1995 Honda Civic-Hard to Start in Morning/Cold
#1
1995 Honda Civic-Hard to Start in Morning/Cold
I have a 1995 Honda Civic. 1.5L, sedan, automatic, 163,000 miles. I am having a tough time getting it started when it is cold. It has been having problems ever since someone stole it last winter. I have done the following:
1. Replaced the fuel lines, the rotor, the distributor cap, the ignition system, the fuel filter, the starter, the brake pads, the electrical wires, and gave it a tune-up. I also replaced a passenger side window and have been giving it regular oil changes. Lastly, I had an oil leak fixed.
It runs great. Yes, the steering column is a little off and one of the airbags is out, but that will cost me $2600 to fix and it is not worth it.
However, it still takes multiple cranks to get it to start in the morning. When it is warm, it starts fine. I had a mechanic check the fuel pressure. It was fine. He spent 8 hours examining everything on the car and said everything was registering fine. But the next morning, same problem.
What to do?
1. Replaced the fuel lines, the rotor, the distributor cap, the ignition system, the fuel filter, the starter, the brake pads, the electrical wires, and gave it a tune-up. I also replaced a passenger side window and have been giving it regular oil changes. Lastly, I had an oil leak fixed.
It runs great. Yes, the steering column is a little off and one of the airbags is out, but that will cost me $2600 to fix and it is not worth it.
However, it still takes multiple cranks to get it to start in the morning. When it is warm, it starts fine. I had a mechanic check the fuel pressure. It was fine. He spent 8 hours examining everything on the car and said everything was registering fine. But the next morning, same problem.
What to do?
#4
Re: 1995 Honda Civic-Hard to Start in Morning/Cold
The idle air control valve? Ok. I will give that a check. I don't have any check engine lights on at all. The car runs smooth when idle. And the battery is also strong.
#5
Re: 1995 Honda Civic-Hard to Start in Morning/Cold
Nope, no smoke at all. I am a little exhausted by it. Could the mechanic be lying? But that wouldn't make sense. He would want to charge me to replace a part if he could, right? The only thing I can think of is the fuel pump, but he said it registered ok. Once on, the car runs great. No issues whatsoever. I tried the trick where you turn on the engine but don't crank it. I did it a few times and still had the same problem.
#7
Re: 1995 Honda Civic-Hard to Start in Morning/Cold
Ok, a new development. If I turn the car on, but don't crank it, and leave it on for about 30 seconds, it will start every time. No matter how cold it is. When it's warm, I don't need to do that. But when it is cold, it will start if I do that. So confused.
Trending Topics
#8
Re: 1995 Honda Civic-Hard to Start in Morning/Cold
Listen for whether there is a similar delay in the fuel pump priming.
Does the CEL remain on steady until the engine will start?
Does the CEL remain on steady until the engine will start?
#11
Re: 1995 Honda Civic-Hard to Start in Morning/Cold
Oh, I'm sorry. The CEL stays on when trying to start the car, but turns off once teh car has been started. I am not hearing any delay as far as I can tell with the fuel pump priming (but I may just not know what to listen for). I have not Ohm tested the 2-wire ECT sensor under the distributor. I am wondering, could this be the relay? I did some internet research and a lot of people say these go bad in Hondas. I don't know enough about cars to know whether or not mine has gone bad. Once the car starts, it runs great. It is nice and quiet with no issues whatsoever.
#12
Re: 1995 Honda Civic-Hard to Start in Morning/Cold
Sounds like your car's old ECU is on the way out. If you listen for the fuel pump priming, it likely fails to do so until the CEL turns off.
#16
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
SD98ODY
Honda Minivans, Crossovers, and Trucks
2
03-06-2010 02:40 PM