does not work, ( I will fix it before I an finished with this car.), they put fuel in the tank, no start. They changed the the fuel filter, "alot" of debris came out of both ends. No start. I came over with that information, and verified fuel flow and PSI. both were good. On the premise of "debris in the fuel system, I removed the rail and feed line, both were clear of debris. I pulled the plugs, and they were fouled and wet with fuel. So If im getting fuel, I moved to spark. I checked the Cap, Rotor, Wires, Cleaned plugs, and got a spark to ground. (spark looked weak.) I checked the coil, and Igniter, both were good. the magnetic pick ups in the distributer checked weak, and the whole housing was replaced, (new coil, and ICU unit came with it.) No start, but sounds better. Checked Timing at TDC, Main pully, cam gear, and the rotor pointing @ #1. all checked good. The check engine light, functions properly, ( as in comes on and goes off like it should, and I hear the main relay click.) All the fuses and relays, I could find were checked and rechecked, (with a multimeter), No start. Im In need of some True Honda Help, This amature Toyota tuner cannot figure it out, and I dont want to pull my hair out, and be bald at 26. Thanks for any help yall can give.

Former User

Is spark now bright white at all 4 plugs?

Here is what TDC1 for the cam and crank looks like:




The next step is to compression test the cylinders.

B18C5-EH2

Does the engine actually start for a second, and then shut right back off, or does it just spin constantly, and never start up?

I'd check the ignition switch electrical harness:

- Disconnect the battery negative cable.
- Remove the driver's dashboard lower cover and knee bolster.
- Disconnect the 5P connector from the under-dash fuse/relay box and the 7P connector from the main wire harness.



- Check for continuity between the terminals in each switch position according to the table.
- If the continuity checks do not agree with the table, replace the electrical switch.

...and I'm assuming the engine isn't sputtering, or back firing while spinning it over? Just wondering if the distributor was the original problem, and now maybe the distributor key is 180 degrees out, or the rotor button is loose, etc.

Former User

Or possibly the wires are installed in the wrong firing order.

B18C5-EH2

Also you need to really check the ground locations too. I know it might not sound like a valid idea, because they don't just "come loose" but if anyone has done work to the car recently a ground could have been left loose.

The most notorious ground location that causes all sorts of nightmares is the one at the thermostat housing:



I could post more ground locations if you need them.

B18C5-EH2

Well another way to check if the distributor is 180 degrees out is to swap the wires/firing order on the cap...but pulling the distributor out to recheck seems easier to me lol.

BTW did someone say firing order?

Former User

Consider this nice diagram stolen and now in my possession.

canadaek

i was a toyota tech once also having fun doing recalls lol. i had a civic once that was so flooded that it had no compression (bad plug wires) did wet test and it started geting better oiled all the cly then cranked it over with out the plugs reinstalled them and it fired up smoked like crazy for a little bit though . check compression wet and dry . remeber SUCK--SQUISH--BANG--BLOW you need fuel/air compression and a timed spark

eccards

I appreciate all the responds. First, I Have blue to white spark on all four cyl. Second, I still have to do a compression test. Third, when attemting to start, the engine sputters, but no go. Fourth, I have not checked the Ignition switch circuit, or the grounds, but will. Hell, its something more to eliminate. Yes, if you would more grounding locations would be great. Fifth, the Distributor was checked and tested weak,(magnetic pickups), and was replaced just to eliminate a weak point. The female end of the cam and the male end of the distributor, are milled off center so it mates only one way. I checked the plug wires, with a mulit meter, and double checked the order. All were fine. Btw Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow, Ha I love it, we learned that in our basic fight school, I hadnt heard that in years. I will check these things, and let yall know what I find. If yall think of any more things I havent done and or need to do, please let me know.

eccards

Almost forgot, the timing marks all were pointing in the correct locations, and the rotor was pointing at the number one wire.