Rep Power: 0

ok. so I was driving and the car just died, By that i mean, I was driving out of a parking lot, and then it just stopped. and It wouldn't start while the starter motor would turn for a few times. Maybe ten times I tried to start the car, but the starter motor would turn and tries to start it, but it wouldn't. Then everything went dead, not even the emergency light would come on. I would turn the key and it wouldn't make the starting noise.

Then a bystander asked me if I needed a jump, and I explained what was happening. And she hooked up the cables to jump start the car, then we heard something whirring and spinning in the car without me having to turn the key. I didn't even had to put the key in the ignition, but you could hear something spinning. It's like the starter motor was stuck on "on." and when I tried to turn the ignition, the car wouldn't start.

so the symptoms are

1. the car just died while in driving
2. trying to start the car by turning the ignition didn't work for at least ten times.
3. then the power went dead. and turning the ignition wouldn't even start the emergency lights.
4. upon being jump started with another car, it would light up, but the car wouldn't turn over.
5,. while it was being jump started, there was a whirring spinning sound even without the key in the ignition. it was like the starter was stuck in spinning mode or something

I did have previous problem with the starter mechanism in the past where if i jammed the key too far in, the car wouldn't start.

The person who was helping me said something in the starter motor might be stuck. I have no idea what's going on. It's for now, parked in front or a business on a public street, which in california is legal I think.

Help me with the next course of action please..

 
Rep Power: 222

Timing belt probably broke and then you cooked the starter trying to start it so many times.
need to check if your timing belt is still ok or not, and if the engine is still in time.
You might be able to smack the starter and have it work normally again. I did on one of my old cars.

 
Rep Power: 0

I don't even know where the timing belt or the starter is...

 
Rep Power: 367

bring either a mechanic or a friend that knows cars

 
Rep Power: 126

How did it sounds when it was trying to start? Was it a continuous whirring instead of a normal thud-thud-thud?

 
Rep Power: 224

For the engine timing...

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...ne-timing.html

 
Rep Power: 0

when it was being jumped by another car, it was a continual spinning sound like a motor was running. prior to that before it just all died, it was liek cranking the car to get it started. but then it all went dead..

 
Rep Power: 126

Is the second one what it sounded like?

 
Rep Power: 222

Take it to a shop then

 
Rep Power: 0

when the second scenario in the video stops, when he stops cranking the key, it has that motor sound that spins and then slows down. it as making that motor sound when the key was not in the ignition while being jumped.

 
Rep Power: 0

yeah, I'll have to get it towed to a shop nearby tomorrow morning. i wonder how much the cost is if it is a timing belt or bad starter

 
Rep Power: 367

If (mind you, if) timing belt, it will be high

 
Rep Power: 126

If the timing belt did in fact snap, there's a 99% chance that it's a writeoff. Getting that repaired would far exceed the value of the car

 
Rep Power: 0

I see. I paid 3400 back in 2015 for it. I didn't hardly put any miles on it. it has 199K miles on it.

 
Rep Power: 126

That's right at the point where the timing belt needs to be replaced. That's probably the culprit.

 
Rep Power: 367

the problem is that the engine is interference type, as in, when the timing belt is a goner, well, the valves will not be in sync with the rest of the engine and the pistons will get out of the platonic relationship and hearth-fully kiss the valves. Meaning the interference will damage the engine physically.

 
Rep Power: 0

Is there a way to synchronize them? or is that what makes it costly? Google tells me that timing belt replacement for honda civic lx 2001 will be around 300 bucks which I can handle.

 
Rep Power: 512

With the head off, you have to make sure both head and block are set at top dead center. That's how you synchronize them. On the cam gear, there's one spoke that says "up" or "top" (forgot what it actually says), and on the crank pulley, there's a mark that you have to line up with the arrows on the timing belt cover.

I had my timing belt.. not necessarily snap, but my TDC sensor decided to vibrate itself loose and eat up the timing belt, causing it to slip bad. Bent all 16 valves. That video that Chez posted up gave me PTSD from the nasty groaning sound it made when I swapped the timing belt (in hopes that that was all that needed to be fixed). I will say, that is the fastest I ever swapped a timing belt though. lol

 
Rep Power: 367

The timing belt is what the name says. It times the piston and the valves.

If the belt snapped, it already went out of timing and the subsequent attempts to start could have made it worse. In other words, syncing then now is pointless. If it snapped

 
Rep Power: 126

Doing it yourself may cost $300. A shop would charge at least double that (probably closer to triple), and that's assuming your valves and pistons didn't hit. If they did, that engine is probably toast. Replacing the engine at a shop will charge probably $1500-$2000 all-in.

Those timing belts are a pain in the *** to change compared to others that I've done. That $300 you read is probably for a simpler car (ie no power steering or AC)

 
Rep Power: 0

Oh I see what you're saying. I meant I could handle the cost of 300 bucks. not that I can handle replacing it on my own. sorry for the confusion. I have to get this fixed, i'm calling the dealer mechanics to see what they say and what the estimate at a dealer is. Then probably call a guy I know and my car has both power steering and AC, btw.

 
Rep Power: 224

Make sure they troubleshoot first. Let us know what they find.

 
Rep Power: 0

Ok. update. just got the car back today. The mechanics said the timing belt was snapped but apparently it didn't bend the valves. and the starter motor was stuck on "on" which is why it was making that whirring noise when the car was being jumped.

But another thing I've noticed was that it was making a screeching noise as I pulled away from the shop, so I asked the guy, and he looked at it, and said the AC compressor is going. He recommended ordering the part online, but i probably won't need it any time soon, because I noticed the screeching sound from the compressor only happens when I make sudden acceleration and while i drove around, it started making the noise less often until it completely stopped. (this makes me wonder if there is a way to knock some lose or put it out of place on the compressor while changing the timing belt? and maybe that's why it was making that noise? This happened once before, but while i was turning only. This might be a future problem I come to this board with)

 
Rep Power: 512

You lucked tf out dude. Holy hell

 
Rep Power: 0

I'm not complaining. And the cost was 600 bucks total. It's more than I am comfortable with but glad to have the car back.

 
Rep Power: 126

That makes two of us. I didn’t want to get your hopes up because it’s seriously rare to have happen.

 
Rep Power: 0

huh, maybe the starter dying or getting stuck on on mode was the the reason why the pistons didn't bend the valves?

 
Rep Power: 126

It would've snapped exactly at top dead center. That's pretty much the only way your engine doesn't destroy itself in that scenario. The same happened for me. You have about a one in a thousand chance of it surviving.

 
Rep Power: 0

damn. surviving as in for me or the car? 1 in a thousand is pretty miraculous. I feel good.,

 
Rep Power: 512

Like I said earlier. Mine didn't quite snap (about 1/4" width left) and all 16 of mine were bent. I hadn't mentioned was about 2000 miles prior (or was it 200 miles? idk..), I just did a head gasket change. I couldn't get a torque wrench on the TDC sensor so I just tightened it down as I felt necessary. Apparently it wasn't enough.