I need some help troubleshooting my car...this is what happened...i was driving my car kind of hard right after i swapped my engine which is an 98 civic ex manual engine...i came up to a red light so i had to come to a complete stop...then i tried to take off again and right when i started taking off the engine jerked a little and it died out...i tried to start it off again and it didnt want to start...it cranks and everything...sometimes it wants to start then it dies out...whats my problem?...is it because of my timing belt breaking or something?...let me know whats up please

 

air, fuel, spark.

Barring a hamster getting sucked up into your throttle body, it's probably not an air problem.

I'd check for fuel and spark. Because this is a pretty fresh swap, I'd reckon some connection may be loose. Check all your connections!

 

i tried using starting fluid but it didnt help...hopes this information helps a little

 

Come one, something easier....

Alternator!

 

how can the alternator cause the car to crank but not run?

 

i would first check all your belts then check for spark....its prolly an ignition problem.

 

do you have spark??? what's the mileage on your ride? Any "tune ups" that did not use Honda parts??

 

I dont any spark...i only have about 67,000 miles on it...i didnt tune up anything i just added intake and headers. help me please.

 

so - with a plug wire unhooked and spark plug inserted and grounded and cranking you have no spark? Any check engine light?

 

No spark at all. didnt check for the engine light. ill do that tommorrow. anything i should know before i go work on my car?

 

if you have no spark do this-
remove the distributor cap and rotor
find the negative terminal on the coil
use a test light hooked up to the battery positive and coil negative and check for pulsing light during crank

 

what should i do if there is a pulse and if there isnt one?

 

if there is a pulse- then your coil is PROBABLY burned up and needs replaced-to double check- put a plug wire in the end of the coil and hook it to a spark plug that is grounded and crank to see if there is spark - sometimes the rotor will send spark to the distributor shaft and not to the cap- if the coil is burned out then your cap, rotor, and plugs should be replaced at the same time- when these items wear out they cause extra strain on the coil. If you have spark from the coil- try a new cap and rotor and plugs. Use only Honda parts.

 

alright...thanks for the information

 

Hey I swapped out the whole distributor and rotor and tried to crank it for a minute with the gas pedal down and it still does not work...what should i do?

 

Did you put your wires to the correct cylinders? Many people put them on backwards, such as cylinder #1 from distributor to cylinder #4.

 

Yes I did and it still does not want to start running

 

ignition module, maybe??

 

I'm thinking fuel pump. Sounds simple right? It cranks but doesnt turn over. But that doesnt account for the spark issue. But check the fuel pump anyway. If all else fails, reset your ECU.

 

Changed the fuel pump and still nothing...where is the ignition module located?...ill try putting a new one.

 

Try the ECU. Resetting it cant hurt. I'm not sure how though. That was the problem I had after I shorted a wire.

 

do you have spark? do you have fuel pressure?

 

I had an accord that did the samething. Replaced the ignition module and it worked fine. Its the small silver rectangle box in the engine compartment. Not sure if the civic has an external one... See if there is anything in the manual.

 

i dont have spark but i had fuel pumping...

 

Igniter is in the distributor- didn't you swap out the distributor? If you did swap- did you have to put your igniter in it? Check for pulsing ground at the coil negative terminal while cranking.