96 ek civic cranking but not starting

[Chriskoss]

hey friends,
my old man's 96 civic sedan isn't starting
It stopped mid-drive one day and conked out.. and hasn't started again
its cranking over but not firing up
I took the distributor apart and cleaned contact points and also the spark plugs etc
attached is a video what is happening
any chance anyone knows what could be the main problems?
when i took off the distributor cap and cranked the engine, the rotor didn't seem to be turning over at all
thanks in advanced
https://youtu.be/Tb8KuRNFhPc

[bennjamin]

Stop trying to start it.. you might fry the distributor coil or igniter - or both.

In that context check or replace both the dizzy igniter and coil....both are prone to fail. Also look at cleaning/resoldering your main fuel relay

[ECU-MAN]

sounds like a snapped timing belt

[Chriskoss]

sounds like a snapped timing belt


Thanks for the feedback thus far Ben and ecu.
Ecu do you think that sound is different to a normal cranking sound? It does from memory sound a tad High pitch than normal.
I'll try replace the ignition coil inside the distributor then if that doesn't work the entire distributor.. And if that doesn't work do you guys think it could possibly be a snapped belt?
Thanks again

[bennjamin]

If the rotor isnt turning but the motor is - the camshaft isnt rotating either and as ECUMAN said your timing belt has snapped. Take off your cam cover to confirm

[rc_]

Thanks for the feedback thus far Ben and ecu.
Ecu do you think that sound is different to a normal cranking sound? It does from memory sound a tad High pitch than normal.
I'll try replace the ignition coil inside the distributor then if that doesn't work the entire distributor.. And if that doesn't work do you guys think it could possibly be a snapped belt?
Thanks again

Yes, cranking sounds different to normal. Doesn't sound like its igniting at all In the video which can indicate belt failure (amongst other things) or could have skipped a tooth but you normally hear some sounds from attempted ignition or compression pumping out intake/exhaust if the valves are opening at the wrong times.

Why not check the timing belt first before buying parts? Very easy, either take off the timing belt cover or take off the distributor and see if the cam is turning will tell you pretty quickly if there is a major issue.

[Spoon-Accord]

Timing belt has snapped, only thing spinning is that crank
better get that car to a mechanic and get it sorted.

[Spoon-Accord]

Open the oil cap, get a little torch and shine into the hole, get someone to crank the engine and see if anything moves in that hole. If nothing moves in there whilst cranking, then you sir have diagnosed your car with a snapped timing belt

[Chriskoss]

Open the oil cap, get a little torch and shine into the hole, get someone to crank the engine and see if anything moves in that hole. If nothing moves in there whilst cranking, then you sir have diagnosed your car with a snapped timing belt

Hi guys
So I took off the rocker cover and cranked the engine, nothing moved
However I also took off the timing belt cover and the timing belt didn't look snapped?
Bit confused, or could it be snapped down the bottom where I couldn't see?
Thanks again
Chris

[rc_]

Hi guys
So I took off the rocker cover and cranked the engine, nothing moved
However I also took off the timing belt cover and the timing belt didn't look snapped?
Bit confused, or could it be snapped down the bottom where I couldn't see?
Thanks again
Chris

It should be pretty obvious if the belt has failed.

When you say "nothing moves" do you mean the belt remained stationary or just camshaft/cam pulleys did not turn?

Did the belt move but not the camshaft?

Does the timing belt still have tension? It could be snapped lower down behind the covers where you can't see. Take the lower cover off to check.

Did the crank pulley turn when cranking? Is the starter actually engaging the flywheel?

Try turning the engine over by hand at the crank pulley bolt (removing spark plugs first will make it easier). Get someone to watch if the belt is driving the cams still while you are turning it over, check while turning over that everything feels smooth. Stop if you feel any mechanical resistance. You should not be cranking the engine if your timing belt is not correctly engaged, you can cause major damage if the valves contact the pistons!

Get a copy of the service manual and look at the instructions for replacing the timing belt, it will show you the specifics about checking alignment of timing marks specific to your engine.

Good luck.

[Chriskoss]

It should be pretty obvious if the belt has failed.

When you say "nothing moves" do you mean the belt remained stationary or just camshaft/cam pulleys did not turn?

Did the belt move but not the camshaft?

Does the timing belt still have tension? It could be snapped lower down behind the covers where you can't see. Take the lower cover off to check.

Did the crank pulley turn when cranking? Is the starter actually engaging the flywheel?

Try turning the engine over by hand at the crank pulley bolt (removing spark plugs first will make it easier). Get someone to watch if the belt is driving the cams still while you are turning it over, check while turning over that everything feels smooth. Stop if you feel any mechanical resistance. You should not be cranking the engine if your timing belt is not correctly engaged, you can cause major damage if the valves contact the pistons!

Get a copy of the service manual and look at the instructions for replacing the timing belt, it will show you the specifics about checking alignment of timing marks specific to your engine.

Good luck.

When I took off the rocker cover and timing belt cover and cranked engine. Nothing moved. Neither. Its a bit of a pickle might just get old man to take it to the mechanic. The belt definitely doesn't seem to be broken as it is tight on the pulleys.

[rc_]

Sounds like a good plan. A mechanic should be able to diagnose it pretty quickly.

[ECU-MAN]

When I took off the rocker cover and timing belt cover and cranked engine. Nothing moved. Neither. Its a bit of a pickle might just get old man to take it to the mechanic. The belt definitely doesn't seem to be broken as it is tight on the pulleys.

damaged belts don't necessarily have to be snapped, they can have teeth striped from them as well

[Blaze]

I would have taken it to a mechanic long ago. Not worth damaging it trying to self diagnose.

[Chriskoss]

Hi guys just an update on what's been done and whether or not you guys can help me would be much appreciated.
We fixed the camshaft not turning over problem as a pulley lock pin was snapped (seems whoever previously changed the timing belt did a crappy job) now there is good compression in cylinder 1.. But now cylinders 2-4 all have worsening compression (175 for first.. 75 less.. Etc) so now apparently it could be a valve problem or something. So now to clarify camshaft turns but has bad compression... Anyone else had this problem? Thankyou

[rc_]

Hi guys just an update on what's been done and whether or not you guys can help me would be much appreciated.
We fixed the camshaft not turning over problem as a pulley lock pin was snapped (seems whoever previously changed the timing belt did a crappy job) now there is good compression in cylinder 1.. But now cylinders 2-4 all have worsening compression (175 for first.. 75 less.. Etc) so now apparently it could be a valve problem or something. So now to clarify camshaft turns but has bad compression... Anyone else had this problem? Thankyou

Best case, Incorrectly set the cam timing.

More likely - Probably bent valves since it failed while you were driving and then has been cranked with a failed cam drive key.

[SPONGY]

had a similar issue, with a starlet GT it ended up being the alternator... driving and it stopped out of the blue, would start only when we hooked up a starter pack and it wouldn't take off when it was on.

[jbettridge4]

1. Id perform a wet compression test. Remove spark plug and add a little oil to the cylinder that has low compression. Perform compression test as per normal. Result should be slightly higher compression but still low. This would indicate a valve issue as the oil temporarily seals the bottom of the combustion chamber.
2. could try a leak test as well but depends on what tools and equipment you have.

It doesnt sound good....

[B18cEG]

Try reset the timing first since it's free and it needs to be correct regardless, does anyone know if he has an interference engine or now, not sure what he has in there. If it's not that it will be incorrect timing since there was an issue there, probably have the cams 180deg out

[delsol007]

Do like others have said and run the tests, then think on whether you want to proceed or buy another engine.

More than likely your up for pulling the head and all gaskets or mechanics cost.