parsonbg

I have a 96 civic EX. In the past week there were several times it would not start. It would crank but not start up. This problem was intermittent at first. Now it will not start at all. I replaced the main relay so I know it is not that.

When I spray throttle body cleaner in the intake - it will start for a moment and then die -- I think that means it has to be a fuel problem.
I loosened the nut at the very top of the fuel filter and turned the igntion on -- it did not squirt out the top. Does this mean my fuel pump has gone out? Or clogged fuel line/filter? Or would it be something else? I checked fuses #13,31, and 44 and they are all fine. Then I used a circuit tester to check the power to the fuel pump. It did NOT have power. Again, I have a new main relay.

I actually tried yesterday to solder my old main relay before I bought another one. The silver place (forgive my ignorance of terms) that needed soldering on the main relay was very close to another silver place and when I soldered -- the two spots are now touching. Would that have caused a short or is that not a big deal? I'm wondering if when I plugged my old main relay back in if I blew a fuse somewhere else due to my soldering.

The new main relay is now plugged in. AFter ignition is turned on -- it clicks. I think it is supposed to click again after the cel goes off but it does not.

Is there another fuse I can check or any other suggestions of something I can try?

Please help.

akelly17

check the ground on your fuel pump. my car would do the same thing. it would sort of act like i ran out of gas. the ground on the fuel pump had a short in the wire. it is right underneath the bottom of the back seat. if that is the problem just run a new wire from the ground and loosen the bolt that holds the seatbelt on and use that to ground it out. worked fine on my car after that. other than that the only other thing it would be is the main relay. but you should replace it with a brand new one to rule that out first because that sounds more like your problem.

virgineg6

how is this possible!? a short means there is continuity to ground. so how did your ground wire have a short!?
anyways the 2 terminals on the main relay touching very well could have caused a fuse to pop, remove and inspect all fuses. are you sure you had a good gnd when testing for power? trace the power wire back as far as possible inspect for breaks or tears, if you can shoot for continuity from the main relay mount to the pump, let us know what you find.

akelly17

well the wires insulation had been pinched some point in the wire causing the copper wire to be cut in half but not whole the wire itself. so i guess it wasnt shorting it was just not grounded? my mistake. replaced the wire and everything was peachy

virgineg6

break in the wire, its all good we all make mistakes lol

akelly17

yeah lol. i thought i ran out of gas because the gas gauge in that car was broken lol. spent like 45 minutes trying to diagnose a simple problem all because i didnt have a test light..

parsonbg

I'm going to sound stupid - but what exactly mean to "Check for ground"? When I checked for power to the fuel pump, I used a circuit tester. The tester has an alligator clip on a wire which I attached to metal on the car. Then I probed the holes on the incoming side of the harness (after unlatching the harness) while my son turned the ignition to on. I know the pump is only supposed to get power for like 2 seconds after the igntion is turned on. I didn't get any light from the tester. I tried it several times. I know the tester works because I tried it on the wire harness connected to the other device right beside the fuel pump (I think it is what measures fuel in the tank).
Anyway, back to the "checking for ground." I don't see any other wires from the fuel pump. SHould there be a single wire by itself? Please help me more with this. Thanks so much.

rhymeshark916

A fuse that looks "good" doesn't meant that it is. Replaced those fuses with brand new ones. It doesn't have to be blown to be bad. I had that happened to me which didn't send power to the fuel pump.(wouldn't prime).

akelly17

when i had the issue with mine i only noticed two wires on mine. possibly an aftermarket fuel pump if yours is different but it was the first time i ever needed to look at those wires. i will look at my newer car later today so give you a better answer but i cant remember whats back there off the top of my head and i know i have an oem fuel pump in the car i have now.

parsonbg

I replaced the fuses at #13,31, and 44. I AM NOW SHOWING POWER TO THE PUMP when the ignition is turned on. However, I don't hear anything from it when the ignition is turned on. Still only one click from the new main relay. THat means the fuel pump definitely bad, right? I just want to make sure there is nothing else I need to check before I go spend money on a new fuel pump. Anything else I need to check?

rhymeshark916

Good that you have power but shouldn't it prime? You have a new working relay as well? Did your car ever started(turn on) before?

virgineg6

Just like your circuit tester needs a ground (bare metal) so does the pump hook the aligator clip to the other wire on the pump, if it doesnt turn on now it means your ground is bad. If it does have a good ground the pump is definately bad.

parsonbg

Okay- I think I may not be getting a ground. When I put the probe in the hot side of the harness and attach the alligator clip to metal, I get a signal. This is good but confusing because I get this signal when the ignition is on and I thought I read somewhere that it should only stay on for 2 seconds after the key is turned to the on position. My light will stay on as long as the key is on. Is that normal?

WHen I put the probe in the hot side of the harness and put the alligator clip in the other side (negative?) of the harness, I get no signal (even when the I turn the ignition on and off.)

So -- does that definitely mean I'm not getting ground? If so, what do I do? Please be as specific as you can.

SOmeone had mentioned grounding at the seatbelt bolt -- but I don't know where to attach to on the fuel pump.

lillthingz

Not to thread jack, but I am having the same problem. I replaced the fuel pump and fuel filter, and it ran fine for a few days then it started acting up again. Yesterday I left for work at noon and it would crank but the pump wouldnt prime. I got home from work, and tried it and it started right up. I went to go to work again this morning, and the pump wouldn't prime again. I havent tried to start it again since I got home from work, but it is almost like it just doesn't work when it's hot outside. I know it sounds crazy as hell, but it is the truith. I am going to try the fuses tomorrow and am going to see how that works. The fuses #13, 31, and 44 are they the ones inside the car by your left foot? Does anyone have a picture of their fuse box with the numbering of the fuses? I am just as frustrated as you, and need to get this figured out asap.

virgineg6

Bg i dont understand what you mean by the other side of the harness, maybe you can post some pics of what your doing exactly

Emkus

I also have an intermittent starting problem with my 93 Civic Si. Replaced the main relay but the problem persists. Sometimes, the fuel pump will prime immediately when the ignition key is in on position, CEL will go off and the car starts. Sometimes, the fuel pump primes 10-30 seconds after the ignition key is in on position, then the CEL will go off and the car will start. Once started the car runs smoothly, no misfiring, no hesitation, no rough idling, etc. I checked all the fuses and grounds. They are all fine.

I checked voltages at the main relay using a multimeter. With ignition key in on position, (not start), sometimes pin 8 of the main relay goes to ground and the fuel pump primes. Sometimes pin 8 stays at 11 V or so and the fuel pump does not prime. This indicates that the ECU is not switching pin 8 to ground. Is this an ECU (P28-A01) problem? Or, is it because the ECU is not getting a needed sensor input before it will ground pin 8?

Emkus

93 civic si starting problem was caused by faulty ECU.Replaced P28-A01 ECU with P28-A02 and the fuel pump primes and the car starts

Soraffe

Also having the same problem. I've replaced the fuel pump with a brand new one and I bought a relay from a salvage yard. Sometimes I'll get power to my fuel pump but then again when it gets really warm outside, I won't get anything. It'll crank but it won't start. I have a 92 honda accord though and this is the only helpful thread I've found. I'm not a car person and I really know nothing about cars or anything like that, so any and all guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Emkus

If you do not hear the fuel pump prime, (it is quite audible in my 93 civic), the pump is not getting power. I do not remember how I did this now but you can jumper some pins on the connector that the relay plugs into and listen for the fuel pump. If you hear the fuel pump prime, the problem is not the fuel pump.
Since you have a new relay, you can eliminate the relay as the problem.

My car also started with intermittent starting problems. Once it started, it ran until I turned the ignition off. Then it would not start. After a few days, it would start again until I turned it off. Then it may or may not start again. I replaced the relay. It fooled me by starting the first time and then problem reappeared. Finally, I bit the bullet and took a chance on a used computer module. It cost me about $100 on e-bay. It was easy to replace. That was a year ago and the car has been starting fine. I will look back in my notes and if I find the information on how to jumper the pins on the connector, I will post it.

hotshower

so just a story. i owned an 83 civic hatchback and well i finally ended up always having a spare fuel pump when it went there was nothing to do but replace the pump. now there is a fuse to that pump that would start to pop when the pump would fail so maybe could replace fuse twice before it would pop every time. so now the question if this holds true maybe a failed pump could pop a new relay? i have a 96 civic and well the car will eventually start it is very difficult and reminds me of the 83 civic. although the car has low compresion . not sure if that is the issue. changed out fuel filter and added anti fouling plug adapters. still a new pump and relay is cheaper than a used engine.

Former User

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