Ok so I have a 91 civic hatch with a b16a converted obd-1, It seems to be having a weird starting issue. In the mornings the car "usually" cranks and starts right up. When doing this I have to hold the key to the start III position for about 1-2 seconds before the starter actually engages. However after the car gets up to operating temperature and I shut it off and try to start it again, it will usually
A. Start right back up
B. Not engage the starter, The main relay clicks twice in the II position and when i turn it to the III position, this little black 5 wire box behind the cig lighter clicks and then the main relay, and it sounds like the starter solenoid it self clicks in the engine bay..this seems to happen until the engine cools down completely, although not consistent all the time

If I use a jumper cable to bypass the ignition system and jump the positive terminal of the battery to the Hot ign wire on the starter, the car will start. Also if i push start the car and pop it in second it will start..

The Voltage at the battery is 12.6 V with the car off, Also the voltage from the positive terminal to the starter housing ground that the previous owner installed is 12.6 Volts. There isn't a ground directly from the negative terminal of the battery to the transmission housing but i assume the chassis ground that the previous owner installed from the chassis to starter housing will take the tranny grounds place??
The thermostat housing is grounded but looks a little corroded, I will try to clean that up this afternoon.
I have a multimeter and guess i should have should have someone try to start the car when it acts up again to see if i am getting ~12 Volts at the ignition wire on the starter itself correct?
I am fairly mechanically inclined and would be able to perform any electrical checks with multimeter if brief directions are givin i would like to fix this asap.. also i should note i have not driven this car that much no more than 3 times, and was warned by the previous owner that it has random starting issues....Thanks


I need to fix or diagnose this problem asap..




this is the relay i mentioned behind the center console/ashtray I feel this click before the final click of the main relay when my car acts up i dont kno what this is? below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRh40k36lck&feature=youtu.be

 

bump still having this issue, but like i said, if i jump from positive terminal to the starter solenoid hot wire, the starter engages and it starts..any ideas?

 

its your starter right? you just stated that you hook up the power to it and it starts up

Check the coil first for power and then the Ignitor in the dizzy for power. Or just go to junk yard and buy one that has 30 days warranty/exchange.

 

from the looks of the video. I don't know man. check your grounds, ignition switch? I'm lost from looking at the video bro. Hope you get it fix soon though.

 

Pretty much the same problem I've had.

I turn the key to "start" and all I get is a click from that relay, but I haven't been able to get the starter to engage with the key.

 

Hopefully I can give you some input. The wire with 12 volts that comes from the battery is always going to have 12 volts.
The single wire that comes from your engine harness is your signal wire that comes from the relay behind your dash which gets the signal from the ignition when you turn the key to the "start" position. So with that said, I would def place a ground wire from the transmission to the chassis. not that it would cause the car not to start. I would take a 194 bulb, ground the one side to the chasis and the other side to the signal wire coming from the relay, place the bulb inside the dash, this will help you in determining if you are actually getting a signal to the starter. If you turn the key and the bulb dosent light up well you have a relay or an electrical problem. If the bulb lights up and no start well then you have a faulty starter. Its possible that the starter is actually going bad. possibly the armature or bendix drive is not completing the circut internally, after it warms up.
Hopefully this helps.

 

thanks for reply Hndbst, The problem is arising again after almost 2 months of no problems...And during those two months 80% of the time I would have to hold the key in the Start III position for 2 or 3 seconds before the starter would actually engage.. Also I am only getting 12.2 volts at my battery but it rises to about 14.5 when the car is running. Also to note when the car doesn't start with the key, It always starts when I directly jump the hot terminal to the positive terminal with the key in the II position....Im planning on having my buddy use a multimeter or test light to gap the signal wire to its terminal when i try to start the car...any advice would be appreciated...

 

Just get a starter button hook it up from the + to the switch then to the starter,
have it done on my car works great.

 

problem arose again today after 3 weeks of no issues, i am getting 11.8 volts to the starter signal wire when i turn the key to the start position. and i am getting 12.5 volts at the battery with the key off.. maybe resistance somewhere on the starter signal wire or loose connection? id like to figure this out before i just do a push button start

 

have you tried cleaning the key cylinder first?



encountered several of these in the past.

 

Okay, I'm putting this up here for like the third time in a week, lol...







Hope that helps. Also, ef92b has a good point as well... I'm guessing maybe the solenoid. The fact that your relay is clicking and you have V+ on the signal wire tells me your ignition switch is probably working fine. Either way, in cases like this, it's usually something mechanical (key cylinder, solenoid, starter worn out, etc.) before electrical. Unless you have had a catastrophic electrical failure somewhere, which you would at least probably smell, or a wire came loose...

 

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/r...5/IMG_0278.jpg

Also, why do you have the meter connected to the + terminal of the battery? Of course you will read 12v there. Not trying to be a smarta#@, but that's only telling you the battery is good.

 

If the car is always hot when the started won't start, it's a bad starter. When they won't take a good heat-soaking, they're on their way out.

Edit: nvm, I just read the whole thing about you jumping the solenoid.

 

Just an update, I replaced the ignition switch with one i had laying around my garage, (took apart, sanded, and cleaned it before installing). The one that was in there was quite dirty/grimey and the contact for the Start position was the worst. Also I found out that one of the previous owners had installed a fuel pump kill switch in the dash which the two tabs on the wires were very close together and may have been causing some interference/resistance, i replaced the switch with a radio shack one and the car has given me know problems in the last three days and now there is no hesitation when i turn the key to the start position (knock on wood).. I will update this thread in a couple weeks.

 

Any updates?

I have had this same exact problem with both of my ED Civics. I have always suspected the ignition switch, but never got around to replacing it.

Probably gonna snag one tomorrow as the problem has been getting worse as of late.

 

If it will start when bypassing the ignition then simply do it tho old way and run fused leads and a push button starter switch to the starter and inside the cab where you can turn key on and push button and shinola no more problem.

hope this helps. thats just my opine

 

Crossing fingers for ya. Sorry i missed this post before replying.