My 95 Honda Civic Coup DX was running without much issue until yesterday. When I went to go to work, I got about half a mile down the road when my car just stopped. The lights were still on but it just shut off otherwise. Tried jumping it, but knew it wasn't going to work. Thought maybe it was one of my spark plugs, tried to change it, and the part I was trying to do it with broke. I dug out the loose pieces and pushed it home.
I tried to start it up again today, but it still won't turn over. I've been looking around the internet and I can't seem to find a specific answer to the problem. Some people with similar problems have said it might be the coil, the fuel pump, the alternator, and the distributor. I don't have the money for a mechanic, and I have only done small work on my own. Is there any way anyone here can help me figure out whats wrong, and give me advice on how to fix it?

 

Does the starter crank the engine strongly?

 

It sounds like it is, it just doesn't want to turn over.

 

Does it just sound like it cranks or does it actually crank?

 

It sounds like it's trying to crank

 

Trying to crank, doesn't mean it's cranking. Is the starter turning the engine? If so, it's cranking.

 

When your car quit, did it sputter, cough or show any other weird symptoms prior to quitting?

Or was it running just fine and literally just quit?

You said your lights were still on etc so that rules out the main giant fuse popping cutting all power to the car. So that only leaves one thing that behaves with the perfectly normal, to dead quit and that is a snapped timing belt.

The "trying" to crank could be the piston sitting up on your bent valve and the starter can't crank the motor over any more as it's stuck on the bent valve.

This is based on your description that it was running fine and just instantly quit on you, lights still on.

Most other things cause running issues but don't just make the car instantly stop running like a broken timing belt does.

Just my two cents.

 

OP.. Does it make a noise like it is trying to start, or is it just one pitch of sound when you turn the key?

Also.. those things that people have said could be wrong with it.. could be. My thought was "fuel pump" but the other things listed could be it as well.

Did the car overheat? Or.. just run normal, and instantly quit, then not start up? (*and again.. does it crank as normal, just doesn't start, or you turn the key and you hear just one pitch of noise?)

Do you have spark? DO you have fuel?

And take off the oil cap.. do the valves move when someone else turns the key when you look down through the oil cap?

 

Would really appreciate it if someone looked at my post. I have the same thing but my car will also not start sometimes. I even made a video to show crank sound