Home › Forums › Stay Dirty Lounge › Service and Repair Questions Answered Here › 2002 Civic Engine cranks but immediately shut off
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January 26, 2013 at 2:37 am #495766
I changed out the head gasket on my daughter’s 2002 civic based on recommendations from dealership mechanic due to overheating issues. I have completed the job, with the help of your videos plus other youtubers and from my Hanes manual. The vehicle will turnover then immediately shut off. I noticed that there’s oil all under the floor after attempted starts? I’m pretty sure I put everything back together, but since I’m a novice repair person, I’m really not sure now! My buddy mentioned that the engine might not be timed properly; any ideas?
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January 26, 2013 at 3:11 am #495782
No luv here for a brother!!! I guess will have to go it alone on youtube and in cyberspace. Thank for all the help.
January 26, 2013 at 4:32 am #495799Did you properly time the engine??? The cam pulley has 2 hash marks that line up with the surface of the head and the crank has a white mark and a pointer to line up. Where does the oil seem to be coming from? Did you check the headgasket against the original before you slapped it on? There is lots to screw up on a headgasket job so ya gotta start from the basics. All grounds and connections tight?
January 26, 2013 at 4:48 am #495802The UP-spoke on the camshaft was facing up (perpendicular to engine), with the spark plug removed from the number #1 cyclinder location, verified with a long screwdriver that cylinder #1 was at TDC, and finally indicator on the crankshaft sprocket aligned with the arrow on the engine case. All grounds tightened, and I believe everything put back together properly. Head gasket was a exact duplicate of the original (oem) and I believe was placed on correctly with appropriate torque. Now that I had some help to push the vehicle up the incline back into my garage, will verify where exactly the oil is coming from. I appreciate the feedback!
January 26, 2013 at 2:20 pm #495942Maybe a blessing in disquise that the engine did not remain running since I found where the oil was coming from! I removed the oil filter for better access to the intake manifold brace bolts but forgot to replace it :oops
Which begs the next question, would this act in itself stop the engine from continuing to run? This would be great to know before revisting my timing belt to verify whether it’s timed correclty!!! And especially since my battery is dead and I have to push the vehicle out the garage down a slight decline to jump start and will have to wait till I get help to push back into garage before I can continue work.
Appreciate any and all feedbacks.
January 27, 2013 at 9:35 am #496161They will run until they seize, probably not your case. Fill er up with oil and put a new filter on.
Does the key light flash with the key turned to the on position?
January 27, 2013 at 2:39 pm #496181Any codes?
Does it continue to run if you hold down the theottle half way?If it starts, then dies, the belt is probably installed correctly.
January 28, 2013 at 1:25 am #496316Yes, even with throttle it started then shut off. I actually tore it back down and reinstalled the timing belt, i feel more confident this time around. One problem though, I broke off the one of the valve cover bolts in the threads of the cylinder block; damn it! I will have to go to a harware store and see if I can find an extraction tool of sorts; maybe try sears, they definitely need the business. Also, will try to find a replace bolt at honda on Monday!
If anyone know where I can get either of these items on the cheap (but with quality) please let me know. Did see some replacement bolts on Amazon, but they son’t match mine.
Question, did I post under the correct topic, or should I have posted under a topic related to the head gasket initially? Just want to know for the future!
Thanks for the feedback; please keep them coming!
January 28, 2013 at 1:30 am #496318Pic of valve cover bolt!
January 28, 2013 at 1:34 am #496320yes the did the key light did flash. When it did start, I heard a slight back fire then it immediately shut off. I’ve since redid the timing and now in the process of rebuilding. New obstacle, broken valve cover bolt in cyclinder head casing.
January 28, 2013 at 1:35 am #496327sorry, pic of bolt now attached!
Attachments:January 28, 2013 at 2:23 am #496330How far was the timing off? (if it was?)
Is the bolt easily accessable? Any portion of it sticking out? If there is then you can try to “walk it out” with a punch or small pair of vice grips. If its submerged into the block/head then you will need some sort of extraction tool. If its cross threaded you may not be able to get it out without drilling.
If the key light is flashing continuously with the key in the on position then the immobilizer is not allowing the engine to run but the symptoms your describing dont sound like thats an issue.
January 30, 2013 at 9:47 am #497049Not quite 180 out; I guess that’s what caused it to backfire?
The broken bolt is accessble, but not sticking out.I purchased a replacement bolt from the dealer for $10, an extraction tool from Sears and will give it a try in another day or so. I’m really axious to see if I got the timing right this time around and if the original problem (engine overheating) is finally resolved.
Thanks for hanging with me, I will keep you’ll posted.
February 5, 2013 at 12:20 am #499025Replaced my battery since it could not handle any loading and would draw down to 0v. This was verified by a sears technician; was a good time to swap out since I still had some value left on the old battery.
Also, had to change out my alternator since it appeared not to be recharging the battery; NO I didn’t just throw parts at the issue! Here’s what I did to troubleshoot it:
. verified minimal resistance between the battery (B+) and positive terminal of alternator.
. with the car rev’d at 2500mph, the known good battery began to decline in voltage.
. alternator warning light flashing in the dash.
. verified by O’Reilly technician that battery was not being recharged and that the positive
terminal of alternator was indeed connected; also verified that the alternator belt was tight.Issues still outstanding:
* flashing alternator light in dash, even though I replaced the alternator?
* SRS light illuminated in dash and will not go away?
* car idles at 0rpm (needle actually pegs at 0mph) – rough idle?
* will have to re-verify this one, but I believe the vehicle will not go beyond 60mph? Not sure
if I got the accelerator/cruise control cable swapped? I will verify on my way home tonight
since I have to take the highway home!Any help/guidance will be most appreciated!
February 5, 2013 at 12:54 am #499029So what exactly is the problem you need help with? Earlier you said the car would crank but wouldn’t start. Here you’re saying you can rev it at 2500rpm and take it up to 60mph.
Check your cable connectors. One I inadvertently swapped the TPS and MAP connectors. The car would idle but once I pressed the gas it would die.
Check your ground connections.
February 5, 2013 at 2:54 am #499090Earlier you said the car would crank but wouldn’t start.
* This has been a project starting with a head gasket replacement. I incorrectly time the engine
and it would not start, but I’ve moved on since then.To date here’s what I’ve done:
* correctly re-timed the engine 🙂
* replaced battery and the alternator (see previous entry):)Here are my latest issues:
* flashing alternator light in dash, even though I replaced the alternator 🙁
* SRS light illuminated in dash and will not go away 🙁
* car idles at 0rpm (needle actually pegs at 0mph) – rough idle 🙁
* will have to re-verify this one, but I believe the vehicle will not go beyond 60mph 🙁*** Not sure if I’m suppose to create a new thread for each problem? Please let me know and I
shall correct my ways!Thanks for the feedback and I will give your suggestion a try once I lookup TPS and MAP!!!
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