97 civic dx flooding no start
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97 civic dx flooding no start
Hi all
I have a 1997 honda civic dx that has a starting and rough idle problem. The engine is running way too rich, replaced the spark plugs because the old ones were pretty corroded, still no start. If I disconnect the fuel pump the car will run just fine on starting fluid. Also, if I relieve the fuel pressure and then run it with the fuel pump connected it will start up after some time of cranking. When it does run after doing so it idles pretty rough at about 500 rpm and my obd is showing it as under a very high load for idle. Tested the IAC valve, MAP sensor, timing, FPR, Throttle Position sensor, all tested good. I havent had the distributor off yet because it seems to have at least decent spark. Injectors seem to spray in order without any of them dumping too much fuel.
Need some help, when the car is over 1000 rpm it seems like it runs like its old self. The only code its thrown is a cylinder misfire right before the engine cut out. Just adjusted the valves to make sure there wasnt a stuck open intake or anything, seems to run a bit better.
Is there such thing as a weak spark? I replaced the ignition coil last spring with a used one from a self service "U-pull it" facility.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
I have a 1997 honda civic dx that has a starting and rough idle problem. The engine is running way too rich, replaced the spark plugs because the old ones were pretty corroded, still no start. If I disconnect the fuel pump the car will run just fine on starting fluid. Also, if I relieve the fuel pressure and then run it with the fuel pump connected it will start up after some time of cranking. When it does run after doing so it idles pretty rough at about 500 rpm and my obd is showing it as under a very high load for idle. Tested the IAC valve, MAP sensor, timing, FPR, Throttle Position sensor, all tested good. I havent had the distributor off yet because it seems to have at least decent spark. Injectors seem to spray in order without any of them dumping too much fuel.
Need some help, when the car is over 1000 rpm it seems like it runs like its old self. The only code its thrown is a cylinder misfire right before the engine cut out. Just adjusted the valves to make sure there wasnt a stuck open intake or anything, seems to run a bit better.
Is there such thing as a weak spark? I replaced the ignition coil last spring with a used one from a self service "U-pull it" facility.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
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Re: 97 civic dx flooding no start
You don't have an igniter. You have a ICM. You likely had a bad ICM all along.
Plus how much water do you think your cap see's? Do you drive with your hood off? If so it would effect your whole distributor among other things. You could prob drive along for a while with a big hole in your cap without a problem. Getting wet doesn't short something. Corrosion does. Same thing with your coil. You can see corrosion. You can prob see a burn mark on your ICM. Not always.
Plus how much water do you think your cap see's? Do you drive with your hood off? If so it would effect your whole distributor among other things. You could prob drive along for a while with a big hole in your cap without a problem. Getting wet doesn't short something. Corrosion does. Same thing with your coil. You can see corrosion. You can prob see a burn mark on your ICM. Not always.
Last edited by demon6666699999; Jun 19, 2018 at 01:35 PM.
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Re: 97 civic dx flooding no start
Crappy aftermarket caps rotors or wires can put a lot of stress on the ICM and the coil. Firing the system into an open circuit or a bad connection tends to cause damage. It is best to never crank or run the engine with a spark wire disconnected.
Officially Honda has called the ICM the "Igniter".
Officially Honda has called the ICM the "Igniter".
Thread Starter
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Joined: Jun 2018
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Re: 97 civic dx flooding no start
ICM/igniter, used interchangeably as far as I’m concerned. Can’t imagine much water getting in but that’s what was certainly causing this corrosion, in turn causing my icm to have a lot of stress on it. Overall I learned from this that there’s not a lot that goes wrong with these civics other than ignition issues, was just troubling that at first it had a spark present that seemed fine. Maybe a real spark plug tester would have been nice...
Thread Starter
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 5
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Re: 97 civic dx flooding no start
Crappy aftermarket caps rotors or wires can put a lot of stress on the ICM and the coil. Firing the system into an open circuit or a bad connection tends to cause damage. It is best to never crank or run the engine with a spark wire disconnected.
Officially Honda has called the ICM the "Igniter".
Officially Honda has called the ICM the "Igniter".
Thread Starter
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Re: 97 civic dx flooding no start
You don't have an igniter. You have a ICM. You likely had a bad ICM all along.
Plus how much water do you think your cap see's? Do you drive with your hood off? If so it would effect your whole distributor among other things. You could prob drive along for a while with a big hole in your cap without a problem. Getting wet doesn't short something. Corrosion does. Same thing with your coil. You can see corrosion. You can prob see a burn mark on your ICM. Not always.
Plus how much water do you think your cap see's? Do you drive with your hood off? If so it would effect your whole distributor among other things. You could prob drive along for a while with a big hole in your cap without a problem. Getting wet doesn't short something. Corrosion does. Same thing with your coil. You can see corrosion. You can prob see a burn mark on your ICM. Not always.
no burn mark in this case, seems like it was a failing coil (or just a crappy coil) from the beginning putting more work on my icm, thanks for the reply
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