01 civic LX cranking but not starting
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01 civic LX cranking but not starting
01 civic was running fine then yesterday died on me and won’t restart. New battery and new fuel pump relay. It occasionally tries to start and even turns over but dies after seconds of running.
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Re: 01 civic LX cranking but not starting
Depends on your abilities.
Have to remove the upper timing cover, which also involves lifting up the valve cover for clearance.
Locate one of the timing belt DIY threads here, maybe you can use some of the how-to info in it.
If it jumped time by only a couple teeth it may start and then die at 2 seconds.
If it jumped much more than two teeth it may not run at all, and if it jumped far enough or broke the timing belt the engine can bend valves.
Does it crank funny (starter sounds wrong) now?
Got rattle noises from the timing belt cover area?
Have to remove the upper timing cover, which also involves lifting up the valve cover for clearance.
Locate one of the timing belt DIY threads here, maybe you can use some of the how-to info in it.
If it jumped time by only a couple teeth it may start and then die at 2 seconds.
If it jumped much more than two teeth it may not run at all, and if it jumped far enough or broke the timing belt the engine can bend valves.
Does it crank funny (starter sounds wrong) now?
Got rattle noises from the timing belt cover area?
If you think a good mechanic is expensive, try hiring a bad one
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From: Midwest. Aiming about mid-chest
Rep Power: 517 Re: 01 civic LX cranking but not starting
Any other handy clues, like compression test and spark plug inspection?
Got spark?
Got fuel?
Got spark?
Got fuel?
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Depends on your abilities.
Have to remove the upper timing cover, which also involves lifting up the valve cover for clearance.
Locate one of the timing belt DIY threads here, maybe you can use some of the how-to info in it.
If it jumped time by only a couple teeth it may start and then die at 2 seconds.
If it jumped much more than two teeth it may not run at all, and if it jumped far enough or broke the timing belt the engine can bend valves.
Does it crank funny (starter sounds wrong) now?
Got rattle noises from the timing belt cover area?
Have to remove the upper timing cover, which also involves lifting up the valve cover for clearance.
Locate one of the timing belt DIY threads here, maybe you can use some of the how-to info in it.
If it jumped time by only a couple teeth it may start and then die at 2 seconds.
If it jumped much more than two teeth it may not run at all, and if it jumped far enough or broke the timing belt the engine can bend valves.
Does it crank funny (starter sounds wrong) now?
Got rattle noises from the timing belt cover area?
It doesn’t crank funny just has a hard time starting. It sat overnight and this morning started up just fine but died shortly after and then wouldn’t restart
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Smells like it has fuel just fine. From the sound of cranking it seems to have compression. Only sparking on one cylinder of 4 but was told that if one is sparking the others should work fine.
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It may?.. but without a compression test you can't confirm each cylinder is in spec.
Huh? Who told you that?
Check spark on each coil one at a time to confirm. Have someone crank engine while you lift a coil slightly off the plug and listen for spark. If you're worried about getting shocked use something non conductive to hold the coils.
Check spark on each coil one at a time to confirm. Have someone crank engine while you lift a coil slightly off the plug and listen for spark. If you're worried about getting shocked use something non conductive to hold the coils.
Last edited by Wankenstein; Jan 15, 2018 at 01:27 PM.
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It may?.. but without a compression test you can't confirm each cylinder is in spec.
Huh? Who told you that?
Check spark on each coil one at a time to confirm. Have someone crank engine while you lift a coil slightly off the plug and listen for spark. If you're worried about getting shocked use something non conductive to hold the coils.
Huh? Who told you that?
Check spark on each coil one at a time to confirm. Have someone crank engine while you lift a coil slightly off the plug and listen for spark. If you're worried about getting shocked use something non conductive to hold the coils.
I checked each one individually and only one sparked. A certified Honda tech stated that if one of them is sparking they should all be fine.
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Plus: check compression..easy to do. Harbor Frieght sells an inexpensive, decent tester. Some parts store have compression testers as a free rental tool.
Last edited by Wankenstein; Jan 15, 2018 at 02:43 PM.
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If it ran more than 2 seconds then it's not what I was suspecting.....but that still doesn't rule out the possibility of jumping time by a small amount.
At this point I probably wouldn't suspect a timing error.
Got a scanner? Got codes?
Got datalist on a scanner?
If you smell fuel, it may be flooded: That's why we inspect the spark plugs to see if they are soaking wet or not.
Wet plugs can't fire reliably, they have to be dry-- and you don't want liquid gas pooled on top of the pistons either.
If it's flooded then adding oil to each cylinder may be necessary to aid the rings in sealing and help restore lost compression.
I assume this to mean it stalled while you were driving down the road?
If so, you still have to figure out what caused it all to happen--- because it died while driving and you need to find the root cause.
Everything suggested above is about trying to get it running again, not figuring out what caused it to stall in the first place.
At this point I probably wouldn't suspect a timing error.
Got a scanner? Got codes?
Got datalist on a scanner?
If you smell fuel, it may be flooded: That's why we inspect the spark plugs to see if they are soaking wet or not.
Wet plugs can't fire reliably, they have to be dry-- and you don't want liquid gas pooled on top of the pistons either.
If it's flooded then adding oil to each cylinder may be necessary to aid the rings in sealing and help restore lost compression.
was running fine then yesterday died on me
If so, you still have to figure out what caused it all to happen--- because it died while driving and you need to find the root cause.
Everything suggested above is about trying to get it running again, not figuring out what caused it to stall in the first place.
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If it ran more than 2 seconds then it's not what I was suspecting.....but that still doesn't rule out the possibility of jumping time by a small amount.
At this point I probably wouldn't suspect a timing error.
Got a scanner? Got codes?
Got datalist on a scanner?
If you smell fuel, it may be flooded: That's why we inspect the spark plugs to see if they are soaking wet or not.
Wet plugs can't fire reliably, they have to be dry-- and you don't want liquid gas pooled on top of the pistons either.
If it's flooded then adding oil to each cylinder may be necessary to aid the rings in sealing and help restore lost compression.
I assume this to mean it stalled while you were driving down the road?
If so, you still have to figure out what caused it all to happen--- because it died while driving and you need to find the root cause.
Everything suggested above is about trying to get it running again, not figuring out what caused it to stall in the first place.
At this point I probably wouldn't suspect a timing error.
Got a scanner? Got codes?
Got datalist on a scanner?
If you smell fuel, it may be flooded: That's why we inspect the spark plugs to see if they are soaking wet or not.
Wet plugs can't fire reliably, they have to be dry-- and you don't want liquid gas pooled on top of the pistons either.
If it's flooded then adding oil to each cylinder may be necessary to aid the rings in sealing and help restore lost compression.
I assume this to mean it stalled while you were driving down the road?
If so, you still have to figure out what caused it all to happen--- because it died while driving and you need to find the root cause.
Everything suggested above is about trying to get it running again, not figuring out what caused it to stall in the first place.
It was in reverse I pulled out of my driveway pressed the clutch and it died.
If you think a good mechanic is expensive, try hiring a bad one
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Ooh, a cold engine stall......So it's probably just flooded.
Once you get it unflooded and running again, you can try to figure why it stalled, if it has a low idle problem, or if it was just a fluke.
Once you get it unflooded and running again, you can try to figure why it stalled, if it has a low idle problem, or if it was just a fluke.
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If it ran for a couple seconds and shut off on its own, it sounds like it might be the immobilizer doing its pain in the *** job. Does the green key blink after??
Last edited by BlueFoot; Jan 16, 2018 at 03:12 AM.
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Knowledge I've learned from Ezone (below):
*First try cranking with gas pedal to floor: this disables the injectors and allows maximum air into cylinders.If it doesn't solve issue then...
*Pull spark plugs and check for wetness/fuel. Dry off the plugs (anode side) with compressed air. While plugs are out use compressed air to blow into the cylinders at BDC (bottom dead cylinder) to dry them out. Doesn't work then..
*Add a teaspoon or two of oil into the cylinders to increase compression.
*First try cranking with gas pedal to floor: this disables the injectors and allows maximum air into cylinders.If it doesn't solve issue then...
*Pull spark plugs and check for wetness/fuel. Dry off the plugs (anode side) with compressed air. While plugs are out use compressed air to blow into the cylinders at BDC (bottom dead cylinder) to dry them out. Doesn't work then..
*Add a teaspoon or two of oil into the cylinders to increase compression.
If you think a good mechanic is expensive, try hiring a bad one
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From: Midwest. Aiming about mid-chest
Rep Power: 517 Re: 01 civic LX cranking but not starting
From many other posts on the subject:
A flooded engine can be hell to get started again.
When it is flooded and cranking faster than usual, it will need to be "dried out" after the root cause of the initial problem is corrected.
Make sure the battery is charged up.
Hold the gas pedal to the floor and keep it there. (This is known as "clear flood" or "dechoke"mode. The computer won't inject more gas while cranking as long as the throttle is wide open.)
Crank it for about 15 seconds, then stop and let the starter cool off for a minute or two.
Floor the gas pedal again and crank some more.
Lather, rinse, repeat. Wipe hands on pants.
If the original cause has been fixed, and the only problem now is that it is flooded, it eventually should begin trying to fire once enough fresh air has been passed through to dry out some of the raw fuel. It might take a while even after the first cylinder tries to fire, since the rest are still wet.
....
If you try to oil the cylinders, don't use more than about a teaspoon of oil in each cylinder.
Crank it a few seconds before you put the plugs back in to clear out excess oil....Some people bend rods because they skip this step.
Remember, once it's been flooded, there is raw gas standing in the cylinders that gets the spark plugs wet when you crank it.
Wet plugs can't fire, and the liquid gasoline washes the oil film off of the cylinder walls so the compression is lowered.
It can take a lot of cranking before enough gas has been dried out to get it to actually run. Some engines won't even run after that, they still need oil added to the cylinders manually.
Got an air compressor? An air blow gun with a long thin tube could be used to dry the cylinders.
You can pull out the plugs and dry them, and you can crank the engine with the plugs out (and gas pedal on the floor). That can help dry the cylinders too.
Disable the coil so you don't start a fire before you crank it though.
Crank it until the fuel vapor stops puffing from the cylinders?
Reinstall plugs. reconnect coil.
Once it begins trying to fire, then it may require foot manipulation to control whether fuel gets injected or not. I can't explain when and why (LOL), it's gained with lots of experience.
Make sure the battery is charged up.
Hold the gas pedal to the floor and keep it there. (This is known as "clear flood" or "dechoke"mode. The computer won't inject more gas while cranking as long as the throttle is wide open.)
Crank it for about 15 seconds, then stop and let the starter cool off for a minute or two.
Floor the gas pedal again and crank some more.
Lather, rinse, repeat. Wipe hands on pants.
If the original cause has been fixed, and the only problem now is that it is flooded, it eventually should begin trying to fire once enough fresh air has been passed through to dry out some of the raw fuel. It might take a while even after the first cylinder tries to fire, since the rest are still wet.
....
If you try to oil the cylinders, don't use more than about a teaspoon of oil in each cylinder.
Crank it a few seconds before you put the plugs back in to clear out excess oil....Some people bend rods because they skip this step.
Remember, once it's been flooded, there is raw gas standing in the cylinders that gets the spark plugs wet when you crank it.
Wet plugs can't fire, and the liquid gasoline washes the oil film off of the cylinder walls so the compression is lowered.
It can take a lot of cranking before enough gas has been dried out to get it to actually run. Some engines won't even run after that, they still need oil added to the cylinders manually.
Got an air compressor? An air blow gun with a long thin tube could be used to dry the cylinders.
You can pull out the plugs and dry them, and you can crank the engine with the plugs out (and gas pedal on the floor). That can help dry the cylinders too.
Disable the coil so you don't start a fire before you crank it though.
Crank it until the fuel vapor stops puffing from the cylinders?
Reinstall plugs. reconnect coil.
Once it begins trying to fire, then it may require foot manipulation to control whether fuel gets injected or not. I can't explain when and why (LOL), it's gained with lots of experience.
A flooded engine can be hell to get started again.
If flooded, the spark plugs should be soaking wet with gasoline.
Wet plugs can't fire, and more fuel keeps getting pumped in each time you crank it.
A flooded engine can be hell to get started again.
When you have to get a flooded engine started, hold the gas pedal to the floor before you turn the key--- and keep it on the floor the entire time you crank it.
Get a charger on the battery first. A weak battery just makes this more difficult.
Assuming it is JUST flooded due to circumstances or operator error and nothing else is wrong
Dry the cylinders out and dry or replace the plugs (wet plugs won't fire), disable fuel injection and crank several times with spark plugs removed to try to expel raw fuel
Re-oil the cylinders so the rings can seal again and restore some compression, pour a couple tablespoons of engine oil through each of the spark plug holes
crank again with plugs left out to distribute that oil in the cylinders and to make sure excess oil is blown out and you won't bend connecting rods
(always lay a towel over the spark plug holes while cranking, this should help catch any liquids that come out of the spark plug holes ---to reduce messes)
Reinstall plugs.
Hold gas pedal flat to the floor during cranking (deflood mode, fuel is not injected) until you hear it try to fire. After it tries to fire you will have to use the gas pedal to work the fuel on and off until it will run on its own.
Deflood procedure can still take forever to work even when all is operating correctly.
Once it does run, get it out on the road and drive it until it's up to operating temperature. DO NOT shut it off until it's warmed up, that's what usually causes an engine to flood and not start.
Wet plugs can't fire, and more fuel keeps getting pumped in each time you crank it.
A flooded engine can be hell to get started again.
When you have to get a flooded engine started, hold the gas pedal to the floor before you turn the key--- and keep it on the floor the entire time you crank it.
Get a charger on the battery first. A weak battery just makes this more difficult.
Assuming it is JUST flooded due to circumstances or operator error and nothing else is wrong
Dry the cylinders out and dry or replace the plugs (wet plugs won't fire), disable fuel injection and crank several times with spark plugs removed to try to expel raw fuel
Re-oil the cylinders so the rings can seal again and restore some compression, pour a couple tablespoons of engine oil through each of the spark plug holes
crank again with plugs left out to distribute that oil in the cylinders and to make sure excess oil is blown out and you won't bend connecting rods
(always lay a towel over the spark plug holes while cranking, this should help catch any liquids that come out of the spark plug holes ---to reduce messes)
Reinstall plugs.
Hold gas pedal flat to the floor during cranking (deflood mode, fuel is not injected) until you hear it try to fire. After it tries to fire you will have to use the gas pedal to work the fuel on and off until it will run on its own.
Deflood procedure can still take forever to work even when all is operating correctly.
Once it does run, get it out on the road and drive it until it's up to operating temperature. DO NOT shut it off until it's warmed up, that's what usually causes an engine to flood and not start.
Sooty plugs can soak up fuel easily and not fire
try heating the plug tips with a small blowtorch then screw em in and crank it??
whiff the torch over the plug holes to burn off excess fuel in the cylinders? (very dangerous)
try heating the plug tips with a small blowtorch then screw em in and crank it??
whiff the torch over the plug holes to burn off excess fuel in the cylinders? (very dangerous)
Unplug the injectors so they can't squirt any more fuel in.
Then keep trying until it does fire and try to run on the leftover excess fuel that's in the cylinders and intake manifold already....once it fires and tries to run all that excess fuel out, then reconnect the injectors and see if it will start and run on its own (will probably still need to manipulate the gas pedal)
Then keep trying until it does fire and try to run on the leftover excess fuel that's in the cylinders and intake manifold already....once it fires and tries to run all that excess fuel out, then reconnect the injectors and see if it will start and run on its own (will probably still need to manipulate the gas pedal)
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