Hi,

Purchased a 1993 Del Sol a few days ago with a D15B2 engine from a 1990 Civic LX (5speed) to learn how to work on cars. The main issue with the car is that it won't start. When the key is turned to start, you can hear one click, which comes from the drivers bay area. No sounds in the engine bay. The car does run if we push / pop start it. When the car runs, it does idle a little low/rough but I am going to look at the Idle Air Control Valve once I can get the car starting on its own. The starter is receiving a positive connection from the battery and also has the starter signal switch connected (pin B9 in the ECU). Connecting a spare 12V battery to the starter also did nothing.

I am assuming the starter is bad, but is there anything else I should look at? Going to get it tested after Christmas. From what I've read, if the starter is fine the grounds should be checked.

 

Which part of the starter to you put the 12V to?

There is the starter motor and the solenoid. The solenoid is what completes the circuit and causes the starter motor to turn after throwing out the starter gear to the flywheel.

You should also check the clutch pedal for the clutch switch. The car won't try and crank if it doesn't believe the clutch is pushed in. The switch itself may be alright but the plastic disc button the switch pushes on is known to break out of the pedal. I've heard of people soldering a penny in it's place.

 

Hooked it up to the solenoid where it was originally, and nothing. If it is the clutch switch, is it supposed to start when jumped? Because it still doesn't, which is why i'm thinking its the starter. I am going to spend the weekend checking all the grounds and making sure everything is wired to the ECU like it is supposed to and also decrease the gauge of the battery relocation wire to 2AWG

 

Is this the clutch safety port where there is nothing connected?

 

Bench test the starter motor.

 

Update. Just checked, and is this the clutch safety? Nothing is plugged in.
https://imgur.com/uLnbNJ1

 

First focus on why supplying 12V directly to starter solenoid fails to make the starter run. Bench test it.

 

Going to bench test it tomorrow. Thanks. I'll update after I test it

 

I highly doubt it's the starter. Since the clutch safety switch plugs aren't connected, that will not allow the car to start without "push starting" it.

 

Starter did not crank when battery voltage was supplied directly to solenoid clip, though we don't know whether the large 12V cable was connected to starter motor or whether the transmission ground was connected to the chassis.

 

Looking at the clutch safety switch, it's been backed out to emulate the clutch always being pushed. This points to previous owner having starting issues and thinking it might have been the switch too. I'm not sure off the top of my head if that is a normally open or a normally closed switch. Depending on the kind of switch, being disconnected might not have an affect on the system other than allowing starting with the clutch engaged (car in gear).

Seems pretty obvious that it's very likely a much deeper problem than the switch, the car was given up on and sold to be someone else's problem.

As muellersfan's expertise points out, we have to start at the starter, once confirmed it works, then we can move onto the next step or area. I will leave you in the good hands of muellersfan. His electrical experience on these cars is unmatched by most from my observations.

 

Well I actually got it all sorted out. Turns out the starter was fine, and the little port on the solenoid was never getting power. It was my first time working with a starter, and I didn’t know it had to be connected to a positive battery at two points, so just a rookie mistake.

Once I redid the wiring for the solenoid, the car actually started right up. Turns out the clutch safety has already been bypassed.

And there are no noticeable issues with how the clutch is wired. I can shift between gears, fine. The only thing I haven’t tested is cruise control.

Edit: And yeah, the previous owner gave up with this car. He only used it for drag racing and when he realized it wouldn’t start he sold it to me for $600. Besides the starter issue, it’s missing the lower exhaust manifold gasket so there is a leak, there is no air intake, rough idle (going to check the IACV), and it needed a new radiator as the previous one had a small leak.

For $600 this just seemed like a fun project to get familiar with working on engines.

 

Good job!