Rep Power: 0

my 2001 honda civic lx i got it stuck in snow so i was going forward and backwards rocking the car i was reving it up trying to get out and then it just shut off on me.it starts up runs for 2 sec an then dies again you can rev it up for a sec then it bogs down and dies.si idn what i did if some one can help i dont know if theres a safety switch on it.it didint overheat.but after geting the car out my manifold was glowing orange.so what did i do

 
Rep Power: 174

Well, that isn't normal. Did you try it after letting the darn thing cool down? Did your check engine light come on? Civics make for poor snow plows...

 
Rep Power: 0

i let it sit over night and nothing an know check engine lights

 
Rep Power: 174

Definitely get the codes checked and post them up!

 
Rep Power: 518

If it runs for 2 seconds then dies,

#1 see if the green key symbol on the dash is flashing rapidly as the engine dies
#2 see if the timing belt jumped time

Holy crap what did you do?

Cat or exhaust could be clogged if the cat came apart internally.

 
Rep Power: 0

car wants to start but wont i smell gas my cat was glowing bright red so i have know clue

 
Rep Power: 161

You probably melted the internal honeycomb of the cat, and now it's blocking the exhaust. That's why it dies right after it starts, it can't push exhaust through the blockage in the cat.

 
Rep Power: 0

yea when it starts for a sec black smoke comes out the tailpipe

 
Rep Power: 518

Unscrew the primary Oxygen sensor from the manifold (the top O2 sensor), then see if it will start.

 
Rep Power: 0

well cleaned cat out the car starts then shuts off what else could this be.i have know codes.i got stuck in the snow rocking the car back an forth then it shuts off i pop the hood and the cat is glowing...nothing make sence

 
Rep Power: 518

What's that mean? Why? How? What condition was it in?


How long does it run?

Try what I said earlier: Unscrew the primary Oxygen sensor from the manifold (the top O2 sensor), then see if it will start.


If it still won't start, pull out the top timing cover and see if the timing belt jumped time.

 
Rep Power: 0

It runs for 5 sec .the converter was melted inside.how do you remove the top timeing cover is it on the driver side

 
Rep Power: 518

5 whole seconds?
Then it shouldn't be immobilizer, the computer shuts the engine down at 2 seconds if that's the issue.


That would have been handy info earlier.

Pull the top O2 sensor out of the manifold and see if it will stay running. (or if the cat is completely hollow, you might unbolt the pipe from the bottom of the cat and let it hang open)
I'm thinking exhaust restriction-- there may be chunks of broken cat element that are still caught in the exhaust pipes further back in the system.

Yes, and you have to raise the valve cover in order to remove the upper timing cover. The valve cover has a lip that traps the timing cover.


If the cam timing is off by a tooth, that may explain why the cat overheated so bad. If the cam timing is off by two teeth or more, the computer may be shutting the engine down as a failsafe (but I think it shuts down at 2 seconds for this)

Other possible causes of cat overheating might be misfire or overfueling/extreme rich condition.

 
Rep Power: 0

Hey thanks for helping me with this.i checked the exhaust pipe all the way back and there is no blockage.when i unbolted the exhaust from the cat i tried starting it and it started ran for a few sec and shuts off.another thing i notices that my battery dies after a few cranks its a brand new battery i half to hook the battery charger too it.i dont know how geting stuck in snow caused all this i was reving it high but when i got the car out it it shut off and the cat was red then after cranking it 4 times my battery died .the snow was up to the bottom of the engine.i will time the motor to see for shure how many secs shes running for.i have a inova scanner and there are no codes and know check engine light on.the green key light aint flashing fast. its normal it blinks when you shut the car off till you pull the key out

 
Rep Power: 518

So, the cat is hollow, you can see thru it, pipe is detached, and still no change in how long it runs...

Immobi light sounds normal.

Battery has to be recharged after every use, new or not. It takes time to recharge a battery.


May sound stupid, but is there oil in the engine? You didn't damage the oil pan or anything when you got stuck?

 
Rep Power: 0

motor runs for 2 sec then shuts down i can rev it up the motor souds k it backfired through the intake a few times like a pop.the oil is good.i just took off the air filter box

 
Rep Power: 518

Check cam timing.
If it is far enough out of time, the computer shuts the engine down at 2 seconds.