having problems with 91 honda civic dx

suzzeq wrote in news:1_533892 snipped-for-privacy@autoforumz.com:

So what's it do?

Crank all day and not even attempt to fire? Crank and sputter occasionally like it wants to start but can't? Starter whines but engine is obviously not turning? Starter clicks but does not turn engine? Fires then stalls?

Need details here, boy. Help Us To Help You.

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What's the mileage, WHEN does it not start (does it ever start?), how did you determine it's getting fuel, have you tried the 'flooded engine' cure, from the manual? Does it stall on the highway, is it good once it warms up, is the reservior full to the MAX line?

'Curly'

check main relay check inhernia switch

"TeGGeR®" wrote: > suzzeq wrote in > news:1_533892 snipped-for-privacy@autoforumz.com: > > > having problems with honda not starting, replaced coil, > rotor button, > > cap, wires, plugs, ignitor module, and it is getting fuel. > anyone > > with suggestions?? i am getting desperate here. thanks! > > > > > So what's it do? > > Crank all day and not even attempt to fire? > Crank and sputter occasionally like it wants to start but > can't? > Starter whines but engine is obviously not turning? > Starter clicks but does not turn engine? > Fires then stalls? > > Need details here, boy. Help Us To Help You. > > -- > TeGGeR® > > The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ >

it cranks and won?t turn over. i got a book on the car which told me about the ecu thing in the passenger floorboard and it had 15 flashes which according to the book was the ignitor, so replaced it again. the spark plugs are new and they are not getting any fire at all. all the fuses are good. once the ignitor was replaced for the 2nd time the flashes went off, still it will not turn over. is there some kind of wire or something i am missing that is not in the book??? ( and by the way I am not a guy) thanks in advance for any help you can give.

"motsco_ _" wrote: > suzzeq wrote: > > having problems with honda not starting, replaced coil, > rotor button, > > cap, wires, plugs, ignitor module, and it is getting fuel. > anyone > > with suggestions?? i am getting desperate here. thanks! > > > > ------------------------- > > What's the mileage, WHEN does it not start (does it ever > start?), how > did you determine it's getting fuel, have you tried the > 'flooded engine' > cure, from the manual? Does it stall on the highway, is it > good once it > warms up, is the reservior full to the MAX line? > > 'Curly'

mileage is 167,300

suzzeq wrote in news:1_570075 snipped-for-privacy@autoforumz.com:

Hold on now. I'm trying to get you to use correct terminology here.

1) "Won't turn over" = Won't turn at all. Either only clicks from the starter or total silence; nothing at all. 2) "Turns over (cranks) but won't fire" = You hear the starter turning the engine (chugga-chugga-chugga), but the engine refuses to catch and run.

I suspect you have the second problem.

So you had one long flash and five short ones in your sequence? That's the Ignition Output Signal, not the igniter. This only means the ECU's not seeing voltege where it should.

It COULD be the igniter, but could also be damaged wiring. Check the wiring to the distributor connectors and the round connector at the front edge of the right shock tower first. A car of the age of yours is likely to have wiring corrosion or damage.

Turn the engine to ON (but not START). Disconnect the round connector at the distributor. Check for battery voltage between the blk/yellow(?) wire and a body ground. Also check white wire from distributor for damage. If it shorts out, this can damage the igniter.

I can't know that. About 99% of the people in car groups are male. You'll just have to live with the mis-identification, or make your name more recognizably female.

"TeGGeR®" wrote: > suzzeq wrote in > news:1_570075 snipped-for-privacy@autoforumz.com: > > > "TeGGeR®" wrote: > >  > > >  > > So what's it do? >  > > >  > > Crank all day and not even attempt to fire? >  > > Crank and sputter occasionally like it wants to > start but >  > > can't? >  > > Starter whines but engine is obviously not turning? >  > > Starter clicks but does not turn engine? >  > > Fires then stalls? >  > > >  > > Need details here, boy. Help Us To Help You. >  > > > > > > it cranks and won?t turn over. > > > > Hold on now. I'm trying to get you to use correct terminology > here. > > 1) "Won't turn over" = Won't turn at all. Either only clicks > from the > starter or total silence; nothing at all. > 2) "Turns over (cranks) but won't fire" = You hear the starter > turning the > engine (chugga-chugga-chugga), but the engine refuses to catch > and run. > > I suspect you have the second problem. > > > > i got a book on the car which told me > > about the ecu thing in the passenger floorboard and it had > 15 flashes > > which according to the book was the ignitor, so replaced it > again. > > > So you had one long flash and five short ones in your > sequence? That's the > Ignition Output Signal, not the igniter. This only means the > ECU's not > seeing voltege where it should. > > It COULD be the igniter, but could also be damaged wiring. > Check the wiring > to the distributor connectors and the round connector at the > front edge of > the right shock tower first. A car of the age of yours is > likely to have > wiring corrosion or damage. > > Turn the engine to ON (but not START). Disconnect the round > connector at > the distributor. Check for battery voltage between the > blk/yellow(?) wire > and a body ground. Also check white wire from distributor for > damage. If it > shorts out, this can damage the igniter. > > > > and by > > the way I am not a guy) > > > I can't know that. About 99% of the people in car groups are > male. You'll > just have to live with the mis-identification, or make your > name more > recognizably female. > > > -- > TeGGeR® > > The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ >

It turns over, but it won?t fire. I went on your website last night, and was reading about the main relay. I was thinking of replacing it next after the info from your website, about turning it over and getting the 3 clicks, and hearing the fuel pump and then nothing. It was having that problem sometimes, like when I would go on short stops way before it ever quit running on me in traffic. As far as those flashes, they were just 15 short ones, that the Haynes Repair Manual said was the ignitor. That is why I replaced it. I will check the wires like you said, thanks!

suzzeq wrote in news:1_571144 snipped-for-privacy@autoforumz.com:

There's something not-right here. 15 short flashes is not a valid sequence. A code 15 would be one long flash and five short ones. A long flash is a ten, a short is a one. There will be a pause as the sequence repeats. You may be combining flashes from different sequences.

Please re-check your flashes and count them very carefully, checking for the presence of a long pause, which indicates the restarting of the sequence.

And as usual, the Haynes is wrong. Code 15 is only the Ignition Output Signal, which CAN be the igniter, but also can be anything else that prevents the ECU from seeing voltage at the appropriate wire. If the igniter is not receiving voltage from the IG1 terminal of the ignition switch, it can't send back a signal to the ECU.

***DO NOT CRANK ENGINE WITH DIST CAP OFF OR PLUG WIRES DISCONNECTED. YOU WILL DAMAGE THE COIL*** 1) With the distributor cap off and the ignition ON (but not START), disconnect the blk/yel wire from the igniter itself and check for battery voltage between it and a body ground (not the igniter terminal). If none, there's your problem. 2) Now remove the wht/blue wire from the other igniter terminal. Check for battery voltage there as well. If none, there's your problem.

Turn ignition OFF.

3) Visually and physically inspect the white wire at the two connectors mentioned before. Follow wiring along from distributor to each connector and to firewall, looking for abraded or pinched wires. If the white is shorted, the igniter will be damaged.

Good luck.

TeGGeR® wrote: | There's something not-right here. 15 short flashes is not a valid | sequence. A code 15 would be one long flash and five short ones.

On a '91 Civic? I thought that the diagnostic LED on the ECU blinked the coded straight out. The long/short flashes were introduced later (92? 96?) when there were too many codes. I do remember seeing something above 10 blinks on a friend's '88 a few years back.

| A long flash is a ten, a short is a one. There will be a pause as the | sequence repeats. You may be combining flashes from different | sequences.

That's definitely true for the later models, but the 88-91 is not like that as far as I know, but could be wrong. Can't tell right now, my 88 hasn't had any codes for quite a while now ;)

Thanks for your excellent FAQ BTW!

"tomb" wrote in news:Jf%be.2280$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com:

The long-short has been around since at least the late '80s. My '91 has the long-short combo.

According to

the 91 Accord "Codes blink out one after the other. "Check Engine" light will stop blinking after all codes have been displayed. Trouble codes 1 - 10 are displayed using a series of short blinks; codes 11 & up use a combination of long and short blinks. The number of long blinks equals the first digit and the number of short blinks indicates the second." (Page 15 of manual; page 18 of 56 in the pdf.) It looks like the long/short deal started in 1990 for the Accord. The 91 Civic, though, does use the series of short blinks: "Codes blinked out by LED are separated by two second pause, then repeated. For example: 2 blinks - two second pause - 2 blinks = code 2." A couple pages down (24 of

56) code 15 is given as "Ignition Output signal" and the possible causes are given as "Open or shorted ignition output signal circuit"

Mike