I have a 1995 Honda Civic. 1.5L, sedan, automatic, 163,000 miles. I am having a tough time getting it started when it is cold. It has been having problems ever since someone stole it last winter. I have done the following:

1. Replaced the fuel lines, the rotor, the distributor cap, the ignition system, the fuel filter, the starter, the brake pads, the electrical wires, and gave it a tune-up. I also replaced a passenger side window and have been giving it regular oil changes. Lastly, I had an oil leak fixed.

It runs great. Yes, the steering column is a little off and one of the airbags is out, but that will cost me $2600 to fix and it is not worth it.

However, it still takes multiple cranks to get it to start in the morning. When it is warm, it starts fine. I had a mechanic check the fuel pressure. It was fine. He spent 8 hours examining everything on the car and said everything was registering fine. But the next morning, same problem.

What to do?

 

the first thing i'd check is the IACV.

 

Right after it starts (or while running), is there any sign of white smoke from the tailpipe?

 

The idle air control valve? Ok. I will give that a check. I don't have any check engine lights on at all. The car runs smooth when idle. And the battery is also strong.

 

Nope, no smoke at all. I am a little exhausted by it. Could the mechanic be lying? But that wouldn't make sense. He would want to charge me to replace a part if he could, right? The only thing I can think of is the fuel pump, but he said it registered ok. Once on, the car runs great. No issues whatsoever. I tried the trick where you turn on the engine but don't crank it. I did it a few times and still had the same problem.

 

Does the CEL work?

Have you Ohm tested the 2-wire ECT sensor under the distributor?

 

Ok, a new development. If I turn the car on, but don't crank it, and leave it on for about 30 seconds, it will start every time. No matter how cold it is. When it's warm, I don't need to do that. But when it is cold, it will start if I do that. So confused.

 

Listen for whether there is a similar delay in the fuel pump priming.

Does the CEL remain on steady until the engine will start?

 

Yes it does. Once the engine starts, the CEL goes off.

 

I don't know what this means. Answer each question unambiguously.

 

Oh, I'm sorry. The CEL stays on when trying to start the car, but turns off once teh car has been started. I am not hearing any delay as far as I can tell with the fuel pump priming (but I may just not know what to listen for). I have not Ohm tested the 2-wire ECT sensor under the distributor. I am wondering, could this be the relay? I did some internet research and a lot of people say these go bad in Hondas. I don't know enough about cars to know whether or not mine has gone bad. Once the car starts, it runs great. It is nice and quiet with no issues whatsoever.

 

Sounds like your car's old ECU is on the way out. If you listen for the fuel pump priming, it likely fails to do so until the CEL turns off.

 

Oh wow. What's an ECU? Are those expensive to replace?

 

It's the computer that runs your engine. What engine? D15B7?

 

Yes, I believe that is the engine that I have. Is there any kind of test I can administer to check if it is the ECU?

 

Can you borrow a known good P06 ECU from somebody you know?