Hi,

Okay, so last time I posted, I was having some issues. Well, now I have a major one, my car won't start!

Here's what happens:
I turn on the ignition, everything acts fine (no CEL, fuel pump primes, etc...) then when I try to start it it try to turnover but nothing happens. It just keeps turning and never actually starts the combustion. I've tried giving it gas to help, but to no avail.

Here's everything I've checked:
- I have spark on all 4 cylinders.
- I've got fuel pressure (fuel pump primes, and my fuel pressure gauge reads 40 psi just like it's always done in the past)
- Battery is fine (fully charged and keeps its charge, and is only 6 months old)
- Cleaned off the terminals and wires.
- Replaced the Main Relay with a brand new one.
- Replaced both the Coil and Ignitor with new ones.
- Checked the ECU (Hondata S300). I even had my local Hondata dealer inspect and test it (all came out ok)
- New MAP Sensor
- Tried another ECU for grins... no dice.
- Fuel filter, fuel pump is 6 months old, as are the wires, plugs (properly gaped), cap and rotor.
- Injectors (also 6 months old) are all getting pulse as they should be. Plugs also had fuel on them.
- Checked, double-checked and triple checked all of my grounds. They are all clean and making perfect contact.
- Timing belt is fine (timing belt jobs done back in April)
- ECU doesn't register any DTCs and no CEL or codes being thrown.
- Laptop does talk to the ECU just fine.

Now, this might be related to a previous problem. The car would every now and then throw a CEL and ECU would go into limp-mode, dump fuel and run like ***. This problem was becoming more frequent. The last time it ran, it was having that problem. I parked it in the garage and it hasn't ran since.
It's never not-started before and I can't think of anything else to check so I am stumped.

Car is a Supercharged 98 Civic EX manual. JRSC, S300 w/ RC 440cc, Walbro 255, 121k miles... If that helps in any way.

Please post anything that can help. I'm tired of buying new parts only to find out that they didn't fix anything. It's getting quite expensive. I need your help!

Thanks in advance

 

check timing belt?

 

yeah i'm thinkin that too. sure you haven't skipped a tooth or something? sure the dizzy side isn't 180degrees out, anything like that? when ur on tdc do all the timing marks line up properly, and is the rotor pointing to the #1 cylinder?

 

Can't put a Honda dizzy in 180 out.

You need spark, fuel and compression. As far as I can see, you haven't looked at whether you have compression or not (compression/leakdown test).

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

You're right, compression still needs to be checked.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MasterKwan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Can't put a Honda dizzy in 180 out.

You need spark, fuel and compression. As far as I can see, you haven't looked at whether you have compression or not (compression/leakdown test). </TD></TR></TABLE>
Sorry but you can put a dizzy 180 out. All you have to do is put the key on the dizzy 180 out. But we are assuming that the key was on the right way on the new dizzy. So check tdc make sure no 1 cylinder and no 1 on dizzy line up. then check compression/leakdown

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by instructor74 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Sorry but you can put a dizzy 180 out. All you have to do is put the key on the dizzy 180 out. But we are assuming that the key was on the right way on the new dizzy. So check tdc make sure no 1 cylinder and no 1 on dizzy line up. then check compression/leakdown </TD></TR></TABLE>

So your saying you can put a dizzy 180 degree's out so long as the factory that produced it put the "key" on 180 degree's off. That's about damn unlikely, and if the car ran before I think it's safe to say it didn't turn itself around. The "key" only engages the cam one way because it is offset, therefore you can't install a dizzy 180 off.

O.P....spark, compression, fuel, all done in appropriate time equals a running motor. Your missing something.

Fuel pressure doesn't mean fuel in the chamber. Did you check the stupid ****? Out of gas, plug wires installed wrong, etc?

How did you verify spark...you actually saw it correct? How did you verify the injectors are firing..by fuel on the spark plug? Reason I ask, is alot of people say they have spark and fuel, then the problem turns out to be spark or fuel related.

 

Dizzy isn't on 180 out as I couldn't have installed the Dizzy Rotor if that were the case. But the car was running before I even messed with the dizzy, so I doubt it would have just gone 180 on me.
Plugs are saturated with fuel which means there is fuel in the chamber. I even cleaned them off and tried again, and they once more have fuel on them. Also, the injectors were tested with a test light and they are all fine.
I visually see spark on all 4 wires (screwdriver in wire causing an arc on valve cover).
Half a tank of fuel in the car.
The only thing not yet tested is compression (i'm fearing the worst).

 

Even without a compression check, low compression will often show by the engine cranking faster than normal. Do you have at least 40 PSI of fuel pressure? It can't be close it's got to be high enough or the car won't run.

May I should have said "for normal people, you can't put the dizzy in 180 out" of course if someone F's up the dizzy then anything's possible.

 

it's got exactly 40 psi on the fuel pressure gauge mounted on top of my fuel filter. It has always read 40 psi before when the car was running fine.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RC000E &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

So your saying you can put a dizzy 180 degree's out so long as the factory that produced it put the "key" on 180 degree's off. That's about damn unlikely, and if the car ran before I think it's safe to say it didn't turn itself around. The "key" only engages the cam one way because it is offset, therefore you can't install a dizzy 180 off.

O.P....spark, compression, fuel, all done in appropriate time equals a running motor. Your missing something.

Fuel pressure doesn't mean fuel in the chamber. Did you check the stupid ****? Out of gas, plug wires installed wrong, etc?

How did you verify spark...you actually saw it correct? How did you verify the injectors are firing..by fuel on the spark plug? Reason I ask, is alot of people say they have spark and fuel, then the problem turns out to be spark or fuel related.</TD></TR></TABLE>
I wasn't saying it was likely. I just know it can be done. I did it by mistake when I changed the distributor oil seal. I relised it as soon as I put it back in and the distributor wasn't pointing at the #1. With all the parts he had changed you never know what you might find.

 

check the ground that comes off the harness he one that branches out with the coolant temp switch it bolts with a 10mm bolty on the t-stat housing if thats not on then the car wont start if its corroded the car wont start

 

Perhaps the Ignition Coil...?!

 

nah he just said hes getting good spark on all 4 plugs

 

The ground to the thermostat is the first one I checked. It's fine. I cleaned it up and it's making a good connection. And, also, the ignition coil is brand new (I replaced it thinking that would help)

 

also if your dizzy is 180 deg. out if im not mistakened it will have to be jammed in and when you go to crank the engine over the dizzy does the chicken walk

 

it soounds liek a ground problem somewhere or somethings unplugged when did the car start doing this just one mornign you went outside to start it and nothing or how did this all begin?

 

You said it threw a cel awhile back what was it?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by adonis2oo2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it soounds liek a ground problem somewhere or somethings unplugged when did the car start doing this just one mornign you went outside to start it and nothing or how did this all begin?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well, the car was having issues intermittently and one day it did it on my way to work. I turned around (was only a 1/2 mile away from my house) and parked it. It hasn't turned on since.
Here's an excerpt from a previous thread I'd started:

I've got this annoying thing happening with my car. I'll be driving and all of a sudden, the CEL comes on and the car runs rough, without letting me rev over 4k. I feels like it sputters and smells like it's dumping fuel (smell it from the exhaust). It runs shitty when that happens. There is also a whirring noise coming from the intake pipe/radiator area. It's like the engine goes into limp mode by preventing me to rev above 4k. If I drive on it a little (as in to get off the road, and onto a residential street of something) and turn it off, it sometimes fixes it. If not, I have to wait a little while, and turn it back on to fix it.
I doesn't do it all the time, only once or twice a week. It doesn't matter whether the car is already warmed up or not. It has happened right after starting, and also after a period of driving.

The general feeling in that thread was something wrong with the ECU socketing. I had it looked at and tested and ruled that out.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by El_Capitan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You said it threw a cel awhile back what was it?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I never got to read the CEL. The ECU software wouldn't show any CELs and I never got around to manually reading the CEL (although I had borrowed a CEL reader, but the car wouldn't even start anymore when I tried to read it)
And now it doesn't even give me a CEL at all.

 

Well if you are getting fuel and spark and the plugs are wet your fuel and spark are not happening at the right time check the cam timing, check the plug wire order. You said you had a new belt installed you don't have a cam gear do you? It may have slipped. Are all 4 of the plugs wet with fuel?

 

The timing belt was changed back in April. The wires haven't been pulled off since I put the supercharger on (in May). Nothing really changed in the engine bay since the SC install.
Yes, all four plugs are wet with fuel.


I'll check what you guys have suggested (compression and timing) tomorrow or so and let you know what I find out.

 

sounds like a wiring issue to meeee urghh how i hate those
either that or are you running bigger injectors with the supercharger kit??? possibly a injector resistor box problem hmm hmm

 

id try your dizzy..i did a head swap and it wouldnt start and the distributor was put on wrong and fixed it and it started

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by La_Pieuvre &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The timing belt was changed back in April. The wires haven't been pulled off since I put the supercharger on (in May). Nothing really changed in the engine bay since the SC install.
Yes, all four plugs are wet with fuel.


I'll check what you guys have suggested (compression and timing) tomorrow or so and let you know what I find out.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Did you fix it?

 

not yet... things came up with work and stuff.
This week-end, I'm cleaning the IACV and doing a compression test.
I'll post the results.