My sister has an 89 honda civic dx hatchback she drove it to my aunts house and left to work with her. She came back home a couple hrs later and the car doesnt start. I went to check on it and it has no spark or fuel, the check engine light on the cluster is on but when i checked the ecu for the code the little red light wasnt on. So i go and get another ecu from my friend and still the same thing happens... Could it be the main relay, I did check all the fuses and nothing is wrong with them. Help me help my sis

 

If it does turn over but doesn't start, take off the distributor cap and check to make sure that the screw that holds the rotor to the shaft is still screwed in. I had alot of problems with that with my 89 LX.

 

it does crank but it doesnt turn over

 

it mite need a 50a fuse its under the hood

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by whitecivic11 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it does crank but it doesnt turn over</TD></TR></TABLE>
What do you mean it cranks but doesn't turn over? Do you mean it turns over but doesn't start? Anyways, when you first turn the car on does the ECU light blink once? If not, your ECU isn't getting power. Check the ECU fuse under the hood.

 

checked all the fuses they are all fine i will recheck the 50a one though

 

Did you check your plugs and wires? then check your dizzy then go down to even your battery if you have the power try to jump it... and does the stereo turn on and everything? if not then your battery is outa juice

 

When you turn the key on do you hear the main relay click when the check engine light comes on and then click again when the light goes off? If not, then its the main relay (Which is what it sounds like is your problem). Remove it open it up and resolder the joints, plug it back in and start the car. People need to learn to try things that are/can be free before buying **** they don't need that isnt gonna fix the problem

 

yeah thats true ill check on this tomorrow thanks for the info soulpwr

 

im sure i can help you out. so whenever your car has a problem make sure you check for the main components for a car to start. spark. compression. fuel. Recently my car died, but it could have been a short that caused everything to fail. My car went over a bump and my fuel pump got messed, and so did my distributor. A simple thing can mess up your whole car.
What i would check for:
First make sure your fuses are all good. if there is a popped one take note of it.(that could be your short)
Then make sure all relays are good. If your car isnt getting spark or fuel make sure the main relay is working. (located under the dash behind the little coin tray compartment) controls spark and fuel
Since there is no spark after these are replaced make sure your distributor is working. make sure the rotor is properly attached with the screw and recheck. if your distributor is out. replace it. that could be the reason you have no spark.
If you do these and still no start. Drop your fuel tank and try turning your key to the acc mode and try hearing the fuel pump prime. also make sure your engine is getting fuel. go to your fuel filter and disconnect the feed line to the engine, turn to acc mode and look for fuel. do the same for the fuel to the rail.
just troubleshooting can make a difference. i had a cut fuel line when i replaced my fuel pump. Also my distributor was out so my car didnt start. your car should start no doubt. even if you have a shitty ecu. but it can always be a good idea to have an extra handy

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mitsubishiv5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
If you do these and still no start. Drop your fuel tank and try turning your key to the acc mode and try hearing the fuel pump prime. also make sure your engine is getting fuel. go to your fuel filter and disconnect the feed line to the engine, turn to acc mode and look for fuel. do the same for the fuel to the rail.
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you should be able to hear the pump prime without having to drop the gas tank.

i think the main relay is the culprit here.

 

yeah i think so too, the fuel doesnt prime and it has no spark at all, i will take out the main relay tomorrow and see how it looks inside thanks for the help everyone

 

when you turn the key listen for the pump to whine up ..if you dont hear it swap out the relay.. i had the same problem all the time. it was allways happening when the relay was hot.. so now i just carry a extra main rely with me ..