Carl_S

Hello all,

I recently (two weeks ago) purchased my first civic for very little money and it needed a lot of tlc. Mechanically it is ok but cosmetically it is a wreck. I have been driving it for a few days without incident but tonight I stopped at the local gas station to pick up some milk and when i got back to the car it would not attempt to start. I suspect that I may have triggered some sort of anti theft system but I am not familiar with the car or what systems honda has installed.

I removed the radio a week ago but the car has started numerous times since then.

I know that there is a passive clutch lock on the car that will not allow the car to start unless the clutch is depressed, and trust me sitting in the parking lot i depressed the hell out of that clutch.

Also, the car has power locks but i was not given any sort of keyless entry remote and I am not sure if the car is equipped with keyless entry. When looking for new radios from crutchfield, they asked about the keyless entry feature so maybe that has something to do with it. I simply do not know enough about the platform to figure it out.

Just looking for some insight from anyone who knows more about the car than I do, which is probably everyone here. Thank you in advance.

Former User

Does the starter crank the engine? Or is this a cranks-but-won't-start problem?

Is the battery possibly dead?

Has the rubber stopper at the top of the clutch pedal fallen out?

Carl_S

The starter is never activated, the car never turns over at all.

I do not believe the battery is the problem because it is a new (10 days old) battery and all the accesories work fine, even the blower forthe AC system operated correctly.

I think it may be the stopper on the clutch pedal. One of the problems that I have already addressed is the same "stopper" on the brake pedal. The seller thought there was a wiring short somewhere because the brake lights would never turn off until he disconnected the battery. I taped a nickle to it until i got to the junk yard and grabbed another one.

Unfortunately the car is still at the 7-11 and I will not be able to go back up there until morning time to test this hypothesis.

Carl_S

Thank you very much sir, that was exactly what the problem was.

I had to crawl upside down under the dash and with one hand, actually one just barely long enough finger, depress switch A while turning the key in the ignition with my other hand. It was a litle unsettling that the lady working at 7-11 was very happy to watch me ride my bike up to a car, crawl around in it and make it start, then pack my bike in it and drive away, but who am I to judge.

The car is now safe and sound at home. I do not think that i will be able to tape a nickel to the top ofthe clutch pedal because of the other hardware that is up there, and i am a little hesitant to start unbolting it because it all looks like its there to set the throw on the clutch and i am not sure how to readjust that if i mess it up.

I will try to install the new stopper by hoping that my fingers are long enough.

Thanks again for the help, that drawing saved the day, i would have stopped when i saw switch B none the wiser that the lock mechanism is throuogh switch A.