Help! crank/no start with a twist SOLVED!!!!

[Denis]

I have a 2005 honda civic lx that I bought 2 months ago with 65k miles. It now has 67k and the other day it died at the red light and here I was in the middle of the street with a CRANK/NO START.

I was able to start it after a couple tries by stepping on the gas pedal. Luckily I was a mile from home. I had to hit the gas to start the car, then keep the rpm up so it wouldn’t die and quickly hit the brakes with my other foot and shift to drive before the rpm fall to 0. Once moving, it was ok but as soon as I let off the gas, it would die again.

As the car sits over night, it will start and runs rough (visible shaking). If I push on the gas, rpm drop and it stalls. It will not start back up again unless I push on the gas pedal while cranking.

Diagnosis 

1. No CEL/codes

2. I have spark

3. Fuel pump primes

4. There’s fuel pressure at the rail (just don’t know how much, don’t have a gauge)

5. I have injector pulse 

6. I have compression 180+/-2 across

7. Timing is good

8. Crank sensor also good. Used this method
http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/honda/1.7L/how-to-test-the-crank-sensor-1

9. PGMFI relay clicks every time

I already got side tracked and started diagnosing a rough idle issue, forgetting that my main issue is crank/no start. I just need someone to point me in the right direction.

Could this just be bad fuel?
I filled up full tank the night before and the gas station is 1 mile from my house. The next morning I drove around 5 miles before it happened.

Could this still be the crank sensor?
I know I said it’s good but what if it’s cracked? Expands when it heats up and won’t carry the signal?

Or is it a pressure issue? Clogged filter? Bad regulator? At 67k miles???

Please let me know of what you think and what my next step should be. 

Thanks in advance!

Topic

[MICHAEL ONEILL]

Check the cat to see if its plugged or broken inside restricting flow.
Have it disconnected below, if it runs without cutting out, there’s the issue.
Could be the Crankshaft PS even if you have spark I assume.
Fuel Pressure, you better get a gauge and confirm that before moving on anywhere else.
If you got pressure check the relay and power/ground going into the pump.

[MICHAEL ONEILL]

[MICHAEL ONEILL]

[MICHAEL ONEILL]

[Denis]

Thank you for your reply! I also forgot to mention in my first post that I have tried
1. using starting fluid, with no change
2. Took out the o2 sensor from headers to eliminate the possibility of a plugged exhaust, with no change

I also have seen all of these videos! They offer great advice but didn’t help my situation.
The honda video doesn’t apply because that’s an earlier model with a distributor, I have individual coils.

I did however rent a fuel gauge and my pressure is on par at 45 psi

At this point I have narrowed it down to the Idle Air Control Valve because when I put the air box back on there is a very loud suction, and I know it doesn’t sound like that when idling under normal conditions.
I did the tap test and the idle did seem to smooth out ever so slightly.

I will order one and try it out.

If anyone has any other advice or input from the described situation please let me know.

[MICHAEL ONEILL]

[Denis]

Thanks again for your reply! I’m just not sure what u want me to see in this video. I have done all the checks, spark, fuel, fuel pressure,compression, crank sensor. It’s hard for me to undrstand what your saying if you don’t say anything.

[Clay]

That sounds a lot like a MAF sensor to me.
I do a lot of K&N intakes, and for some reason I never learn to properly adapt the MAF.
When it first happened, was your idle shaky before it stalled? When my MAF went out on my old Taurus, my idle would fluctuate from 1000 down to 500 and just about everywhere in between, then eventually it would stall, I’d mash the gas and it’d start back up.
Could also be a TB problem, I did a lot of modding to my girlfriends old Saturn, and it acted very similar to yours when the TB had an air leak.
Crank and cam position sensors are also good things to check.

[Denis]

Thank you for your reply!

My car doesn’t have a MAF sensor, it’s a MAP sensor. It is operating as it should.

I had no warning whatsoever, the car rand flawless untill it just died.

I have checked the sensors and they are ok

As I stated the problem seems to lie in the IACV because it has an abnormal amount of suction through it when car is running

[Tom]

It sounds to me like a vacuum leak.

Honda engines do a pretty good job of compensating for extra air, but I’ve had many an engine run like complete but at idle, including stalling and failing to start due to large vacuum leaks, and this is exactly what your problem sounds like.

With the MAP sensor, the computer SHOULD be able to compensate for any extra air. I think, at this point I would want to verify proper, and consistent fuel pressure / flow, and then I might want to get a scan tool that does real time, and see if I could get a look at what is going on there.

[Denis]

OK thanks for your reply!

I think ur right, I’m gonna start looking for a vacuum leak. You mentioned fuel pressure, I have checked it and everything is fine with the fuel delivery system and pressure.

I have eliminated the possibility of a faulty IACV by swapping it for another

[Tom]

Do you have a FITV valve? They can allow excess air into the engine as well.

[Denis]

I don’t think so, I only have a IACV

[Denis]

OK guys thanks for all your input, I figured out what it was and the car runs flawless now!

It was the EGR valve that was stuck open by a piece of debris. When I took it off everything clicked in my head. There was too much exhaust introduced to the intake and the IACV was trying to compensate and balance out the mixture.

So if your car doesn’t wanna start or it runs like crap when it does and the IACV is working extra hard to keep the car running, check your EGR valve!

[Tom]

Sweet, glad you got it figured out!

[Author]

Replies