Hello:

I've checked a few other forums with no luck so far, hoping to have better luck here.

My girlfriend's car is a 2000 Civic EX which broke down on the highway the other day. She claims it made a strange sound suddenly and the gas pedal became unresponsive. She pulled over and shut off the car, and it hasn't started since. It cranks, but does not actually start. I had it towed back to my house and have been messing with it since.

My first theory was fuel, so I decided to remove the back seat and test for voltage.





I had her sit in the front as I tested for voltage at the brown connector seen in the above picture; I don't seem to get any sort of reading other than a few mV. My understanding is that this connector should have a 12v reading while the vehicle is being cranked. I checked the fuse and also replaced the main relay (next to the glovebox) and the issue persisted. Still no voltage reading at that connector.

My next guess would normally be to try replacing the fuel pump, but that seems almost silly since the pump doesn't seem to even be getting any power.



Thoughts? Am I testing this properly?



Thanks in advance





Edit: This issue is related to a camshaft issue, NOT the above. Long story, see page 3 and beyond.

 

Does the CEL stay on steady when the key is in ON(II)?

CEL codes?

Did you check for voltage at the fuel pump clip because the pump doesn't prime?

 

Isnt the fuel relay under the driver dash by hood lever?

 

CEL doesn't come on at all, not showing any codes. I checked the voltage at the pump clip because the car was cranking but not starting, and a fuel related issue was my first guess. I didn't wanna buy a new pump until I was sure the fuse and relay was good. But now I've replaced the relay and the issue still occurs. I'd try a new pump, but knowing that it's not getting any power it seems it'd be silly. So I'm at a loss currently.

Fuel relay on this car is to the right of the glovebox on the passenger side.

 

So are you saying the CEL light doesnt even come ON when you first turn the key from off to the Run position?

 

I don't recall seeing it come on at all whatsoever, but I'll double check when I get home. At any rate, I scanned it and it shows no codes.

 

Nope

To answer my question, you need to know that the CEL actually works. Turn key from OFF to ON(II). Does CEL turn on for 2 seconds and then turn off?

You need to check whether the fuel pump primes for 2 seconds when the key is turned from OFF to ON(II).

 

Gotcha, thanks for the clarification. I'll check that when I get home. My primary concern was whether or not I was even checking for voltage properly or not, but it sounds like I may not have been. I'll check it in the manner you suggested after work.

To confirm, you're saying that I should get 12v on that plug that goes to the fuel pump for 2 seconds when turning the key from off to on, but not cranking?


Thanks for the help.

 

Yeah, we need more information.

When cranking the engine, the pump connector should get constant battery voltage. However, you did not mention which wire you tested for voltage or how.

 

I used a digital multimeter (set to DC) to test the voltage on the connector itself by probing the two metal leads on the plug that goes into the pump. I did not get a voltage reading while someone else sat in the driver's seat cranking. I was under the assumption that I should be getting 12v while cranking, and I wasn't, which is where my concern originated.

The rest I'll check out later today.

 

The way you did the voltage test, you don't know whether the plug fails to get voltage or ground. Repeat the test on the hot wire using the metal frame under the dash for ground.

 

Ok, so the CEL does NOT come on whatsoever when going from OFF to ON.

 

Install a new bulb so you can answer the question.

 

Will do. That's relevant even though it's not showing any codes with an OBD2 reader?

 

Yes

 

Ok. So first off, the check engine light bulb is not dead. I took off the cluster and swapped it with the fasten seatbelt bulb and the bulb still doesn't come on (and the fasten seatbelt bulb does). I'm not sure why the light doesn't come on.


https://i.imgur.com/0GSIcwn.jpg

This is a picture of what the bulbs look like with the keys in the "On" position.




Secondly, I re-tested the plug going to the fuel pump again as described. I tested voltage between the hot wire and a ground reference in the front of the car, and still showed no voltage at any point while going from OFF to ON, or while cranking. To be sure, I also tested for continuity between the ground wire in the fuel pump plug and a ground reference in the front of the vehicle and it was fine.

Hope this clears some things up, thanks for the help thus far.

 

You need to get the CEL working.

Check for a cut CEL wire at the cluster or ECU.

Check whether the CEL bulb socket gets battery voltage.

Check whether fuse 44 or 13 is blown.

Check whether the 7.5A hood Back Up fuse is blown.

Check whether the G101 ground on the thermostat.

Check for spark at the plugs.

There are more tests but start there.

 

I had quite a similar problem... I replaced the Ignition Coil and it just magically started working! I replaced fuel pump fuses, filter, the actually pump... and nothing made a difference until the Coil was swapped out!

 

Similar how? Were you also getting no voltage at the pump? Were you also having CEL issues? Thanks for the reply!





@RonJ, my 7.5a back up fuse was blown but it didn't change anything; no wires appear cut. Fuse 44 and 13 are fine. I'll check G101 and plugs this weekend.

 

That blown fuse prevented any CEL codes from being stored in the ECU. Crank the engine for 30 seconds, and then check for codes again. Check the fuse regularly to ensure that it doesn't blow again.

 

Here's my experience similar to yours. 1991 Honda Accord ex 4dr MT sedan will not start when hot but starts when cold. It takes me to work in the morning, but I can not come home at the afternoon. I have family towed me back home and car starts when I shift to proper gear speed. Note that the key was turn to the position before ignition. My solution was to open the main relay switch and solder the wire connections in it to properly have it connect. There were cracks and breaks in the circuit. I installed it and problem was solved.

Check Main relay for connectivity.

 

Good to know, that definitely explains why it wasn't throwing any codes before! However, now that I changed the fuse the CEL is still not on. I tried cranking it for 30 seconds like you said and then scanned it again, but now the scanner just errors out and won't even read a code or even say "No codes found" like usual. I checked the fuse again after this test and it was not blown (yet)

I tried replacing the relay entirely already, had no luck.

 

No connection to code reader - check hood fuse 43.

 

43 is also fine. I've actually got all day today to work on this finally, and it's nice out, so I'll be trying some things... But I'm running out of ideas.

 

Plot twist: There's no spark either, on any wire. Tested with Ron's guide here: https://honda-tech.com/honda-civic-d...blems-2919450/