SOLFUL

94 SOL DOHC, cranked this morning, drove to work, then went on lunch break, parked it. Got back in it, turns over but wont crank, no dash lights at all, radio works, lights work. Bought a new main relay, still will not crank. Should the cap & rotor be looked at next or what should I look at next?

civichxtreme2

That being attached....sounds like your fuel pump may have **** the bed.

TomCat39

Just to try and keep it clear....
Cranking is the starter turning the motor trying to start.
Firing is the motor catching and firing up from being cranked.

You said, it turns over but doesn't crank. This is soooo confusing and contradictory. Please describe if your car is cranking but not firing OR not cranking at all.

Martin Ortega

I agree with Tomcat
check if you have any spark in the spark plug wires
stick a screw driver in it and turn the key
have someone turn the key for you

Cody Pereira

Start simple from your battery - just because your lights radio works and whatnot, does not necessary mean that the connection at your battery is strong enough to push the starting amperage needed to throw the starter shaft out. Sounds crazy, but I have racked my brain on several of my toys that have had similar scenarios (like my Harley is a classic for this) where all it needs is a cleaning of the battery terminals and the lug connectors. Give that a shot or verify that they are shiny clean then continue troubleshooting.

SOLFUL

Its a crank no start issue, sorry for the confusion, engine turns over but will not start........................

TomCat39

Thank you, compression, fuel/air, and spark.

I'd start with Cody Pereira's suggestion. Rule out the battery, load test it.
Then I would do a compression test since it cranks okay just to rule it out.
Then I would look at spark, which means also distributor.
After that I would then look at fuel.

The reason I do spark before fuel is if the distributor doesn't give signal to the ECU the ECU isn't going to feed fuel.

SOLFUL

Ok i'm on it..................

Krauthammer

I am going to hold onto this info lol I'm sure my dumb *** would test the fuel first before the distributor and end up buying all new injectors/fuel pump. Thanks

SOLFUL

Ok, sorry i haven't posted sooner but life happened. So a friend encountered the same problem with his sons civic and tested his theory out on my Sol. It was the ignition switch
on the back of the key cylinder. When I tried cranking it I was pushing the key into the cylinder, but when my friend tried it he was pulling the key out just a little at the same time
he turned the key and it started and stayed cranked. Now I am going to replace the elec. switch and move on to the next project, re-painting the valve cover!
Thank you guys for your suggestions and hope this helps someone else.........

TomCat39

I believe you mean it stayed running.