alright, got the car today. excellent body, paint is perfect, new engine, tranny, gastank, gas lines and computer.

however, the woman says that about a week ago it stopped working one day when it was raining really bad and thinks its rain related....i havent a clue really. my opinion is it has nothing to do with that. this is the issue:

it will turn over and kick like its going to start but never does...i checked the distributor and it was fine...i checked the leads and scraped them clean...i didnt get to check the spark plugs yet though. any idea on why it might not start up? i only paid $300 for it and really the body is worth more than that alone.

 

check the main relay. it's a little black box to the bottom-left of the steering column, next to the fuse box there. run a search on this site and google and you'll get some tips. the only thing is that typically the cars have the problem when they are shut down after running long enough to be "hot" and a high ambient temp doesn't help. so the rain thing may prove me to be way off on my suggestion, but it is a common problem on these cars.
good luck and nice purchase....wanna sell it to me at a profit?

 

does sound like a main relay issue..also..check where he's at..shipping for a car from nova scotia?? ouch!! post pics if you get a chance..we love pic's on h-t ya know..good luck and hope you get it figured out

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by buckethead36 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">does sound like a main relay issue..also..check where he's at..shipping for a car from nova scotia?? ouch!! post pics if you get a chance..we love pic's on h-t ya know..good luck and hope you get it figured out </TD></TR></TABLE>

yes, i guess i'm not completely serious about buying it from him, but i really am in the market for a clean 4th gen. and i have read several posts about other people "stealing" 4th gens from little old ladies or men and i'm jealous

 

heh...i got it from a middle aged lady

and thanks alot guys...found a relay on ebay for $3 US. good times. i appreciate the advice...i'll also be checking the fuel pump. found something in the archives about the ignitor or fuel pump possibly as well.

ALSO, heh, it isnt from being warm really...its overly cold here all the time. and always raining...my main reason for getting a car for the winter.

 

yes, you should try the relay, but it could definitely be something else, based on the temps up there in Canada. for $3 or so it is worth it. best of luck but you are gonna take a near-perfect 4th gen and make it a winter beater?! say it isn't so!

 

well....i am going to take care of it....i called it a winter beater because most people around here use old hondas for winter and nicer ones for summer...but this car seems really nice, so i am going to take it easy on it and oput some money in to it myself.

ps. i used to be one of those...never own a civic for the life of me....types of people....oh how things turn out

 

Can you hear the fuel pump run when you turn on the key? Are the plugs getting spark?

These are always the first things to check in a no-start situation.

Don't start throwing money and parts at it until you find the source of the problem.

 

yeah when i got my hatch i had the same problem. thought it was a fuel pump or lines or filter, something fuel related. but i switch the main relay and started right up.

 

i havent a clue what to listen for to see if a fuel pump is starting up...so i am just going to go with the relay...because i can get a temp one tomorrow.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by saltyblue &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i havent a clue what to listen for to see if a fuel pump is starting up...so i am just going to go with the relay...because i can get a temp one tomorrow.</TD></TR></TABLE> just turn the key to the on position if it stays dead quiet and no humming noise for like a second then it's most likely your main relay took a dump...good luck

 

As another honda lover from Nova Scotia, Ihave found that keeping
a can of WD-40 in the glove box is the best tool for those rainy days.
Just soak the plug wires with WD-40 and turn the key. It works every
time for me.

 

i'll check that mate...dont think it stayed quiet...but i also didnt listen for it or give it much time. i kinda just turned it right past that mark and tried to start it. thanks.

 

it was the main relay. thanks alot guys. vroom vroom ...a whole 92hp