For 6 months, this car will ocasionally not start. The starter turns over. How I get it going is to let it roll like as if I am trying to pop the clutch but don't let it roll that fast. Then I stop, re-try to start it, it immediately starts . As soon as it starts I watch the RPMS, after a half a second, the RPMs drop where it would die if I didn't give it a lot of gas(not flooring it). Then the idle is unstable for a few minutes. If I get it going on the road, it runs fine.
Three other factors are: When sitting at traffic lights, it idles real low but never any surges. It never dies.
Never does the non-start happen in the morning. It is usually the 15th-25th start of the day. Delivering Pizzas has me starting up to 50 times per day.
The engine light ONLY comes on once per day when it is first driven when cold at around 4 miles. After shut off and restart, 90% of the time, it never comes back on. It is code 43 for fuel system.
It has new spark plugs, new plug wires. The head has been shaven previously. When removing the gas cap, it acts like there is suction in there but makes no difference in the idle/start issue as I get gas up to 3 times per day.
I keep thinking timing(woodruff key)
94 Honda Civic 175,000 miles

 

Provide more details of the car we're talking about.

Have the starter tested.

Define low idle. Check the timing. If you had the head shaved too much you will have problems with the timing belt.

 

The starter always at least turns. The only time it won't start the car is when it does this weird thing. But I can hear it turning with no irregular sound. Its like it is not getting fire or gas.
Just this week, we replaced the valve cover gasket and the ring things around the spark plugs because one of the rings has leaked oil. It has been a year or more since the head had been "shaved". It was at least a year and a half before this problem came up after the head work. When the valve cover was off, that area looked real clean! NO hardened carbon around the cam area. I asked if the cam and cam area had been purchased new at the time the head work was done. The answer was no. I haven't seen one look this clean before with this many miles on it. But we do change the oil around 3,500 miles faithfully if not before.
At one time around the head repair work, the throttle and throttle body had some kind of problem. It was replaced with one from a slightly different year model but worked fine for the year and a half.
The only thing that was different .....When put in use delivering pizzas.
Oh yea, one thing I left out. In the course of the night, when the 50 times the car is started, the only time it will do this is when the car has not been shut off very long.
Examples:
first start: fine, drive 25 miles, shut off
30 minutes later: good start
Drive in town 10 minutes, turn it off
after 4 minutes: no start....Let the car roll while in gear while popping the clutch. It is not going fast enough to start. Immediately start the car, it starts, idle drops down to zero. it dies.
Immediately roll the car again popping the clutch, stop, start it this time watching the RPMS and giving it gas so the idle doesn't go to zero. It starts, runs, I have to hold the gas for a minute til I get going. Then it runs fine again.
As long as I let it sit at least 15 minutes, it will always start.
The low idle at traffic lights goes to around 100 RPMs at that little mark that is just above zero. It never dies when idling this low. Using the air-conditioner or fan will make the dile go up a little.

 

Bump ��
Having similar problem, might get to this if I don't correct problem.
Mine is the idle issue with a loss of power and loud beep-ish noise in Low Rpms
Someone told me to check timing because I had to brake real hard last week cause of some a-hole..