Quetzolcotl

at first from a cold start my car almost started. since then it will turn over but not start. its getting spark, fuel, and air. i've checked the electrical connections too but nothing is loose. i dont think it would be the fuel filter caus i took out the fuel return line from the fuel pressure regulator and there is fuel there. my check engine light has been on since i got another engine (same engine the car origionally had) put in 2 months ago but it ran fine, except that the idle would rev from 600 to 1300 and back all the time. the light is probably the oxygen sensor and a self diagnostic for engine codes says so but that shouldnt make the car not start. i put in a new high flow cat converter 4-5 months ago too. and it has gas. two days prior to this i took out the distributer and didn't mark its location for timing. just kinda stuck it in the middle but it ran fine. any ideas?

NiiS

may not be the case, but i always check the distributor first.

Blazin Si

like sinnister said... check your distributor. take the cap off and look for a reddish dust covering the towers. if there's too much dust, then there's no spark and your obviously will have a hard time getting it started.

if you notice a squeaking noise at idle, that means the bearing in your distributor seized and it's time for a new one. i went through the same thing a few months back. 600 bucks to get it fixed.

NiiS

autozone/ kragen sells our distributing equip, you can buy a re-built one, take it home and test it- if it works-good, it not take it back and get your $$$ back. those guys don't care.

plus they warranty that stuff for life.
and dont forget to check the old cap for cross arc.


[Modified by sinnister, 2:49 AM 5/18/2002]

Quetzolcotl

i'm pretty sure its not the distributer. when i had it out it turned fine. and i am getting a spark. i took off a plug wire and stuck a screwdriver in there and held it to a ground, had the car turned over and there was spark. i cleanned off the posts on the cap real good too, and cleaned off the rotor. i changed the spark plugs and that helped. it wants to start more than it did before. i checked the timing belt too and its fine. think the car is flooded now so i'll wait till tomarrow to mess with it more.

mantic6t9

you may have a vaccume leak!

B18C5-EH2

Good God sir, you have finally blown your MAIN RELAY or what ids also called your fuel pump relay.

It's an electrical piece that sits under your dash near your hood release lever. It cuts the fuel pump on. They go out after years of getting super hot in the summer.

Try this test:

Cut the ignition to the "On" position and listen for a "click" under the dash right after the check engine light goes out.

No click?

Need a main relay.

Please tell me if I was right, and if I was, what do I get?



Seriously, update us!

mantic6t9

I had to replace my main relay a few months ago, i think it was $54 from honda. Kinda sounds like the same problem. If you have a friend who will let you borrow his/her relay you can plug it in and try it out before you go a waste your money at honda. You know once you open a part from them it's yours no if ands or buts.

Quetzolcotl

its not the main relay. i switched it out with my girl's and the car still wont start.

B18C5-EH2

Crack open the banjo bolt on top of the fuel filter and spin the car over - fuel shopuld squirt out.

Actually, fuel should squirt out as soon as the fuel pump cuts on, but if you get no fuel, then you probably have a bad fuel pump if your main relay isn't bad.

Have you pulled a plug out and tested for spark yet?

Quetzolcotl

fuel pump works. gas squirts out the banjo bolt on the filter and i can hear the pump running by listening at the tank inlet with the cap off. checked the plugs for a spark but didnt see anything (it was quite bright outside though). but with a screwdriver stuck into a plug wire held close to a ground there is mad spark. anything else? thanks for the suggestions by the way.

mantic6t9

Maybe it's your plugs if everything else has checked out.

dirtySOHC's

my car has a hard cold start also. it starts after cranking after a few minutes. when its hot it cranks right up.

i hear the click when the fuel pump initializes. this all happened after i installed my fpr. i havent been able to check anything yet (been busy at work).

HybridHatch

when you first tried to start it... did it kinda sputter then die (kinda sound like a machine gun or something)? if so... or if you have nothing better to do... try this it has worked for me when i had the same problem:


ok pull all your spark plug wires, and plugs befor you go to bed tonight and leave it open .... or if you want you can just clean up the plugs and "swab" the inside of your cyln. just get a rod and an old shirt... then while your plugs are out... un hook your ecu then try to crank it over like 5 times (this is so you flush it out a little wihout pumping fuel into the chamber) then plug it back in and put your plugs and wires back together... this has happened to me also... just kinda fouled a plug and flooded it... try this out if your out of ideas. and let me know if it worked!



[Modified by HybridHatch, 3:48 AM 5/19/2002]

dirtySOHC's

i can try it but i dont see how it would fix the problem because the car will start after a while and would run fine. ill give it a try though... thanks....

mechanik

Well, since it seems your getting spark, air, and fuel... you need nothing else except maybe piston rings to get that thing fired up.

Maybe fuel is getting clogged at the injectors??

Quetzolcotl

it was the damned ignition coil. it was giving me a spark so that threw me, plus it was reading within spec with the multimeter. my girlfriends had gone out last week. her car died while she was driving it. it was not reading in spec with what the manuel said and mine was. i put mine in her car and drove it for a day. then put it back into my car and drove it for like 2 days and it worked fine. i guess that the other car wore it out. no idea how that happened. it works but didnt spark enough to start. thanks a lot for all the help and suggestions, fellas. i gotta get another one monday.