General engine questions/issues that aren't specific to the other categories
User avatar
By LaosToaster
#229827 ok since this car is my project car (eg hatch b16) i got it to start about a month ago. it started fine, u can hear the starter, the engine cranking and all. but a few days back when my radiator hose slipped out off the radiator i havent started it since then til today, and i hooked up my horn too. :lol:

and NOW when i try to start my car my starter will spin freely, it sounds like its not spinning the flywheel but it is i have comfirmed that myself. so wth, if my flywheel is spinning then how come my engine wont crank? what prevents that from happening? :x

also i notice my BRAKE light goes on when i crank, i dont kno if thats normal. :?

i really need the help guys. i kno its not worn teeth at the flywheels cuz i can see it spin while cranked. :(
Last edited by LaosToaster on Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
By LaosToaster
#229839 Ok so the problem isn't as bas as I thought, my cam gears do rotate along with the crank pulley when I try to attempt to start. I have a slow crank now, my guess would be I have no more gas, I only put in 1 gallon a while back, or my battery is discharged but I just checked and I have about 11.95 volts.but I did recharge the battery about 3 times already that might be why. What do y'all think it can be?
User avatar
By JUICE
#229841 you should never run your car that low on gas anyway, it'll kill the pump.

fuel is kinda necessary for the motor to run :thumb: :lol:
User avatar
By Gustavo
#229843
JUICE wrote:you should never run your car that low on gas anyway, it'll kill the pump.

fuel is kinda necessary for the motor to run :thumb: :lol:

:thumb:
User avatar
By LaosToaster
#229847 lol i kno i was broke. tomorrow imma throw in more fuel. i guess my fuel gauge doesnt work cuz the needle is stuck above the E :( :oops: . and with the pump i found a BOSCH fuel pump in one of the civic in one of my local junkyard, lucky me.

i'll let u kno if GAS doesnt help it start lol :lol:
User avatar
By LaosToaster
#229929 Well I guess I was right. Gas wasn't the problem.I just filled up another gallon of gas and still had the same problem. This problem started after my radiator hose slipped out and spilled all over the engine bay. Could it have damaged the distributor or something else? I'm stumped :? :?

I know y'all have the answer to this
:)
User avatar
By teal_dx
#229980 pull a plug wire out and set it on the valve cover and then have someone try to start the car. you should be able to see the spark arc from the tip of the plug wire to the valve cover. it's easier to see at night.
if not, you don't have spark.
User avatar
By LaosToaster
#229993 well ok this is what i did today, i took off the distributor cap and sprayed the CAP ONLY with some carb cleaner and WD40 to displace the water( coolant blew up everywhere few days ago) :thumbdown:

i actually got the car started today after cranking it for 7 seconds :D , i counted lol. i got a video of it it should help yall out solving my problem.
but anyways, when it started it felt like i was running on only three pistons i had to keep my foot on the throttle to keep it alive and it was vibrating like hell, :( i think one of the spark plug wires is damaged. i remembered having a similar problem on my old 94 camry, turned out i had to replace the whole spark splug wire set. am i right or am i wrong? or both? thanks for the replies guys

oh and heres the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rngTyC9QNXw
User avatar
By asianrob
#229996 id try the wires.
User avatar
By LaosToaster
#230007 yea imma have to check those out, earlier today i plugged off the spark plug wires off the diz cap to spray WD 40 but i didnt bother taking off the rest of the plugs i got lazy :? . but i dont think unplugging it from the cap would cause such a prob.
User avatar
By EG6B18C1
#230020 check spark plug wires. Remove your Air intake Filter & then try to start the Car.
User avatar
By Gustavo
#230022 Yes do change ur wires. If it has a rip n it's touching metal it will spark n make ur car kinda boggy.
User avatar
By LaosToaster
#230555 i just tried starting her up again, this time when i crank the engine i can hear a thump or a snapping noise on every other cycle( or revolution) i dont kno how to say it. it goes something like this, when i crank its like 1-2-3-thump, 1-2-3-thump. and so on. imma replace the spark plug wires and check the spark plugs but first i gotta buy the socket to remove the damn thing :x
By BoostedD16
#230557 Not big on B series but I know some stupid stuff happens with D series distributors, I have had a couple take a shit on me and took a while to figure out. I getting spark on all cylinders but 3 had a misfire, thought injectors and everything turned out to be something inside the dizzy, slapped a new one in and ran mint. But yes try plugs and wires first.
User avatar
By LaosToaster
#231073 update; so i changed my spark plug wires and started her up. first try my engine did the exact same thing, felt like one dead piston, i keep my foot on gas for about a min. and then i just shut it off cuz it wasnt getting any better. so then probably like 15 mins later i started her up again, and she started up flawlessly!! :D .

But its weird how the first start up it acted like i still had my old spark plug wires in, and then the second time it ran great. anyone know why this would happen??

for the first time i took her out of the garage then later on i took her for a drive and i never ever drove a civic before. ITS PRETTY DAMN EXCITING, felt like i had accomplished alot since the car was pure trash when i got it. :thumb: im in love with her now.

EDIT: i took out my spark plugs and all of them were black, not oily black, just black, smelled smoky too. does this meaan im running rich??