eskayEJ1

So today, after driving about 7 mins to work and figuring out i wasn't due there til 3pm, my car refused to start. When turning the ignition, the only reaction i get is a series of clicks... and not the type starter issues would cause. The clicks are slow, about 1-2 seconds apart (sounds kinda like my blinkers are on but a bit slower), and they are coming from under the steering column (near the fuse box). Im not sure if it's a relay or ignition problem as there seems to be some funky stuff going on that would seem like an ignition problem. For example if i turn on the hazards, corner lights or head lights or if i hit the brakes (engaging the brake lights) the car locks (like when u turn the ignition) and i get the clicking.... I dont need the key in the ignition to get this reaction. Whatever the problem, i cannot get the car to start. It's a 94 civic ex... automatic VTEC d16z6... any ideas?

There have also been a few times when i turned the car on and after turning the ignition, the car would stall half way thru... as if i didnt hold the key turned long enough... another reason i believed it to be the ignition switch

In a nutshell:
-Car does not start. Starter doesn't crank (or attempt to crank and fail).
-Battery is good.
-Series of clicks under the steering column, near fuse panel. Lasts about 30 seconds or so. Relay?
-Activating any exterior lights (Brakes, Hazards, Corner, hazards, headlights, high-beams) causes the power locks to engage and the series of clicks. No key needed. Relevant?
-Car started flawlessly less than 10 minutes before the problem occurred.
-There have been 2 different occasions where the car has stalled after turning the ignition (III) and letting the key fall back into run (II) by itself. Both times the car did not start initially after... had to wait a few minutes to retry.

RSilva86

I have a 2000 civic si and it starts but once I drive around and turn the engine off it won't start again. I have replaced the main relay and the pick up coil on the distributor. After all that I still haven't been able to fix the problem. Can anyone help me out? Thank you

eskayEJ1

^you're thread-jack'n bro......

Wdpfreak145

Do you hear the fuel pump priming when you turn the key to the II position?

The clicks you're hearing are more than likely coming from the main relay. Look for the main relay fix in the sticky if you have access to soldering equipment.

eskayEJ1

Yes, fuel pump primes.... I took the covering from around the steering of and a panel cuz I wanted to know where the clicking was coming from exactly... But yea... I see it's covered up with some metal plate that was soldered

eskayEJ1

I'll check it out, thanks

djpaulyz

Years ago I had a CRX with the same problem. The car suddenly wouldn't start and a relay was making noise under the dash. I ended up going over all of the wiring diagrams and traced the problem to a bad ground. It happened to be the ground that's on the thermostat water outlet. That particular ground tends to corrode easily due it's location. Try cleaning it up, I'm sure it could use it anyway.

eskayEJ1

True... I just ran across a few threads saying the same... a few months ago I changed the thermostat and if I remember correctly the ground wire looked a bit rusty... so i´ll clean it up and see if anything changes... thanks for the tip!

pelayo114

iTrader: (2)

Sounds just like a loose or dirty ground. Check the ones by the thermostat, especially the ones by the transmission if you've had any work done. My 92 hatch had the same issue and it was just that one ground was 1/4 of a turn out.

eskayEJ1

Gonna check it when I wake... to dark out at the moment.... on the other hand... there's a small red light left of my steering column.... i've never known it's purpose, but for the two months i've had the car it's been blinking (even when the car is off, no keys)... well now it's blinking rapidly... I always assumed it was some sort of "dummy alarm" as it doesn't appear to have an actual function... and I can't find any info on it.... just thought it was interesting that it's now blinking heavily... didn't even think about it till the tow guy brought me my car minutes ago and I seen the red light flashing in the dark...

eskayEJ1

So a few minutes ago I locked my keys in the car.... after cursing and swearing in the streets like a crazy idiot I remembered the guy who sold me the car gave me a remote to lock the doors.. had to pry it open and mess with the battery a little because it's dead but turns out the remote unlocks the door and stops the alarm... yup... apparently this car has some sort of immobilizer and the horn was disconnected from it so never knew it was going off.... go figure... -_-