My 1989 honda civic hb (DPI) starts for about 3-4 seconds and then it dies....i replaced the fuel filter today and i can hear the fuel pump working. i resoldered the main relay. i noticed BEFORE when the tank was half full the car would not accelerate....almost like if it was starving. i would then fill it back up and it would work fine. but now the car doesnt stay on for more than 3-4 seconds and then dies..UNLESS i throttle it back and fourth to keep it running eventually it dies. please help....its my daily driver

 

bump....straight west coastin!

 

Sounds like the pump going (gone) bad. The main relay either runs the pump or it doesn't. If the injectors are clogged or worn, then it wouldn't matter how much gas was in the tank. Spark plugs, wires, distributor, etc... none of those things care how much gas is in the tank.

When the pump gets worn out, it starts to matter whether the tank is full or not, & just keeps getting worse. Got a fuel pressure gauge? I bet the pump can't keep the pressure up where it should be.

No promises, but one thing you could try... take out the pump & check it's inlet strainer. Maybe that's full of gunk. If that's not dirty, then I'd say it's the pump.

 

take a look at the fuel pump... might be clogged.