Recently my Civic began having problems starting. One morning I tried to start it, but it did not even crank. Later that day I tried again and it started right up. I drove it all day and to work the next day, but when I tried to leave, same problem, would not crank. After tearing my dash apart and wiggling wires to hunt down a short, still no crank. After sitting for a while in extreme frustration I gave a final attempt and it started right up. Next morning, car starts up, but shuts down 10 minutes later and will not crank when trying to restart. I didn't have time to work on it then, but the next morning it started right up. I'm at a loss for what it could be. I almost wish it would stay broken so I could troubleshoot, but it will magically start working again. After doing some research I came across some info about the PGM-FI relay. I took it out and inspected the solder joints but none of them looked bad. If the PGM-FI relay was bad, would I be able to crank the car? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

guessing that you have power to the car ?? also it's possible that you aren't getting the correct amount of Voltage to the starter. Check the , power cables, Ground, and if it seems good check the Starter. Take it off and see if it's even good. keep up updated

 

What do you mean by "it won't crank"? Does the starter fail to crank the engine when the key is in ON(III) or does the starter crank the engine but it doesn't start?

When the engine stalled while driving, did the dash warning lights turn on or were they off. If they were off, clean and tighten the battery terminals and battery ground wire and check the ignition switch.

 

This it what seems to me to be the most likely thing. Def clean your batt terminals tho.

 

To answer some questions: The starter will not run (engine will not crank) when I am having the intermittent problem, but all my 'idiot lights' on the dash go through their normal starting sequence. When the problem happens, I do have electricity. The battery terminals are clean and secure. I'm still waiting for the problem to resurface so I can troubleshoot, but I didn't drive the car all weekend for fear of getting stuck somewhere.

 

Do you hear any noise from the starter when you turn the key? If you hear a click from the starter and the lights stay on, it is probably the starter itself. They often get intermittent first, then eventually fail completely.

 

When the problem is occuring I get nothing from the starter, no clicks, nothing. One thing I did notice, and I'm not sure if it's abnormal or not, is that the 'BRAKE' light would come on every time I tried to crank it.

 

Is it manual or automatic? Manual has a switch on the clutch pedal to disable starter unless pedal is pressed all the way down. Automatic has a switch on the shift lever to disable starter unless in Park or Neutral.

You can bypass those switches by jumping the starter under the hood. Make absolutely sure the car is in neutral with the brakes set, and stand to the side so that if the car moves during the procedure, it won't run over you. To jump the starter unplug the small black and white wire on the starter then use a piece of wire to jump from the small wire's terminal to the battery +. If the battery, starter, and main wires and connections are OK the engine will turn.

 

Did you check your ignition switch? A loose/broken wire or connector could cause these issues.

I've seen it happen on a Grand Am. If the key isn't inserted, turned to accessory, pulled out a bit before hitting the starter ignition position there's nothing from the starter. All of the dash lights still work and everything, just no click and no starter engagement.

 

I thought that it might be the A/T Gear Position Switch, but the other day it died while running. The gear position switch won't shut down the engine if it's bad, will it?