b18b1 Cranks, but won't start
01-10-2011
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b18b1 Cranks, but won't start
For the last month or so I was helping my buddy rebuild his b18 after he spun a few bearings. We got it all together and dropped it back in the car, but when it came time to start it we were dissapointed when we just heard the engine cranking and not starting. I've rebuilt/swapped alot of engines in the past so I pretty much expected some problems at this point.
From there I double checked the mechanical timing thinking we might have jumped a tooth or two with the belt during cranking, but the marks were still dead on.
After that I took a timing light to the harmonic balancer (after jumping the service plug) and noticed the timing was way off. Keep in mind the motor isn't running at this point so the light was blinking intermittently, nonetheless, it was enough (in the dark) to line up the red mark with the indicator on the timing cover.
{A peculiar situation was that the distributer was nearly bottomed out advanced to line up the ignition mark.}
When that yielded no results we double checked the plugs.They were all getting a very bright snapping spark.
I then hooked up a compression tester to see if there might be a problem with the valve seats or piston rings (all of wich are brand new). The readings from cilinders 1-4 were: 180, 178, 172, 180. Given a 25psi dievience threshold and a service limit near 130 along with the fact that the engine is cold (like 18 degrees lol) and the rings haven't yet been seated these numbers are fine.
Earlier today I turned to the fuel supply. The injectors were reused, but still work fine. When I removed the plugs to do the compression test they all distinctly smelled like gas wich means all injectors are firing. The fuel filter is brand new.
{A peculiar situation was that gas merely dribbled out of the banjo bolt on top of the fuel filter when it was loosened even when the key is in the auxillary position and when it is cycled} I had expected gas to spray out with much more force than that. Tomorrow I will test fuel pressure and post the results.
At this point we became desperate and I began to slowly turn the distributer while my buddy cranked the engine to see if I coud find a "sweet spot" using the old school method (with the service port jumped). Doing this we've managed to get the engine to stammer over a few revolutions, but it never ran for more than a half of a second. I eventually gave up and moved it back to the recommended position using the marks i've made earlier.
There are no fuses blown and both the main and fuel relays are clicking on and off. There are presently no DTC's stored.
We've also cleaned all existing factory ground connections and have added three more. One to the exhaust manifold, one to the valve cover and one to the thermostat housing.
So everything's there. Spark, fuel, compression, timing (ignition and mechanicall) New plugs/wires/cap/rotor/fuel filter. There must be something vehicle specific i must have overlooked so I decided to post my problem in this forum in hope that one of you guys or girls can chime in with some suggestions. I've tried to be as discriptive as possible to avoid confusion as to what has already been replaced/checked, but if you have any additional questions don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks in advance.
From there I double checked the mechanical timing thinking we might have jumped a tooth or two with the belt during cranking, but the marks were still dead on.
After that I took a timing light to the harmonic balancer (after jumping the service plug) and noticed the timing was way off. Keep in mind the motor isn't running at this point so the light was blinking intermittently, nonetheless, it was enough (in the dark) to line up the red mark with the indicator on the timing cover.
{A peculiar situation was that the distributer was nearly bottomed out advanced to line up the ignition mark.}
When that yielded no results we double checked the plugs.They were all getting a very bright snapping spark.
I then hooked up a compression tester to see if there might be a problem with the valve seats or piston rings (all of wich are brand new). The readings from cilinders 1-4 were: 180, 178, 172, 180. Given a 25psi dievience threshold and a service limit near 130 along with the fact that the engine is cold (like 18 degrees lol) and the rings haven't yet been seated these numbers are fine.
Earlier today I turned to the fuel supply. The injectors were reused, but still work fine. When I removed the plugs to do the compression test they all distinctly smelled like gas wich means all injectors are firing. The fuel filter is brand new.
{A peculiar situation was that gas merely dribbled out of the banjo bolt on top of the fuel filter when it was loosened even when the key is in the auxillary position and when it is cycled} I had expected gas to spray out with much more force than that. Tomorrow I will test fuel pressure and post the results.
At this point we became desperate and I began to slowly turn the distributer while my buddy cranked the engine to see if I coud find a "sweet spot" using the old school method (with the service port jumped). Doing this we've managed to get the engine to stammer over a few revolutions, but it never ran for more than a half of a second. I eventually gave up and moved it back to the recommended position using the marks i've made earlier.
There are no fuses blown and both the main and fuel relays are clicking on and off. There are presently no DTC's stored.
We've also cleaned all existing factory ground connections and have added three more. One to the exhaust manifold, one to the valve cover and one to the thermostat housing.
So everything's there. Spark, fuel, compression, timing (ignition and mechanicall) New plugs/wires/cap/rotor/fuel filter. There must be something vehicle specific i must have overlooked so I decided to post my problem in this forum in hope that one of you guys or girls can chime in with some suggestions. I've tried to be as discriptive as possible to avoid confusion as to what has already been replaced/checked, but if you have any additional questions don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks in advance.
01-10-2011
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Re: b18b1 Cranks, but won't start
When you pulled the plugs they smelled like gas... are you sure they are all firing? I'd replace them and test again. If that doesnt fix it.. There has to be something screwy with timing.
01-10-2011
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Thank you for the quick response TRIZ.
I have checked each plug for spark agianst the exhaust manifold and as stated earlier "They were all getting a very bright snapping spark."
The engine has absolutely no mileage on it and the plugs are brand new, gapped to .030 and are not discolored or cracked. The wires/cap/rotor were also replaced while the engine was out of the car. Given this, I do not feel that replacing the plugs will change the outcome.
Both the mechanical and the ignition timing were triple checked although the ignition timing was done only under the power of the starter (for obvious reasons).
The only thing that struck me as odd in regard to the timing was the fact that the distributer was nearly bottomed out in the advanced position to get the 14degree (red) timing mark lined up with the indicator on the timing cover.
I have checked each plug for spark agianst the exhaust manifold and as stated earlier "They were all getting a very bright snapping spark."
The engine has absolutely no mileage on it and the plugs are brand new, gapped to .030 and are not discolored or cracked. The wires/cap/rotor were also replaced while the engine was out of the car. Given this, I do not feel that replacing the plugs will change the outcome.
Both the mechanical and the ignition timing were triple checked although the ignition timing was done only under the power of the starter (for obvious reasons).
The only thing that struck me as odd in regard to the timing was the fact that the distributer was nearly bottomed out in the advanced position to get the 14degree (red) timing mark lined up with the indicator on the timing cover.
Last edited by dannwo1; 01-10-2011 at 02:53 AM. Reason: Grammar
01-10-2011
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I have a 2001 Honda Civic LX and 2 days ago my car would'nt start so a few hours later I tried again and it started but the heater, radio or rear fogger buttons wouldn't work unless I turned the headlights on. I also have an immobilizer security key green light that flashes. What could be wrong?
01-10-2011
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Seriously? You're going to hijack my thread after only one post?
B.T.W. You blew an interior fuse. You should remove the old one with a slide hammer and install the new one with a hydrolic press.
B.T.W. You blew an interior fuse. You should remove the old one with a slide hammer and install the new one with a hydrolic press.
01-11-2011
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12-29-2011
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so i got my hatchback that is similar to your problem. its cranking but its not starting. 
i bought this car for 900 bucks. it was missing some parts but i didnt really care. it was a cheap project car for me with a LS swap.
when i bought it the guy told me when ever i wanna turn on the car i have to revv the motor up so it warms up. but i notice when i took the car home and i fail to revv up the motor to let it warm up. the car would have a hard time turning on or it wont turn on at all for that day and the next day it would allow me to do the same thing and gives me a chance to revv up the motor. and ever since i been doing that the car feels weaker and weaker and now its not giving me that chance to revv up the motor to let it warm up anymore. so its just sitting there and cranking.
i also noticed after i bought the car i changed the spark plugs to see if it helps that "warming up" problem. and it did. for a few weeks and i had to do the same thing every morning to warm up the car again. im wonderring what could it be. my mechanic was telling me that its somethign with the wiring under the dash but it does not make any sense to me that it would be the wiring under the dash if my motor still ignites once inna while.
i recently done the following things. -changed my axles - changed my main relay - changed my fuel filter -motor oil and tranny -added on a exhaust with a test pipe - changed the spark plugs
i checked the dizzy for spark in the spark plugs. and its getting spark. all the car is doing now is cranking. something tells my fuel injectors are clogged and im not getting fuel when i crank the car.
i bought this car for 900 bucks. it was missing some parts but i didnt really care. it was a cheap project car for me with a LS swap.
when i bought it the guy told me when ever i wanna turn on the car i have to revv the motor up so it warms up. but i notice when i took the car home and i fail to revv up the motor to let it warm up. the car would have a hard time turning on or it wont turn on at all for that day and the next day it would allow me to do the same thing and gives me a chance to revv up the motor. and ever since i been doing that the car feels weaker and weaker and now its not giving me that chance to revv up the motor to let it warm up anymore. so its just sitting there and cranking.
i also noticed after i bought the car i changed the spark plugs to see if it helps that "warming up" problem. and it did. for a few weeks and i had to do the same thing every morning to warm up the car again. im wonderring what could it be. my mechanic was telling me that its somethign with the wiring under the dash but it does not make any sense to me that it would be the wiring under the dash if my motor still ignites once inna while.
i recently done the following things. -changed my axles - changed my main relay - changed my fuel filter -motor oil and tranny -added on a exhaust with a test pipe - changed the spark plugs
i checked the dizzy for spark in the spark plugs. and its getting spark. all the car is doing now is cranking. something tells my fuel injectors are clogged and im not getting fuel when i crank the car.
12-29-2011
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For the last month or so I was helping my buddy rebuild his b18 after he spun a few bearings. We got it all together and dropped it back in the car, but when it came time to start it we were dissapointed when we just heard the engine cranking and not starting. I've rebuilt/swapped alot of engines in the past so I pretty much expected some problems at this point.
From there I double checked the mechanical timing thinking we might have jumped a tooth or two with the belt during cranking, but the marks were still dead on.
After that I took a timing light to the harmonic balancer (after jumping the service plug) and noticed the timing was way off. Keep in mind the motor isn't running at this point so the light was blinking intermittently, nonetheless, it was enough (in the dark) to line up the red mark with the indicator on the timing cover.
{A peculiar situation was that the distributer was nearly bottomed out advanced to line up the ignition mark.}
When that yielded no results we double checked the plugs.They were all getting a very bright snapping spark.
I then hooked up a compression tester to see if there might be a problem with the valve seats or piston rings (all of wich are brand new). The readings from cilinders 1-4 were: 180, 178, 172, 180. Given a 25psi dievience threshold and a service limit near 130 along with the fact that the engine is cold (like 18 degrees lol) and the rings haven't yet been seated these numbers are fine.
Earlier today I turned to the fuel supply. The injectors were reused, but still work fine. When I removed the plugs to do the compression test they all distinctly smelled like gas wich means all injectors are firing. The fuel filter is brand new.
{A peculiar situation was that gas merely dribbled out of the banjo bolt on top of the fuel filter when it was loosened even when the key is in the auxillary position and when it is cycled} I had expected gas to spray out with much more force than that. Tomorrow I will test fuel pressure and post the results.
At this point we became desperate and I began to slowly turn the distributer while my buddy cranked the engine to see if I coud find a "sweet spot" using the old school method (with the service port jumped). Doing this we've managed to get the engine to stammer over a few revolutions, but it never ran for more than a half of a second. I eventually gave up and moved it back to the recommended position using the marks i've made earlier.
There are no fuses blown and both the main and fuel relays are clicking on and off. There are presently no DTC's stored.
We've also cleaned all existing factory ground connections and have added three more. One to the exhaust manifold, one to the valve cover and one to the thermostat housing.
So everything's there. Spark, fuel, compression, timing (ignition and mechanicall) New plugs/wires/cap/rotor/fuel filter. There must be something vehicle specific i must have overlooked so I decided to post my problem in this forum in hope that one of you guys or girls can chime in with some suggestions. I've tried to be as discriptive as possible to avoid confusion as to what has already been replaced/checked, but if you have any additional questions don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks in advance.
From there I double checked the mechanical timing thinking we might have jumped a tooth or two with the belt during cranking, but the marks were still dead on.
After that I took a timing light to the harmonic balancer (after jumping the service plug) and noticed the timing was way off. Keep in mind the motor isn't running at this point so the light was blinking intermittently, nonetheless, it was enough (in the dark) to line up the red mark with the indicator on the timing cover.
{A peculiar situation was that the distributer was nearly bottomed out advanced to line up the ignition mark.}
When that yielded no results we double checked the plugs.They were all getting a very bright snapping spark.
I then hooked up a compression tester to see if there might be a problem with the valve seats or piston rings (all of wich are brand new). The readings from cilinders 1-4 were: 180, 178, 172, 180. Given a 25psi dievience threshold and a service limit near 130 along with the fact that the engine is cold (like 18 degrees lol) and the rings haven't yet been seated these numbers are fine.
Earlier today I turned to the fuel supply. The injectors were reused, but still work fine. When I removed the plugs to do the compression test they all distinctly smelled like gas wich means all injectors are firing. The fuel filter is brand new.
{A peculiar situation was that gas merely dribbled out of the banjo bolt on top of the fuel filter when it was loosened even when the key is in the auxillary position and when it is cycled} I had expected gas to spray out with much more force than that. Tomorrow I will test fuel pressure and post the results.
At this point we became desperate and I began to slowly turn the distributer while my buddy cranked the engine to see if I coud find a "sweet spot" using the old school method (with the service port jumped). Doing this we've managed to get the engine to stammer over a few revolutions, but it never ran for more than a half of a second. I eventually gave up and moved it back to the recommended position using the marks i've made earlier.
There are no fuses blown and both the main and fuel relays are clicking on and off. There are presently no DTC's stored.
We've also cleaned all existing factory ground connections and have added three more. One to the exhaust manifold, one to the valve cover and one to the thermostat housing.
So everything's there. Spark, fuel, compression, timing (ignition and mechanicall) New plugs/wires/cap/rotor/fuel filter. There must be something vehicle specific i must have overlooked so I decided to post my problem in this forum in hope that one of you guys or girls can chime in with some suggestions. I've tried to be as discriptive as possible to avoid confusion as to what has already been replaced/checked, but if you have any additional questions don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks in advance.
so i got my hatchback that is similar to your problem. its cranking but its not starting.
i bought this car for 900 bucks. it was missing some parts but i didnt really care. it was a cheap project car for me with a LS swap.
when i bought it the guy told me when ever i wanna turn on the car i have to revv the motor up so it warms up. but i notice when i took the car home and i fail to revv up the motor to let it warm up. the car would have a hard time turning on or it wont turn on at all for that day and the next day it would allow me to do the same thing and gives me a chance to revv up the motor. and ever since i been doing that the car feels weaker and weaker and now its not giving me that chance to revv up the motor to let it warm up anymore. so its just sitting there and cranking.
i also noticed after i bought the car i changed the spark plugs to see if it helps that "warming up" problem. and it did. for a few weeks and i had to do the same thing every morning to warm up the car again. im wonderring what could it be. my mechanic was telling me that its somethign with the wiring under the dash but it does not make any sense to me that it would be the wiring under the dash if my motor still ignites once inna while.
i recently done the following things. -changed my axles - changed my main relay - changed my fuel filter -motor oil and tranny -added on a exhaust with a test pipe - changed the spark plugs
i checked the dizzy for spark in the spark plugs. and its getting spark. all the car is doing now is cranking. something tells my fuel injectors are clogged and im not getting fuel when i crank the car.
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