Ok guys, I am stumped. I was driving the other day, the car jerked, as if it had misfired. 5 minutes later, it starts stuttering while driving, and stalls out. I pull over, and it will not start up at all.
Here is what ive checked so far:
-Battery is charged
-Starter turns
-Rotor/cam turns (no broken timing belt)
-Plugs are getting spark
-No check engine light
-Main relay is fine (clicks once, cel comes on, clicks 2nd time, cel off, clicks 3rd time when cranking engine)
-Fuel pump turns on 2 seconds when i turn ignition to on

Tonight I changed the fuel filter (because it was time anyway) hoping it was clogged out of desperation. Still won't start.

At this point im leaning toward fuel pump since when I removed fuel lines from the filter, i expected fuel to spray but nothing came out.

next I will:
-pull injectors and see if they spray (doubt they will) and
-run a compression test (doubt that is the problem based on how it stuttered and stalled)

Question:
Is it possible for the fuel pump to be bad/seized/clogged even if i hear it turning on with the ignition on??

Anyone have any other ideas for me to check?
Thanks

 

Also,

If i mash the gas pedal while cranking, it sounds like it is a little closer to starting, but still doesn't get there.


FYI
car is stock, starter is 1 week old, distributor 3 months old, ignition 1 yr old replaced at dealer.

 

I have the exact same problem, you're the only one that has identical symptoms that I've found. If you find the solution PLEASE post it! I will do the same.

I'm wondering if the timing belt has slipped, what do you think?

I also replaced my cap and rotor and cleaned out the contact point on the ignition coil. Nothing.

Good luck to us both.

Edit to say that my car is a 4 gen but the problem is identical.
---------------------------------
EDIT

Problem Solved!
Turned out to be that the ignition coil was corroded and consequently providing some spark but no enough.

Popped in a new one and bang!
Well not exactly, had to give it a couple of tries to burn off all the gas that had built up from the many failed starts.

Happy





Modified by SleeperSedan at 3:29 PM 8/2/2008

 

hmm... this happend 2 me many times also, check all tha wires, ex: dizzy wires, igntion, etc. 2 c if they r not cut or disconnected, n check 4 burnt fuses ex: ecu...

my problems b4 wus disconnected wires, and sumin wus wrong w/ my dizzy, took it out cleaned n mest w/ it n it fixed tha problem... hope ya guyz solve tha problem, good luck...


Modified by JadeInnBoyZ at 1:12 AM 8/1/2008

 

well if there was no fuel coming ou of the lines then i guess that
A) your gas tank is empty or
B) your fuel pump is clogged.

try changing that fuel pump and when you crank it, give it some gas. not too much though.

 

wel the fuel pump checked out.

i ran a compression test though and the results dont look good.

90-60-60-90

looks like i have a major issue, time to decide whether its worth it to keep the car.

 

How's the timing? Can't bad timing lead to low compression? Valves opening to soon or to late?
If it's just the gasket that's not so bad but if your rings are shot then yeah, maybe time to get that B16/18 we all dream about!

Also, are you sure you're getting enough spark, as I said in the edit to my post, it turned out that although my ignition coil was providing juice for spark it was weak. The fix was simple and cheap.

 

check ur fuse box.....

 

so it was your fuel pump.

well i would keep the car and fix it.
you can get a stock fuel pump for about $65.

and installation shouldnt be too hard.

 

no i said the fuel pump checked out aka that wasnt the problem. low compression was the problem. i wish it was the pump

 

went through 7 dizzy's on my 92 si

 

oh. damn low compression.
thats gonna cost you.

(i think)
well if bad goes to worse ill be more than happy to take your car out of your hands

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SLO Sol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">went through 7 dizzy's on my 92 si</TD></TR></TABLE>

what does "dizzy" mean

 

Distributer.

And how the hell did you kill 7? Replacing them out of the junk yard? Pack sand into them?

 

if you've gone through 7 distributors you've got another problem or you are buying really old ones and very unlucky.

well i bought this civic with 140k miles. 2 years and 50k miles later, ive had to replace the alternator, ignition switch, distributor, and starter. I think im gona trade up for a new civic now but first im going to attempt to replace the head gasket on my own. Car is worth more running and i think i can get it done. engine rebuilding is something ive wanted to try for a while now and this will be a good opportunity to get my feet wet.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SLO Sol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">went through 7 dizzy's on my 92 si</TD></TR></TABLE>

Wow... I've NEVER had to replace my dizzy. Only the ignition coil went bad once because I was a big idiot back then when I was testing things the wrong way. Thats all.

 

sweet.
sounds like fun

 

Had an ecu just stop working might try a new one.

 

brand new from advanced warrenty'd something was wrong with them apparently