A couple of months ago, I pulled the engine/transmission on our 89 DX to replace gaskets and freshen things up. After I put it all back together, I tried to start the car but nothing. I realized I forget to hook the negative cable back onto the transmission area (it was hooked onto the chassis under the battery), so figured that out. However, ever since pulling and reinstalling everything, I have an issue while starting. Sometimes when I try to start the engine, there is a click under the hood, but the starter doesn't engage. Power is being pulled because the lights dim. It doesn't always just click...sometimes the car starts right up with the first twist of the key, but other times, I have to try quite a few times before the starter engages. I just hear it clicking under the hood, which I assume is the solenoid. It's not a low battery because once the starter engages, it spins just fine to start the engine. I'm just worried that one day I'm going to be far from home and I won't be able to start it at all.

The engine is the D15B2 with an automatic transmission and California emissions.

 

Check your grounds make sure they all have good contact.

 

Ditto the above, check/redo the main grounds, DO NOT just eyeball them, disconnect/clean/reconnect the batt. neg. cable, batt, to chassis and chassis to engine/tranny grounds.
My guess is the chassis to engine/tranny ground is N/G. 94

 

I'll redo that ground. I replaced the cable itself because it wasn't real tight at all on the battery. Where is the best place to hookup that chassis to engine/tranny ground? Right now I have it hooked up to the bracket that holds the tranny cooler lines to the tranny.

 

Not sure on your Civic on my 94 RS it is to a bracket mounted to the transmission, [5 speed] I have had to remove the bracket and clean it's contact points to get good continuity. 94