Ok... In mid-February, I was driving my 94 Civic EX 2-dr back to work from lunch (about a 1/2 mile drive). At one of the stop lights, I noticed after I hit the throttle, it took a second for the engine to rev up. I thought maybe it was because I was crucially low on gas. So I stopped at the gas station adjacent to where I work, and put about 1/2 tank in.

I had trouble starting the car back up, and once it was running I opened the hood and started messing with the throttle by hand. Every time I pressed it, it would take a second to rev up. It sounded like it was choking for air or something... anyway, I drove it back to my parking spot, but before I got there, it just died. All electrical stuff was good, but when I turned the key, I got nothing. The engine would turn, but no combustion.

I had it towed to my house, and started driving my WRX again (which had hit a median and was needing repair). I have been busy and broke ever since, and the Civic has been sitting for a good 6-7 months. So my parking lot is going to be repaved in a week or two, so I need to get this thing running.

I thought it was the fuel pump or fuel filter. I replaced the fuel filter yesterday, and it is pressurizing (we checked the "banjo valve" and fuel leaked out after turning the ignition). The intake is sucking air in, the exhaust is puffing out air and you can smell fresh fuel coming out...

I have been reading a little bit, and I see that some people have had problems with the PGM-FI Relay, but I'm not sure that's the problem as it's supposed to malfunction on hot days. My car stopped working in February, and now it's about 60 outside with light drizzle and no sunshine. I really can't figure out what's going on.

Before you post a reply, remember:

-The car was running when it died, it hasn't fired up since (the starter cranks, and it feels like the engine is turning over)

-The intake is sucking air, and you can feel/smell air and fuel coming out of the exhaust.

-It may be the PGM-FI relay, but I'm doubting that because usually that is an intermittent problem, not constant.

Can someone help me diagnose this problem?

(BTW this is just the first of several things I need to do to get this car back on the road, and hopefully onto the track. I plan to use this thing in SCCA time trials...)

 

**BUMP***

Come on, nobody has any ideas?

 

i had same car. same problem. make sure u have spark to the cylinders. pull out yur injectors. and make sure there clean. spray some carb spray on em and get em clean. make sure all yur grounds r good... ummmm... my problem was fuel rail and injectors. i guess mien were cloged. i swaped the ones off my other thing and it started right up....(of course i had a new dizzy/cap/rotor/bosch premium mag core wires/denso plugs.) but id say defnately check yur spark... and check yur timing mabye....

 

Im going to go ahead and have to say that even though it went out like a mechanical problem, im going to guess its in the dizzy side of things. pull a plug set it sideways on your block and have someone crank, if you see spark then thats good and move on. have you gotten a pressure reading from the fuel rail? you might be making pressure just no where near enough. remeber these cars like the pressure between 32 and 52, 32 will barley be running in most cases too. hope this helps.

also have you checked to see if your timing marks on the belt still line up?

 

Try plugs and wires first.

No ****.

If that doesn't work, you could have water in the gas.

 

TPS?

 

ah... thanks for all the replies guys.

I will definitely check for spark next time I get a chance (been working and it's rainy outside). Also will check ignition timing, making sure the crank is at TDC and all that.

SoHc94: how hard is it to pull out the fuel rail and injectors? I noticed the fuel coming out of the fuel filter was brown and disgusting, so we were thinking the injectors could be clogged...

If it's the TPS or something would I have to take it to a shop?

This is sounding more and more lame all the time, I might just tow it to the shop and see what they say (after I check some obvious stuff like spark, TDC on crank).

 

*Bump*

This is urgent... I have to have my car back in drivable condition by the 25th!

 

umm well heres what u can do.. first off.... replace the fuel filter... cehck yur codes... yur fuel rail has a hose from yur filter. disconnect the hose and let the fuel drain. then take off yur rail by unscrewing the three 10mm nuts in the back... then pull the rail out and the injectors should sort of POP out. then check them all. spray sum carb spray on em. and stick em back in..after replaces o-rigns if need be. but if youve got nasty gas. umm just replace yur filter. its 12.99 at autozone i think. and it jsut pops in. also what codes are u throwing. that would def. help.. look at the "cel sticky" to figure out how to check..... also cehck yur fuel pressure.