well I just bought a 1994 civic lx 1.5l non-vtec about a month ago and everything was great until about 2 weeks ago when I noticed that it would crank but not turn over.

I checked for spark and wasn't getting any so I replaced the distributor...
everything worked for a few days til it would crank but not turn over again so I popped the hood n noticed one of my spark plug wires were lose so I replaced them.

about 2 days ago It did the same thing... crank but not turn over...

I read a few forum posts on here and came to the relay... so I turned my key to the ON position and waited for the check engine light [ and other dash lights eg; oil, battery,srs etc ] but they never turned off. I waited a good minute or two and nothing... any help please because this is my wife and I's only transportation til our 9th gen gets repaired from a previous accident

 

check all your fuses? open the ecu? maybe its burnt... and its causing your dizzy to short out....?

 

bump please I'm running out of money and options trying to repair my car

 

I checked all fuses everything is good haven't checked the ecu yet ill check that now

 

ecu looks brand new - though oddly enough it is mounted behind the carpet on the passenger side where your feet would go against the fire wall... not sure if that's where it should be...

 

im really confused as to what would prevent the oil, battery, brake, srs and CEL light from turning off in the ON position

 

Check for codes!! Jump ECU and turn key to on position and see if lights flash on the dash. Check engine compression. And check spark. Are you hearing the fuel pump prime?

 

I reset my ECU and then turned the key to the on position and about 15 seconds later the CEL turned off and the car fired right up... does this mean I need to replace my ECU?

 

Are any of the other lights on now?
And I doubt you'd have to replace your ecu. I'd just wait to see if the problem comes back. If it does i'd further investigate. Could have maybe just been misfired codes. I would just take the bad boy for a short ride and see how it goes.
Hope all goes well.

 

well my SRS stays on beause of my aftermarket quick release but every other light including CEL turned off. I'll take it for a spin - see what happens... if the problem persists what would be my next course of action... PS: thanks for all feedback , you've kept me from ripping my hair out lol

 

Well if the check engine light comes back on, I'd definitely pull the code before trying to clear it again. The ECU is located behind the passenger kick panel. There is a small connector plugged into just a green rubber holding place for it. Take that out and use a paper clip to jump that connector. Here's a link with a lot more information then I can write. https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/how-pull-cel-d4-srs-abs-codes-code-lists-1901557/.
After you've jumped the ECU your CEL should blink a number of times yielding your problem code. Long blinks are the first number and short the second number. 6 long blinks followed by 7 short blinks = 67.

Hope the drive goes well. The ECU checks itself automatically while driving. It goes through a series of checks on the vehicle and if it detects a problem it throws the CEL on.

Good luck!

 

thanks a lot !! thumbs up to you for all the help. i'll update you when I've figured out the code and it being fixed, etc

 

no problem!

 

Resolder the main relay. If the problem persists, try swapping in a known good ECU.

In the future, please create thread titles that summarize the technical problem - title edited.

 

okay I took off my main relay I took a pic though because I am not aware of what/where [ if any ] need resoldering. expert opinion wanted:

 

^Pictures fixed.

http://techauto.awardspace.com/mainrelay.html

Some of the solder joints look a bit dry.

 

alright so I took the Main relay next door to my neighbor who has done resoldering and worked on electrical components for about 40-50 years and he said that it didn't look like it needed resoldering, instead it appeared to be fried due to the brown markings and waterlike substance on the chip. im confused because I trust RonJ@HT opinion very highly from helping me with many prior problems but my neighbor also seemed quite convincing with his statement....ughh

 

Did he test the main relay for you?

The two small center joints look low on solder, though from the top view of the pictures I could miss something. The brown "burn" marks are not necessarily a sign of failure. The main relay does get hot.

I recommend that you resolder the main relay and, if the problem persists, then shop for a known good ECU.

 

I have a friend coming over now to test it, ill update you once I've gotten past that barrier.

 

Note that the test could yield a false result of good if the problem is intermittent. But doing the test is still worthwhile because if it tests bad then it's bad.