S2k Hybrid

I was having idling issues so I cleaned the IACV. I drove it and it still felt crappy and the idling continued and my car even shut off. I was able to start it up but everytime I slowed down/stopped at a light it shut off. After like the 3rd - 4th time it shut off I couldnt start it again. I was stranded in a busy 3 lane blvd until my bro came with his blazer and tugged my em1. When I got back, I checked all my fuses under the dash and in the bay. The car cranks but just doesnt want to start.

*I did a search here on H-T and came across some threads

- could it be the ignition switch due to a recall?

- could it be the alternator?

Both parts are a pain in the *** to remove. Is there anything else I should check before I check either or parts? Also, I dont have a CEL on

Crispy

What in the car have you modified exactly? Timing off maybe? If it cranks it will not be the alternator. Is it sputtering like it is trying to start when you crank it? Fuel pump perhaps? Give us a little more info please.

S2k Hybrid

No mods everythings basically stock, I have a b20z engine in there with a Si tranny. The car sounds like it wants to start and it almost does...but doesnt if that makes sense. If it is the fuel pump, how can I check? Let me try doing a little search on it but what else can it be?

Maireeka

any luck if you touch the gas pedal?

did you clean the tb too? after i cleaned my iacv and tb, it ran worse for a few miles, i guess until the tb cleaner dried out.

S2k Hybrid

When I stepped on the gas pedal while I was turning the key it almost turned on but didnt. I didnt clean the TB though

blackKready

your CKP in the dizzy is spent , id bet money on it. i could be wrong though , i hope i am , lol. if you didnt get an engine light? , im betting on dizzy. find someone with same year engine and swap dizzys see if it starts. can you smell fuel by any chance when cranking it?

S2k Hybrid

does anyone else have an idea what it might be?

blackKready

answer the question , did you get a CEL during all this? also , take your dizzy cap off and make sure your rotor is in tact and tight.

S2k Hybrid

sorry I think you must have replied to my thread the same time I posted my last message. I dont have a CEL and I cant say I smell fuel either. I'll check the dizzy in a few, its raining cats and dogs here in NY.

Also, I wanted to mention a couple things I failed to mention before.

- My radio harness was snipped and I didnt tape the ends so the wires are proably touching the metal in the dash (the fuse is already blown)

- My climate control has a mind of its own, every time I press the vent button to close, it closes but when I turn off and on the car it opens on its own.

S2k Hybrid

I found a really good thread on starting problems but I cant find it now

Blk00EJ8

If you can start the car when it's jumped to another battery, it's likely your alternator.

However, because you have idling issues, I would pop the distributor cap off and check the contacts on the cap/spring and the contacts for the coil. If those are bad, you could easily have a poor idle and an inability to start.

The dist cap leaking is actually a common occurrence so I'd recommend changing that with the gasket and the rotor, and inspecting all the contacts inside for the igniter and coil. Replace those too if they appear corroded.

S2k Hybrid

Thanks for the responses everyone, I changed the cap/rotor less than a month ago along with the ignition coil, plugs, and wires. The reason why I changed the coil and the other parts was because the morons who sold me the engine dropped it on the dizzy when they were trying to lift it into my bros truck. The cap/rotor broke instantly and I learned shortly afterwards that the coil was damaged too so it was replaced, but before I found out it was damaged I kept trying to start it so maybe I damaged something and now its showing... I have to check in the morning though, its still raining

S2k Hybrid

Ok so I inspected my car once again earlier today before I went to school. I wanted to know if the fuel pump was bad so I slightly opened up the nut on top of the fuel filter that connects to the fuel rail and fuel started spraying, so I guess fuel is not my problem right? Also, I had my bro try to start the car with the nut still slightly opened and it seemed to keep spraying and dripping.

I opened up the dizzy and it looked ok I guess, the rotor was tight and it didnt look fried either. I went further and inspected the ignition coil and the igniter and both looked ok as well. I'm going to pick up another dizzy tomorrow and hope that is the problem, but if its not...what else should I check? Could it be the timing???

Blk00EJ8

It could be timing, but did you mess with anything before it started idling funny/dying?

Dodger2940

What did you clean the IACV with?? Could be that your IACV is done and you need a new one. Happened to me after I cleaned it. When the car is cold does it start up fine??

S2k Hybrid

At 1st the car had a CEL and it was idling but the CEL was only on because I had the wrong plug in the coolant tempature sensor located under the dizzy. I found the correct plug and attatched it and I believe that took care of the CEL.

My mechanic installed a exhaust gasket cause my car was making farting noises, afterwards I asked him to clean the IACV cause of the idling so he removed it and sprayed starter fluid to clean, he also tightend the alternator belt, PS belt, and AC belt cause it was a little loose and I think thats about it. After I left his shop thats when it died and didnt want to start again...

S2k Hybrid

when the car was cold it didnt start up fine, I had to step on the gas for the 1st few seconds to keep it from shutting off but after a few seconds it would be fine. The reason why it was doing that is because I had the wrong plug in the coolant tempature senson but after I switched plugs it worked fine and took care of the CEL.

S2k Hybrid

I went to a local junkyard and picked up another dizzy and installed it and its still not working. Infact, I think its worse now if that makes sense. I had to use my dads car to boost my battery with his and then it was cranking again but still didnt turn on.

- I also checked the fuel realy thingy located in the far right of the dashboard and I think it works cause it makes the clicking noise.

- I took a look under my back seats to inspect the fuel pump but I dont know what check. I removed the cover that protects the fuel pump and noticed it was a little dusty in there and noticed a little rust. Is that common?

So the only thing I didnt do is the ignition switch wiring which someone mentioned could go bad...did you guys hear of that before? The only other thing is my radio harness which is snipped but its been like that for quite some time now so ehh

blackKready

based on your whole story and startup issues , im gonna say you need an O2 sensor. hard to say dude. radio harness wouldnt make your car shut off like this or anything , would blow the radio fuse thats it. i highly doubt its any wiring issues since the car worked fine before. if something grounded or shorted in your dash that wasnt fused , youd know it. i know it sucks not being definite , but some sensors dont cause a CEL unfortunately. and O2 sensor is one of those sensors that can cause problems and not cause a code. someone else might have other suggestions.

le0ftw

try new iacv

jdizzle!

bump for some answers

Blk00EJ8

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by S2k Hybrid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I went to a local junkyard and picked up another dizzy and installed it and its still not working. Infact, I think its worse now if that makes sense.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You may have screwed the timing up with this if the install was done incorrectly.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by blackKready &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">based on your whole story and startup issues , im gonna say you need an O2 sensor. </TD></TR></TABLE>

On what grounds did you arrive at that conclusion? An O2 sensor isn't going to prevent the car from starting. It may idle terribly and run like ****, but the engine will start nonetheless.

OP, start at the beginning...

1. Sounds like your starter is ok if it's turning over. So your chassis ground is ok. How is the condition of the valve cover/head ground to the chassis?

2. You need fuel and spark after that. Turn your key to II, let the pump prime but don't turn it to ignition. You should have fuel pressure. The easiest way to check is to crack the banjo bolt on the fuel filter. If it starts to spray out, you have pressure. Make sure to tighten that back up.

3. Take your spark plug wires out. Hold the end that snaps into the spark plug near a bolt head on the chassis. It should arc to the bolt when someone cranks your car. I suspect this is your problem though.. You probably don't have spark =&gt; distributor. However, this needs to be installed correctly since it's timing dependent. Check your replaced distributor installation or have someone do it for you.

da_dude

You might have put the distributor 180 degree off. Or your spark plug wires must not be in the right order since you took both of them off. Sometime it is just the little things that we don't think about.

Blk00EJ8

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by turb20_vtec &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You might have put the distributor 180 degree off. Or your spark plug wires must not be in the right order since you took both of them off. Sometime it is just the little things that we don't think about.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Ditto. If you're looking at the dizzy from the passenger side, your wires should be:

3 4
1 2

where cylinder 1 is on the drivers side.

blackKready

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Blk00EJ8 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

You may have screwed the timing up with this if the install was done incorrectly.

On what grounds did you arrive at that conclusion? An O2 sensor isn't going to prevent the car from starting. It may idle terribly and run like ****, but the engine will start nonetheless.

OP, start at the beginning...

1. Sounds like your starter is ok if it's turning over. So your chassis ground is ok. How is the condition of the valve cover/head ground to the chassis?

2. You need fuel and spark after that. Turn your key to II, let the pump prime but don't turn it to ignition. You should have fuel pressure. The easiest way to check is to crack the banjo bolt on the fuel filter. If it starts to spray out, you have pressure. Make sure to tighten that back up.

3. Take your spark plug wires out. Hold the end that snaps into the spark plug near a bolt head on the chassis. It should arc to the bolt when someone cranks your car. I suspect this is your problem though.. You probably don't have spark =&gt; distributor. However, this needs to be installed correctly since it's timing dependent. Check your replaced distributor installation or have someone do it for you.</TD></TR></TABLE>

when i said O2 sensor i was reading earlier symptoms when he was talking about having to give gas to stay running till it warmep up , my bad. misread. but for the record , if you had read it all too , youd see he already cracked his fuel line to check for pressure , lol. if its a JDM dizzy , could be its 180 off for sure.