G'day,

Being female I'm not very mechanically minded but, I'm doing some research for my uncle on his 1983/84 Rover Qunitet which he tells me is the same as a honda civic.

The problem is the car seems to be starving for fuel. The car starts fine but sounds like it is straving for fuel (even on a full tank) then cuts out and stops.

Eventually the engine starts and the car is perfectly fine to drive. It is difficult to start in the morning as most older cars are but we were wondering if anyone could shed some light on the problem.

The fuel filter has been changed and we are about to change the spark plugs again.

The second problem is the battery seems to run flat because I often find my uncle charging his battery. The battery itself is quite new and doesn't seem to be the problem. I think that the turnover problem is the reason for it running flat.

:o If anyone could help me or point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks


Finally. If any one could try to describe the location of the fuel pump it would be great also.

Several thoughts come to mind. These older Civic engines have carburetors, which periodically need to be cleaned and "rebuilt." It could easily be the problem. The fuel pump is likely located in the gas tank. If you turn the ignition switch to ON, you might be able to hear it briefly run in the gas tank. Frequently, you need to remove the rear seat for access.

Because of the age of the vehicle, and being familiar with Civic engines, I would recommend you change the igniter and possibly the coil, if they have not been replaced in the last 10 years. Igniters are very problematic on Hondas. Finally, go over the rest of the ignition system, making sure the rotor, distributor cap, spark plug wires, and vacuum advance are in excellent shape.

Should we also check the main relay?

Yes, that's an excellent idea. It's important to maintain the integrity of the heart of the ignition system.

The fuel filter is located in front of the drivers side rear wheel well under a plastic dust shield, this can be accessed with a 10 mm socket. Also, you might want to check your grounds (the negative battery cable is a big issue with this car, it tends to loose its plastic coating and corrode inside the wire) The other issue might be that one of the 2 sensors that tell your car that it is warmed up, is not functioning correctly (these are located on the carburetor itself. Also, you might want to check prices on a fuel pump (these are reletively inexpensive and simple to replace) seeing that it is located in the engine compartment right beside the distributor. If you need to find more information, or perhaps a factory service manual, please stop by Red Pepper Racing, I am a moderator there and all we deal with (mainly) are the 83-87 civic, crx, quintet, sedan, wagon.

Hi, it seems that the fuel pump is going bad. I had that problem before, the best way is to replace it.

I want to ask who can help me finding parts for a 83,84 rover quintet. I am looking for the wood dash panels, and the console that is right under the radio. Please if anyone knows who I can contact or where should I go I will appreciate it.
Thanks

Red Pepper Racing talk to the UK/NZ/Austrailian members perhaps they could find what you are looking for

On that year car, the carb should have a visible fuel level sightglass on drivers side of carb. Check to see that fuel is to center of glass with engine running. If it is and it starts and stalls, you may need to take top of carb off and clean out bowl. Remember you have a fuel-cut solenoid in back of carb that needs to be on, key on when cleaning carb so that those passages get cleaned too. The dist rotor is what tells the fuel pump to activate so you may want to replace. Replace with a genuine honda part. If the car starts and runs OK but seems to starve for fuel, skip the coil and igniter. You are probably wasting your money. I've worked on hondas for years and never had any of that fail on a car that year without causing a no-start period.