No Start in 87 Civic w/b18a

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massivehead11

New Member
Can anybody help me out here? My civic wont start. It was running great, then on the freeway it all of the sudden went into limp home mode. I got home, and when I tried to start it again, it wouldn't start. It turns over, I've got fuel to the injectors, and I've got spark (tested w/ a cheap inline spark checker from Harbor Freight). Where do I check next?
 
fouled plugs?

if youve got fuel and spark...the only other component is air...

are you sure you didnt mistake limp mode for something breaking
 
I thought about the plugs, but do you think they would be so bad that the car would all of the sudden cease to start?

Also, I'm pretty sure it was limp home mode. The engine just shut down while I was driving on the freeway. The RPM's dropped to 3000 and would not go above that. The car ran and accelerated fine until 3000 RPM's, but would not go above that.
 
you might check the main relay too...they dont usually go bad this time of year, but you never know.

bad spark plugs can cause a lot of problems...it only takes a few minutes to check.
 
I was thinking it might be more electrical. Would a bad main relay allow the car to still turn over? Also, are there any fuses that may have blown that would have caused these symptoms?
 
The only fuse that comes to mind, with your symptom's would be the ECU fuse. Check it.
 
the main relay controls the fuel pump, so yes, the car can still turn over. Even a bad one will let the fuel pump prime...it just might not work when you try to start the car.

Think about when you try to start the car with a dead battery. The lights come on, the radio might even come on, but the second you turn that switch everything clicks off. Thats the way the fuel pump will work with a dieing main relay.

I agree, there is probably something electrical going on...i just couldnt say what without more info. Checking fuses, and ignition stuff is a good way to start.
 
Batteries can be tricky to the untrained eye. If you put a multimeter on the battery when the car has been sitting and it reads 12.2 volts, it is considered a discharging battery. Sometimes it can read 12.6 volts and still not start due to insufficient amperage. I usually test batteries by there CCA rating with a scan tool.
 
i got the same problem with my 89 crx non vtec erlier today, started and ran fine then started to cough splutter and run on 3 cylinders then sometimes catch again then ran on 2 cylinders, it starts from a push start and runs on 2 sometimes 3 cylinders but will not start from key, plugs are sparking (weak looking yellow spark) and wet with fuel , pump is priming but have not tested fuel pressure yet, going to try a new fuel filter tomorow and check pressre , il let you know if this solves the problem

Ps if u solve yours first please post the cure :D
 
i found my problem, it was what looked like a pice of rusty copper/steel wool inside my distributer shorting it out :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: any ideas if this is a component like small coil that i will need to replace that may have came loose and been shredded by the rotar arm? as if is i would like to replace to stop any future problems.
 
That "steel wool" is just an accumulation of the points within the cap wearing away. Creates metal shavings.

These ECUs don't have a "limp home mode". What you're looking at is likely a fuel or electrical issue.
 
problem fixed....sort of

Thanks guys for your help. I finally had a guy come look at it. Apparently it was just a bad distributor cap. I changed the cap and rotor and it starts and runs now. Apparently it was getting a spark but the spark wasn't strong enough to jump the gap. However, I am still facing my original issues. The car starts and idles fine now, but when I try to accelerate, the throttle cuts out at 3000 rpms. I know I have a bad oxygen sensor. Could that be the cause or would something else cause that?
 
bad o2 would definitely cause that.

there are actually quite a few things that will put an ECU in limp mode though.
 
I drove fine with a bad o2 sensor, it just ran a tad bit rich. If your getting a code, scan it and go from there.
 
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