well, i picked up my crx the other day, its and 88 Si, its in nice condition except for the crazy rusted sunroof (i removed that today..). the car has been sitting for about 6 months, and i decided to pick it up from someone....

the car interior is all taken apart except for the doors and the dash... everything else i took out today so i can clean like crazy.... it is all taken apart (i did that all today after skool... i have almost all the interior peices....)


problem 1 : engine wont start, i charged up the batterey, and i put it in, i turn the key (with clutch in) and its sounds like it almost wants to start but doesnt, if i put the key in ignition and turn it to acc, the main relay clicks, and it almost sounds like the fuel pump starts to work, but dont know that for sure, what do you think the problem is?? i was thinking ignition or main computer, but dont want to buy something that i didnt need.....
i was thinking that if it needs a new engine, where could i find one for cheap? money is VERY tight right now, so i dont have much, just looking for a stock replacement, or something better if possible that is easy to swap ect.... (no b series stuff, too expencsive for me at the moment....)

problem 2 : rusted to death sun roof, what are solutions???? i took it off completely today, it really needs replacing, there is literally holes in it, i will be posting a few pics of the car when i get a chance, (before i got it....)

problem 3 : previous owner smoked in the car, the smell is not CRAZY, but it is still bad, what can i do to get rid of it??? i was thinking fabreeze

Thanks for all your help!!!!!

 

bump,

i tried starting it again today, didnt start

i pulled out a spark plug and had buddy try to start it while i looked to see if there was any spark. none,

buddy (someone outa state) said to check if my ecu works, i turned the ignition and it blinked one time, he said it should work (want to be sure though)

my question is, what other problem could it be, main relay is working i believe, and so is ecu, what else could it be??? any comment is appreciated greatly!!! thanks!!!!

 

ok. good thing u checked the spark plug first. replace ur igniter so get some spark first, if its ur main relay u wont be getting fuel in the cylinders, but take care of that later. anc code one means o2 sensor, but get the engine started first

 

For the smoke smell. I got some stuff at WallyWorld called Lord Byrons smokers fabric refresher. You can't really smell it, but it does a really good job getting rid of the smoke smell.

 

first- hi, and welcome to the community.

second-

are you testing for spark correctly? (gotta ask)

for the sunroof, get a new one. if your car is red, see my sig.

for the smell, the byrons stuff sounds like a good idea. i use febreeze in whatever flavor smells least.

 

nice! thanks!!! first off, when i checked the spark this is how i did it, i took out the plug, then plugged the cable on the end holding the spark plug, had my friend try to start it, no spark at all.

what is the ignitor, where can i find it in the vehicle and how much is it at stores?? thanks!!!

thanks for tips on smoke smell, im low on cash currently, so im just washing all seats and what not with water ect..... will be getting that stuff asap though!!! thanks a bunch!!!!

 

hold the plug against something metal when you check for spark..

on an 88 you should not have to put in the clutch to start the car..

after 88 you do..


sunroofs and rust are a very common problem..

whats the voltage on the battery..

check your grounds.. one in front, on on the thermostat area, one off the transmission I think..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by crazykamper &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">nice! thanks!!! first off, when i checked the spark this is how i did it, i took out the plug, then plugged the cable on the end holding the spark plug, had my friend try to start it, no spark at all. </TD></TR></TABLE>

WTF ?

Are you holding the plug wire up in your hand ?
You do realize that the spark plug itself has to touch metal (be grounded) for it to arch.

 

arc

 

read the faq at the top of the forum, it answers alot of questions and/or can help you ask better ones.


you have been doing well on the check though ( I get the feel this is not your 1st car )

the igniter is in the dizzy

take the cap off and make sure you rotor does not wobble on the shaft, the shaft will have a tiny bit of play but the rotor should be solidly mounted on the shaft, thes start testing the parts under the cap(most auto parts store will test them for free)

 

like someone else already said, check ur battery. if the car has been sitting for six months it could easily be that. check voltage. after that if u dont get spark check the distributor and grounds aswell.

 

wow, didnt know it had to be touching ground. sorry, i will go check, (edit) let me refrase that, i tried it now, touching the ground, and i DO have spark, what problem could it be??? the car has battery, spark, fuel, air, and its not starting, anybody have any other ideas???

battery is the old one, just fully recharged (fairly new batt)

i do have to press in clutch, maybe i might be mistaken though, i will let u know in a lil on how this goes.... thanks!!!!

(this is my first car btw!)


Modified by crazykamper at 10:02 PM 9/20/2006

 

bump, need help with this, wanna get this thing started asap!

 

check all the grounds

 

well I own a 89 CRX Si and it used to almost start all the time, all he did was look in the fus box and there are two wires leading to it from the main relay i believe and he just PUSHED DOWN ON THEM and iut started RIGHT UP lol he said its a common problem in CRX's

 

where is this wire that you speak of??? im pretty darn sure that my main relay works, cause when i turn the ignition my relay clicks and i can hear a whine that is coming from fuel pump (i think). also, when i try starting it multiple times, it smells like gas very bad in garage.....

thanks a bunch for ur input!!!! please post if you have any other thoughts on why it aint starting?

 

did u check ur grounds? thermostat ground, valve cover ground? batter ground? maybe there is some build up on the wires causing u some resistance and not grounding the wire properly.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by crazykamper &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">wow, didnt know it had to be touching ground. sorry, i will go check, (edit) let me refrase that, i tried it now, touching the ground, and i DO have spark, what problem could it be??? the car has battery, spark, fuel, air, and its not starting, anybody have any other ideas???

battery is the old one, just fully recharged (fairly new batt)

i do have to press in clutch, maybe i might be mistaken though, i will let u know in a lil on how this goes.... thanks!!!!

(this is my first car btw!)


Modified by crazykamper at 10:02 PM 9/20/2006</TD></TR></TABLE>.


yes the pump is primming but is it getting to the fuel rail ? if you smell lots of gas look for a leak in the engine compartment fuel filter to the fuel rail. disconect the fuel line going to the fuel rail and turn the key in on position and see if fuel comes out, if not consider a new fuel filter. You forgot COMPRESSION you can have all the fuel,air, and spark in the world and it will never start without compression so do a compression test. As for the battery it can have 12.65 volts but if it isn't holding any amperage it won't start.

 

how do i do a compression test??? if it involves towing, i might as well wait a while, maybe i will get a new engine......

i will go right now then and try the fuel rail and the battery as well.

(is there sopposed to be a ground on the left side of engine, it looks as if there is sopposed to be one there but i dont know, its almost directly under the upper radiator hose. problem is, i dont see any wires that are not connected anywhere around)

also, i checked to see if my ecu works, i dont know you tell me, when i turn the ignition, it blinks once, and thats it. (just a thought that maybe it was ecu...)

thanks a bunch for all your help!!!

 

ok, update, i just turned my crank so that my timing belt and gear are all aligned as they should, (doing this with help of buddy) and just took off distributor cap, problem is no voltimeter, i guess i will be taking my ignitior to pepboys or something and seeing if that may be the problem..... i will keep you all posted with updates... thanks again for all your help!

 

Welcome to the community, but if you have spark you dizzy is good... To check for compression you get a compression test. Just take out all the spark plugs and screw in the tester and crank for about 10 seconds to get a number. But are you 100% sure that your timing is correct? Keep up updated on the motor.

 

compression tester** its a tool

 

You may want to check your Ignition Coil that is located under your Distributor Cap. If it's bad, that can keep your engine from Starting. I am not sure if your engine will still have spark or not, but I know that when mine went out I had to pop the clutch to start it (I don't think it's a dealer item).

That is also another thing you can do just to see if the car will start.
POP YOUR CLUTCH.

1. Turn your key forward to the On Position

2. Press and hold your clutch down

3. Put your Car in a Gear either reverse or 1st(depends on which way you have more room to drive) tell your buddy to push the CRAP OUT OF YOUR CAR while your still holding the clutch down (until he turns red in the face or you got a good roll, whichever comes first).

4. When your at a roll, Release the Clutch as fast as you can... then when you hear the engine BEGIN TO TURN, IMMEDIATELY press the clutch down again.

Thats all there is to popping the clutch.

5. Keep an eye on the idle speed because your car hasn't been on in a while and will most likely turn off if it isn't given enough gas.

<U>Disregard all of this info if you already know how to pop the clutch.</U>

 

did it run when it was parked? if it did, then quit looking at the electrical stuff.

is the car cranking over? if it is, then the battery is fine. if it is turning slow, or clicking, load test the battery and get that taken care of. autozone tests for free. 6mos is a long time for a battery to sit attached to the car.

how much gas is in it? 6 month old gas doesnt work very well. if you have a quarter or less, fill it up with new stuff and be done. if there is a full tank of crap in there, drain it and refill.

 

i just might try the pop clutch thing again, i corrected my timing last night, im gonna go to pep boys and get the ignition coil checked out..... thanks again for all your input!!!!