I have an 88 civic hatch base model, qand it got stolen a couple months ago. When i got it back, it wouldn't start. I thought all I had to do was stick a key in the disrespected ignition, but when i crank it, nuthing happens. All the lights for pre-ignition come on, but nothing else. I KNOW it's a wiring problem, because ive replaced everything else. I'm going to replace the ENTIRE wiring harness, from the headlights, to the tailights. I want to know if anyone else has done this, or some idea's on a way to fix it cheaply. Thanks

 

I have done half this, I completely replaced the indash harness and motor harness. Which includes the entire front half of the car. If your tail lights still work I wouldnt worry about the rear section. Infact I am not sure if I would replace the harness. Check for tampering and see if wires have been cut, if not it may be a faulty fuse or relay. Maybe a ground was disconnected in the process of "ripping" **** out. Dont go and waste money when its not needed.

 

Check all your grounds, also invest in a multimeter and start testing. Much cheaper than trying to do the whole harness.

 

I have checked and replaced every single fuse and relay there is. I've even replaced the under-dash fusebox and all the fuses, the motor bay fuse box and all the fuses, the ignition switch, the main relay, and the engine wiring harness in the motor bay. And as far as it being expensive, i wouldn't think it would be, because i'll do all the work myself. It would just cost money to get the wiring. It's no ground problem, everything is connected, i've checked the motor countless times, for any thing not connected or anything as obvious as a ground. The starter is new too, it was replaced before it was stolen. Now, i can't even connect the battery without seeing a spark shower coming from the negative battery post. The battery won't even connect. And to use a multimeter, doesn't the battery have to be connected, correct me if I'm wrong. Any other suggestions

 

please do not start replacing harnesses because your car wont start...i wolud shoot towards the ignition switch saying it was "disrespected"...multimeter runs off its own battery...measures resistance, volts, continuity...blah blah. replacing those harnesses your talking about is by no means a simple thing to do..<--honda tech at a dealer..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by swaplighter &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">please do not start replacing harnesses because your car wont start...i wolud shoot towards the ignition switch saying it was "disrespected"...multimeter runs off its own battery...measures resistance, volts, continuity...blah blah. replacing those harnesses your talking about is by no means a simple thing to do..&lt;--honda tech at a dealer.. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Absolutely. The harness runs behind the all the heating and ventilation equipment, so you would have to remove all the stuff under the dash to be able to remove it.
Major pain.
Your problem is a short, and I would bet it is somewhere in the igniton switch wires.

 

I've already replaced the igniton switch entirely, but only from the switch to where it plugs into the fuse box. And changing wiring harness is easy for me. How could peeling an ignition cause it to short out? And also, nothing is a pain for me to do to the car( unless it involves money) money is my worst attribute right now. I enjoy working on the car and gaining experience, so it's not a pain. but, it's not just a problem starting anymore, i CAN'T even connect the battery! sparks start flying when the negative battery cable touch the negative post. I need a multimeter bad now. What do they go for?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Spaceballs the lunch box &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Absolutely. The harness runs behind the all the heating and ventilation equipment, so you would have to remove all the stuff under the dash to be able to remove it.
Major pain.
Your problem is a short, and I would bet it is somewhere in the igniton switch wires.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Actually it runs under the heater box under a protective black mat that is easily pulled up. Dont get me wrong, I have installed a complete harness and the car ran perfect after doing so, just in his case it might be smarter to track down the problem.

 

I got my multimeter for 15 bucks from Shucks.

Blaze

 

Ok i fixed the problem. I couldn't connect the battery becuase the positive battery cable that is bolted to the starter, was also touching the part of the starter that is grounded. My freind has a multimeter so he helped me with it. all in all, the starter had a bad solenoid