99 civic EX problem. not sure what.

[killercamaro]

first, ran a search and couldnt find anything specific to this. also, this is my sisters car. its a 99 civic EX thats 100% stock and has 102XXX miles on it. what happened: she was driving it to work and (according to her) it just completely died in the middle of the road. yes, theres plenty of gas in the tank. we (my dad and i) have checked spark (good), fuel (40 psi), and pretty much everything else we can think of. it will turn over, but wont start. wont even hiccup like it wants to start. basically, we're out of ideas. anyone here have any experience with a car just dying completely out of the blue? thanks!

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[shawn_crx]

Did you check for your dizzy module????
it may spark but it will not spark enough to turn the engine. Did you check 1 cyclinder or all 4 for spark? I would take out all the spark plug, check it, and clean/dry it.
also look for loose grounds

[killercamaro]

Originally Posted by shawn_crx

Did you check for your dizzy module????
it may spark but it will not spark enough to turn the engine. Did you check 1 cyclinder or all 4 for spark? I would take out all the spark plug, check it, and clean/dry it.
also look for loose grounds

we checked 2 of 4 for spark. both had spark, and we replaced the plugs for good measure. good call on loose grounds, i had overlooked that.

and being that i tend to work on older carbed cars, what is a dizzy module? or is that some joke like blinker fluid? haha.

[geneeunit]

do you have a check engine light?

[killercamaro]

Originally Posted by geneeunit

do you have a check engine light?

no. theres no check engine light on at all. and according to my sister it never came on even when it died initially, which i find a bit odd, but i wasnt there.

[shawn_crx]

LOL blinker fluid...
sry... dizzy module = ICU ignition module inside your dizzy.

[killercamaro]

Originally Posted by shawn_crx

LOL blinker fluid...
sry... dizzy module = ICU ignition module inside your dizzy.

haha. ok, still dont know what a dizzy is, or how something can be inside it. but no, we haven't checked the ICU. mainly for lack of knowing how to check it. so, how does one check the ICU?

[shawn_crx]

Dizzy= distributor... short name....

here is a link...
http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread...t=dizzy+module

[R666_EK]

The DIZZY = Distributor. Civics have an "internal" coil, and ICU

However, since you say you have spark, I have you thought of the main relay?

My first though was ignition switch, but I noticed you said it doesn't even attempt to start. Pretty much ruling that out.

My assumption would be that "IF" it was infact getting spark, just a small amount, or only on 2 or 3 cylinders, it would still fire, but run extremely rough or only for a second and shut down.

[killercamaro]

Originally Posted by R666_EK

The DIZZY = Distributor. Civics have an "internal" coil, and ICU

However, since you say you have spark, I have you thought of the main relay?

My first though was ignition switch, but I noticed you said it doesn't even attempt to start. Pretty much ruling that out.

My assumption would be that "IF" it was infact getting spark, just a small amount, or only on 2 or 3 cylinders, it would still fire, but run extremely rough or only for a second and shut down.

see i thought the same thing. if its getting spark and fuel, it should at least attempt to run. by main relay, you mean what? like i said, im used to working on mostly carbed cars. i know the technical side of EFI and whatnot, but not the more model-specific terminology. (i usually just say "distributor", for example. haha)

[josiah965]

ive had this problem a couple times. on my civic it was doing that cuz the alternater was goin bad... but i that happened to my geo tracker and it was a loose ground on the starter.

[R666_EK]

The main relay is what basically controls the fuel pump. Tells it what to do.

Check out this site. It will also tell you how to remove and test.

http://techauto.tripod.com/

[killercamaro]

Originally Posted by R666_EK

The main relay is what basically controls the fuel pump. Tells it what to do.

Check out this site. It will also tell you how to remove and test.

http://techauto.tripod.com/

very interesting site. thanks for the link. sadly, the car doesnt really show any of the symptoms from there, save for MAYBE the bad coil symptoms.

the car being outside, inside, hot, cold, heater on/of, and all that from the main relay part make no difference here. and the fuel pump is working as we can both hear it when the key is turned on.

dash is still lit iirc and its not that it can start and stalls later, rather that is just flat wont start at all.

i've been wondering if it may have jumped time on the timing belt, but im not sure how to test for that either.

[shawn_crx]

Check for timing, line up the Crank TDC with the CAM TDC markings, but you have to take your valve cover off to see the cam TDC.
Could you get your hand on another dizzy?
What happened to mine was, one night it just crank and crank... won't turn on....
I test for spark / fuel / timing/ all there... My bro said it was my module.. so i switch the module and it started like a champ... So to make the story short, you'll get spark but it probably won't be every cycle loop to start the engine, or it's other cyclinder are not firing.

[RonJ@HT]

If the CEL doesn't work, then you won't know whether a code is thrown. When you turn the key to ON(II), the CEL should turn on and then off after 2 seconds if no codes are thrown.

What color is spark at the plugs? It should be bright white, not weak orange or blue.

As mentioned, also check whether the timing belt skipped a few teeth.

[Deuce1]

Listen to RonJ@ht, he knows what he is talking about.

[killercamaro]

Originally Posted by RonJ@HT

If the CEL doesn't work, then you won't know whether a code is thrown. When you turn the key to ON(II), the CEL should turn on and then off after 2 seconds if no codes are thrown.

What color is spark at the plugs? It should be bright white, not weak orange or blue.

As mentioned, also check whether the timing belt skipped a few teeth.

the CEL does come on for the 2 second start up time, but goes off after that.

spark is not a bright white. i'd say more of a dull white or light blue.

i'd love to check the timing belt for skipping, but how?