A friend of mine has a Chevy Corsica,1990',4 cylinder,65,000 miles on it.he said it ran good night before but would not start the next day and still won't.Its getting fuel,cranks good and he said plugs are firing fine.He said the only thing he noticed was the idle pulled down when he switched rear defroster on.Any ideas on what it could be,I gave him several already but he is no mechanic.What could a novice check to find out what it is ?Its also been like -11 below where he lives if that helps.. And notice I'm saying HE... :D

On older cars of this generation, many "crank but won't start situations" are solved by:

. Checking all underdash and underhood fuses with a test light or multimeter:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-trucks/faq-how-troubleshoot-repair-maintain-hondas-selected-other-vehicles-46563-3.html#post252145

. Replacing Ignition Control Module (ICM):

While we find your parts, please enter your ZIP Code at PartsAmerica.com (http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=BOR&MfrPartNumber=CBE106&PartType=194&PTSet=A)

. Replacing coil packs (2):

While we find your parts, please enter your ZIP Code at PartsAmerica.com (http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=BOR&MfrPartNumber=E51&PartType=190&PTSet=A)

. Replacing spark plugs (ACDelco only).

. Spark plug wires.

ICMs are problematic components. Failing ICMs can still spark, but at the wrong time. He is long overdue to replace these basic ignition parts--usually 10 years or 120,000 miles, whichever comes first.

It has been my experience with a cranking engine that won't start is to first see if it is getting gas at the carburetor...if not, the cheapest first fix attempt is a fuel filter and if that does not cure the ill, it is probably going to be the fuel pump, probably located in the gas tank itself, not an easy job, but doable. Make sure you completely empty the tank before working on it. If you are not mechanically inclined, your best bet is take it to a garage, the fix is not that expensive and the pump is about $65.