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jon66 · Aug 22, 2007, 06:41 AM

Okay-

Hopefully I will give enough detail here to give you an insight into my problem. Months ago my Honda started acting up. It would intermittently stop and immediately start while I was driving, I thought it was just the road but no it was actually cutting out on me. Since it wasn't consistent I thought water maybe in the gas tank; so used an additive and the problem seemed to go away. Now the car won't start at all.

Here's what I know ( sorry I am not very car savvy )

1. Car attempts to turn over but never start
2. After turning on the ignition:

Check engine light goes out after a few seconds
Can hear the fuel pump start but also hear it stop after a few seconds
Do not hear a click from the Main Relay ( don't know if I am deaf or retarded )

Pulled the main relay.. no excessive damage was apparent and no dry sockets on the board.

I had a similar problem a few years ago and had the ECM replaced with a used one. I am suspecting this maybe the problem since I see rampant failures of this module throughout the postings. Its an expensive part so I am a little leary of picking this as the first piece to replace.

Can anyone provide the detailed specs ( okay looking for pictures ) of doing the test on the ECM. I saw the post on checking the D19 / D21 connection; would this be included in a Shelton manual; is it worth buying?

Hopefully I haven't rambled on here.. but I would really appreciate any help. The car has 162,000 miles on it and has been a good commuter car (wife would love to see it go) but I just can't.

Thanks for any help.
Jon

TxGreaseMonkey · Aug 22, 2007, 07:29 AM

Reading sections A and B below should help you get your Civic running again:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...das-46563.html

It doesn't sound like the ECM is bad. Focus on the Ignition Control Module, coil, and distributor itself (sensors may be bad). Be sure to test all under-dash and under-hood fuses with a test light or multimeter:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...tml#post252145

jon66 · Aug 22, 2007, 09:45 AM

Sweet!

After working through all the steps the problem was a bad ignition coil - replaced the distributor cap and the rotor while I was there - but the coil was the problem and the car is humming like a champ again.

Thank you so much for the help. All the autoshops I talked to wanted to replace the fuel pump first but reading your posts I had a gut feeling that wasn't the problem.

Thanks AGAIN!

TxGreaseMonkey · Aug 22, 2007, 11:20 AM

Super job! Only 3 hours from originally posting your question to having it solved. Yes, a lot of people want to replace Honda fuel pumps; however, I have yet to find one that really needed replacing. 90%+ of "crank but won't start situations" are electrical-related, not fuel.

kenman · Aug 23, 2007, 02:58 PM

I have a similar problem... change spark plugs, main relay, cap and rotor, fuel filter... thinking about replacing the fuel pump, instead change the ECM (from junk yard) and everything working fine.

jon66 · Aug 24, 2007, 07:09 AM

The main difference in my problem; following the checklist was the fact that my CEL function normally ( always shut off after 2 seconds ). I wasn't sure about the main relay until I read closely the ( do you hear or feel the click ) so I put my finger on the main relay and could feel the click. So everything in the check list pointed to a ignition problem not the ECM/Main Relay or the Fuel pump. So glad you fixed your problem.. The checklist from TXGREASEMONKEY rocked!