DORKO

91' civic dx sedan. 1.5L, 5 speed, 180k miles.



bought this car about a month ago.
replaced brakes, wheel cylinders, tires, valve cover gasket/tube seals etc. Nothing electrical except spark plugs.

When i took it up to the shop to get the tires put on, i drove it there, dropped it off. They called me and said hey your car wont start. 5 minutes later they call me back and say nevermind we got it to start. the tires got put on, i picked the car up (started first time) and i drove it 5 miles home. no problems.

i parked it and came back the next day to drive it again...not happening. Didnt start.

I noticed the fuel pump wasnt kicking on. so i replaced that. got a new pump from bapgeon. Anyway, well after i dropped the tank, replaced the pump and put everything back together....still not starting.

i start rolling through fuses....i notice all the ones under the hood are good. Checked them with a test light. Move to the inside of the car...fuse # 14 (alternator solenoid valve) is blown. I put another 10A fuse in, popped as soon as i turned the key on. 3 fuses later, i said WTF.

i start looking around on the internet and find out that sometimes bigger walbro fuel pumps have caused this problem a lot. but keep in mind this car wouldnt start BEFORE i replaced the fuel pump. (not saying the pump isnt the problem, with drawing too many amps for the stock 10A fuse to handle) buttttttttttt something ELSE caused this fuse to pop before i did the pump. weird.


so i keep reading and people say alternator is bad, PGMFI MAIN relay...fuel pump. top 3 most common answers.


im about to take the alternator off and take it to autozone for them to check it.

IF the alternator check out ok, whats next? replace the main relay? if that dosent fix it i can always take it back to the store. no biggy...

Can i put a 15A fuse in its spot to see if the car starts? i know youre not supposed to up the A rating on fuses for any reason, but a few people said they slapped a 15A fuse in place of the 10A fuse and theyve had 0 problems since.

???????



WHERE IS FABRIK8?!

ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED. car is driving me crazy!

ill post back with the alternator check out.

Thanks peeps!!

FYI....i got this car for my lil brother and hes coming down here on friday to pick it up from me. So im KINDAAA in a time situation now that i ran into this problem...


thanks a lottttttt

Fabrik8

The main relay is a huge failure point for those cars. Check that first and then worry about the alternator. It's such a notorious problem that I would replace it regardless of whether it's bad or not, because it can have a wonderful habit of stranding you somewhere once it starts failing.


The alternator doesn't have any effect on the engine starting because the alternator does absolutely nothing until the engine runs.

jdm_ef9

Sounds like the Main Relay. An alternator will not keep the vehicle. They are relatively easy to change out, u can get lucky and find one in a scrap yard. The solder in the main relay works its way loose, so you may be able to remove the cover and re-solder it.


edit - Fab beat me to it

DORKO

replaced the main relay and the #14 fuse.


popped it again.

DORKO

i also put a bigger 15A fuse in place of the 10A fuse....popped that one too.

SOMETHING SO SMALL CAN PISS YOU OFF SOOOOOO BAD

Fabrik8

So it's not starting with the new main relay, and the fuse is still blowing? How did the alternator check go?

By the way, you shouldn't ever need to increase the fuse rating for an OEM part. If it's blowing at the stock fuse rating, something is obviously wrong.

The real Ryan

Sounds like a short somewhere in the harness, due to the fact that as soon as you turn the key to IGN on the fuse pops. Possibly a bad harness ground? I've never seen a main relay blow fuses, only just plain stop working. I have seen coroded harness' cause retarded issues like this though.

DORKO

I thought you said the alternator has nothing to do with the car starting? i mean yes it could still be a bad zener diode/voltage reg. but...that would either over charge the battery/kill it, or not send enought voltage to the battery to REcharge it (killing it also). the alternator just CHARGES the battery. how could that affect the #14 fuse popping EVERYTIME!?

anything is going to help. but im going to take it off now. i was just checking somethings on ALLDATA first...

when i turn the key...power from the battery is supplied to fusebox (via the #14 fuse) obviously....then to the main relay...then to the PGMFI relay (which is inside the same case as the MR) (2 relays in 1) then from the PGMFI relay to the fuel pump? the pump fuel down the line to the injectors/causing the vehicle to run.

ive chased this entire chain of actions down the line. i got nothing to show for it. been working on this car since like noon on monday. im pissed.


am i missing something.????

DORKO

im stuckkk. i hate this shit.

DORKO

fabrik8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

answer me this.

if i directly connect the fuel pump to the battery...positive/negative.

would i hear the fuel pump/see it work? anything.

i cant get anything to fix this car.

checking continuity from the box to the pump. the harness is now out of the car and i checked resistance through the power and negative wires to the pump....they are fine.

i dont know what to dooooooooooooooooooooo