1998 Honda Civic LXi (PH15A) cold start no-start, intake backfire, ticking when crank
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1998 Honda Civic LXi (PH15A) cold start no-start, intake backfire, ticking when crank
I need help with a weird cold-start issue on my 1998 Honda Civic LXi automatic with a PH15A engine.
The car sat for about 4 years. Here is what has been done so far:
We tried mixing one old working injector with new injectors and cleaned the spark plugs because they had carbon buildup. After that, it started again. But after sitting for one day, it would not start again.
We then bought another set of new injectors and a new IACV. Now, when cranking, it sounds like it almost wants to start, but it still will not fully start. The ticking metal sound is gone, but it is still backfiring through the intake, and there is smoke coming from the intake. There is no more oil in the intake manifold.
The car started again after we primed the intake with gas, fully opened the throttle, and covered the throttle hole with a hand. After it started, we checked the distributor and found white buildup on the metal contact points inside the distributor cap and on the rotor contact. We cleaned/sanded those parts, but after that, the car would not start again.
With that intake-gas trick, the car would start. After it started, if the engine was turned off and restarted right away, it started immediately. If it sat for a short while, it would need full throttle to start again. But if it sat for a day, it would crank but not start, and the symptoms came back: backfire through the intake and a ticking noise while cranking. This time, there was no more oil in the intake manifold.
Important note: once the car does start, it drives very smoothly with no power loss or engine problems. The exhaust seems normal when the car starts. The problem only happens on a cold start after sitting.
Any advice on what to check next would be appreciated.
The car sat for about 4 years. Here is what has been done so far:
- changed oil
- drained old fuel and filled with new fuel
- replaced coolant
- replaced spark plugs
- replaced fuel pump
- replaced injectors
- replaced IACV
We tried mixing one old working injector with new injectors and cleaned the spark plugs because they had carbon buildup. After that, it started again. But after sitting for one day, it would not start again.
We then bought another set of new injectors and a new IACV. Now, when cranking, it sounds like it almost wants to start, but it still will not fully start. The ticking metal sound is gone, but it is still backfiring through the intake, and there is smoke coming from the intake. There is no more oil in the intake manifold.
The car started again after we primed the intake with gas, fully opened the throttle, and covered the throttle hole with a hand. After it started, we checked the distributor and found white buildup on the metal contact points inside the distributor cap and on the rotor contact. We cleaned/sanded those parts, but after that, the car would not start again.
With that intake-gas trick, the car would start. After it started, if the engine was turned off and restarted right away, it started immediately. If it sat for a short while, it would need full throttle to start again. But if it sat for a day, it would crank but not start, and the symptoms came back: backfire through the intake and a ticking noise while cranking. This time, there was no more oil in the intake manifold.
Important note: once the car does start, it drives very smoothly with no power loss or engine problems. The exhaust seems normal when the car starts. The problem only happens on a cold start after sitting.
Any advice on what to check next would be appreciated.
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Jayrod
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Feb 15, 2015 09:45 PM
CSHornet60
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Feb 8, 2007 09:32 AM