car taking awhile to crank, changed alternator/battery

[nawtchy]

Hey guys, new to the forum, really puzzled with this one, ive did research and searched but cant seem to find one with my exact situation

car is a 1992 manual eg civic, d15b4 carby, and sometimes it takes awhile to crank.
On some days, it takes 1 second to start, other days 5-10 secs. The longer i leave the car the longer it takes to crank.

If i crank for 5 seconds and it doesnt start, the battery light comes on. so i let it rest for a couple seconds then crank for another 10 seconds and then it fires up and the light goes away. Doesn't die on me whilst driving, window speeds/lights aren't dim

So i thought it was the alternator, so i changed that, but that didnt seem to work, so i changed the battery which didnt work either. Spark plugs are abit black cos running a tad rich but they're new (did the screwdriver spark test before and after cleaning spark plugs and it was fine), Voltage is fine, battery connecters dont seem frayed, fuel filter has been changed recently if that matters, also going to adjust the alternator belt to see if that helps.

Could it be the starter? it's definitely electrical related as the light comes on is that correct? I'm thinking the light could be faulty as my check engine light and low fuel light don't work at all (its not the bulbs), however my electrical light does come on in accessory mode. Also my fuel pump is mechanical

Anyone want to help a noob out? Thanks guys

[Wanderer]

Are you just jumping into it and turning the key, or are you letting the fuel pump build pressure and fill the carb's?

[grifty]

lol it's not the alternator or battery, it's far from that....

That battery light is on because the engine isn't running

It's not starting straight away as the plugs are fowled, find out what's causing the motor to run rich and that should solve your problem.

[dove grey 64]

With b4s its a mechanical pump, it only primes when cranking.
Coil issues are normally associated with hard starting.
If you check your factory manual it actually states that upto 40secs of cranking is normal and not to pump the accelerator while cranking lol.
Mines the same, sometimes its within 1 second and other times its close to ten secs but yeah like you said, crank for a few seconds, let it sit for a bit and then try again, works well.

[nawtchy]

Are you just jumping into it and turning the key, or are you letting the fuel pump build pressure and fill the carb's? mechanical fuel pump


lol it's not the alternator or battery, it's far from that....

That battery light is on because the engine isn't running

It's not starting straight away as the plugs are fowled, find out what's causing the motor to run rich and that should solve your problem.

Ill adjust the carby and get new plugs and see if that helps


With b4s its a mechanical pump, it only primes when cranking.
Coil issues are normally associated with hard starting.
If you check your factory manual it actually states that upto 40secs of cranking is normal and not to pump the accelerator while cranking lol.
Mines the same, sometimes its within 1 second and other times its close to ten secs but yeah like you said, crank for a few seconds, let it sit for a bit and then try again, works well.

So just change the dizzy coil? Ive never had this issue in the past though so something must've gone bad, so how do i test or pinpoint the problem?

[dove grey 64]

In my experience its a gradual issue. Coil gets excessively hot until it burns out. There is a guide to check the coils condition, sorry no link as im on my phone at the moment.
I would personally get a spare coil or complete dizzy from the wreckers out of the latest model b4 you can find and keep it in the boot. You may need to change over the two pin plug on the dizzy to suit your one.
Make sure its genuine honda item, do not buy the shitty Chinese aftermarket dizzy as they are prone to ****up.
I changed my dizzy for a later model one and its much more consistent with firing up, even still I carry a spare. Been stranded because of it once before.