1998 Honda Civic EX coupe
About 3-4 weeks ago, my A/C clutch went out, blowing burn smell into the cabin, and causing a noise like the bearing had also gone. I put the vehicle on a jack stand and pulled the tire off for easy access. I dropped the compressor and removed the pulley and clutch. The bearing was sticking a bit and had burn marks on it. The clutch was burnt out. I was going to replace just those parts, but in the end I decided to do without for the foreseeable future. So today (3-4 weeks later), I screwed down the compressor again and tied up the belt (using zip ties) so it would be impossible to catch or snag on anything, just in case I wanted to replace the compressor in a few weeks. So just to be clear on this point, I do NOT have the bad clutch on. It is completely removed and in my tool shed. The pulley is NOT on either. I believe I can do this without a problem because the A/C belt only drives the A/C, nothing else. The compressor is disconnected from the electric lead, so effectively the compressor is just sitting in place to keep the A/C system closed. My goal now is to just get the Honda on the road again, even without A/C.

Well, it won't start. Starter turns over fine. Just had the battery tested too just in case it wasn't producing enough charge for a spark. Spark plugs have gas on them, indicating fuel is not a problem. I cleaned up the cap and rotor which were replaced a year or two ago. Brand new spark plug wires. I measured the ohms on the spark plugs and they are between 0.43 and 0.4 when cold. Car makes like it wants to start. I step on the gas pedal a bit, and it makes like it wants to start even more. But just won't catch and roar to life. I tested for spark, and have spark on all four plugs. I'm at a loss and open to suggestions.

 

the thing you haven't listed that would cause a no-start is timing. check your cam timing just to cover all your bases.

check your fuses too, especially ECU and Main relay

 

Thanks! I checked all my fuses this evening and found none bad. When I pulled the plugs again, they were drenched! I decided to let them dry out and the chambers dry out. Someone on another forum had suggested the injectors were leaking fuel into the chamber. So after 30 minutes, I put things back in, connected my battery jumper to give the battery more juice since it was growing weak with all the starting attempts, pressed the pedal to the floor, and tried to start it. After a few turn overs, it finally roared to life! I baby'd it for a while and drove it up the road until it was back to normal. Thank you for the help!