92 DX 1.5L hatch automatic

I cant get the car to start at all. It cranks, sometimes will turn over, then it "blubblub's" and dies. Kinda like its not getting fuel or oil or something.

These starting problems have been getting progressively worse. But usually it would crank, turn over, "blubblub" some, and then it would eventually idle normally and would drive fine. I repeat, it would run FINE(no hesitation, no smoking, very smooth) after starting, so I dont think its a fuel/plug/distributor problem or else Id probably notice problems when driving too. Recently it has been "blubblubbing" more with each start(hot and cold) but would start, and now it will barely blubblub and just cranks and wont start.

The fact that its been getting progressively worse, leads me to believe battery or starter. I ended up trying to start it so many times today, I killed the battery, so we tried to jump it, it cranks fine but still wont turn over. Im gonna buy a new battery today and see if that helps.

Another problem is I cant get the plugs out to check them. It feels like they welded in or something. I replaced the plugs 20K ago or so, and only snugged them down so Im not sure why they are so tight. Maybe because of the cold? But I dont want to break them so Im not sure what to do about that.

No CELs, no smoking, plenty of oil, fuel filter and plugs are recent, runs fine when it actually starts, cranks ok so I dont think its the starter. I recently busted a PVC hose but that was replaced and it ran fine afterward.

Any other suggestions or ideas??? Sorry for the lengthy post.

 

Check you spark. Maybe your dizzy is going bad or your wires or shot. Maybe time for just a tune-up in general. Could be alot of things mab. 02 sensor, pcv valve. Start checking ****. Does it back fire at all? Check your fuel thats going to the injectors, insufficient fuel might be a problem also. Fuel filter might be clogged to. How many miles does the engine have on it? Ever change any gaskets? There might also be a vacuum leak at the gasket between the intake manifold and throttle body. Maybe its time for a valve adjustment also? The Valve clearances might be incorrectly set.

Hope I helped. I'm just guessing on what it can be. Did you get the stock OEM plugs when you replaced them?

 

recharge the battery and take a voltmeter to it before you buy a new one. its easy to see if the battery is at fault or not, so dont waste money on something that might not be the problem.

 

I dont think the battery would be the problem. The battery does **** once the car is started and wouldnt cause the car to stall out. Check your altenator.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JSPECHB &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Check you spark. Maybe your dizzy is going bad or your wires or shot. Maybe time for just a tune-up in general. Could be alot of things mab. 02 sensor, pcv valve. Start checking ****. Does it back fire at all? Check your fuel thats going to the injectors, insufficient fuel might be a problem also. Fuel filter might be clogged to. How many miles does the engine have on it? Ever change any gaskets? There might also be a vacuum leak at the gasket between the intake manifold and throttle body. Maybe its time for a valve adjustment also? The Valve clearances might be incorrectly set.

Hope I helped. I'm just guessing on what it can be. Did you get the stock OEM plugs when you replaced them?</TD></TR></TABLE>

If it was anything regarding the spark or fuel, wouldnt I notice that while driving?? Like I said before the car runs fine if it starts. I just picked up a new battery so Im gonna give that a try. They said I could return it if it wont start.

never changed any gaskets, motor has 130K. It had a PVC hose bust recently but that was replaced and it drove and idled fine afterward.

If it was any of the sensors, wouldnt I get a CEL?

Thanks for the help so far

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JSPECHB &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I dont think the battery would be the problem. The battery does **** once the car is started and wouldnt cause the car to stall out. Check your altenator.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Isnt the alternator only responsible for charging the battery? how would that affect starting? I dont know too much about alternators.

 

it sounds like you might not be keeping your fuel pressure while it's not running. maybe a leaky injector or faulty fuel pressure regulator. next time you try and start it, prime the fuel pump a few times before you turn it over. my 97 dx will do it if i let it sit for a while without driving it, but once it starts it runs fine.

oh yeah, nice avatar.

 

Try that to.

 

no luck. tried the new battery, does the same thing. tried to prime the pump a few times, didnt seem to matter much.

Another thing I noticed and forgot to mention, is when the motor used to "blubblub" after starting, it seemed like it was running on 3 cylinders and there was tapping almost like a knock. Then once it ran for a few seconds, it would go away and just have the normal honda valve tick.

Does anything in the cooling system have to do with startup? thats the only other thing Ive had problems with recently that were fixed.

Also, just now when I tried to start it a few times, if I crank it over a few times and stop and leave it in the "ON" position, the oil light will come on after like 5 seconds or so. Maybe its an oil pressure problem or something??

very frustrating as Im trying to avoid driving my R in the snow and cold. Its streetable but very rough and has shitty street tires, and the cold and snow is not fun to drive in.

 

Check your timing. Its definitley a spark issue IMO.

 

ive had the same problem .. it was a shot ignition coil ..

 

i have an automatic dx motor for your car lol 400 bucks 86k on it

 

thanks for the replies

jory if I get a new motor its gonna be a B series but Id like to avoid getting a new motor right now.

 

lol yea i just picked up an eg auto matic converting it to manual just trying to get rid of the motor lol its taking up space

 

keep it around I might have to grab it from you.

If the distributor is going bad or is bad, wouldnt that affect it while driving too? like I said the starting problems have been progressively worse for a few months, but it drives and runs fine when started. so I dont understand how it can be a fuel or spark problem.

 

are you pumping the gas when you crank it ? lol

and the cracking noise that your hearing (well if it's -40 outside like it is here) is your oil that harded, and your not getting any lubrication, so your internals are moving inside as if there was no oil at all, but that usualy last just about a minute, just don't drive your car until it warmed up enough.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Daniel_san &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">are you pumping the gas when you crank it ? lol

and the cracking noise that your hearing (well if it's -40 outside like it is here) is your oil that harded, and your not getting any lubrication, so your internals are moving inside as if there was no oil at all, but that usualy last just about a minute, just don't drive your car until it warmed up enough.</TD></TR></TABLE>

yes Ive tried to pump the gas while starting it.

the cranking noise Im hearing is the starter trying to turn the motor over. Sometimes it will turn over and then just die. Other times it will just crank and crank. It started and ran fine the other day when it was -10 degrees so its not a problem with the cold weather.

 

if it starts runs for a few seconds then dies and then won't run until it sits again I bet you have a bad main relay. wither fic yours or go to honda spend ~50 bux and buy a new one. they are located under the dash.
quote from a post on a different board
"
quote:
------------------------------------------------------------Agreed... swap out the main relay with a known good one or crack open the one in the car and look for bad cold solder joints (if this is within the realm of possibilities given you knowlage/experience).

Check out this webpage (very helpful to ALL honda owners):

http://www.markl.f9.co.uk/howt...y.htm

 

im me LegoZ1981 on AIm in next 5 min i'll give you my work number to tell you what to look for...

 

blurb from the posted site
Problems starting the car, usually after a short run (when the interior is warm), though in bad cases the car may fail to start at any time. A classic time for the problem to occur is at the petrol station, or if you park for a minute to get something from a shop. If the car is parked for a long period, the interior usually has cooled enough for the joint to make contact again, and you won't notice a problem. As the cabin temperature is a major feature of this problem, it might appear worse on cold or rainy days when you have the heater running to clear the windows etc. Extremely cold temperatures can also cause the problem to be more apparent.

The engine will usually fire, run for a split second and then stall, as the remaining fuel under pressure is used up. Continual cranking will only make the situation worse, with the engine not firing at all in the end. When you turn the ignition key to position II (ignition on) you should see the PGM-FI indicator on the dash light up and extinguish. Exactly timed with this lamp, you should hear a click and the fuel pump turn on and off. If you do not hear a click and the fuel pump, then the main relay is likely to be at fault.

The main relay is usually located near the fuse box, mounted on a bracket. If you thump this part of the dash, it is likely that the car will spring into life again as the joint is disturbed, unless the problem is severe.

 

awesome info, I will have to give that a shot. Im not at all familiar with anything like that but I will give it a shot and see what I can find. Thanks

 

After reading over that article some, I get the impression that if its a main relay problem, then I wont hear the fuel pump come on and indicator lights on the dash wont work correctly. This doesnt seem to be the case in my situation. I hear the fuel pump and the normal lights come on when putting it into ON position. Ill still give it a shot though. Is this something that can get progressively worse? Or just kinda randomly happen?

 

it can get progressively worse what is happening to you happened to me in my integra. I would check and see if honda will let you return the part once opened if they will try it if not i think there is a way to test it if you have a helms it will tell you in there if not I will try to find it in an online version but it takes a while...
ps the indicator lights will come on.

 

Thanks man any further info is appreciated. Unfortunately I havent picked up a Helms yet for this car since I didnt really anticipate any problems with the car for awhile.

 

I checked my main relay, it looks pretty bad. A couple of the dry joints are corroded and one is bubbled up and cracking. It looks A LOT worse than this one below from the link you showed me



Unfortunately my camera cannot take a good enough pic of the relay. Im gonna give it a shot and try to resolder the joints. We shall see what happens.