Hi,

I have a '95 civic dx sedan that won't start. It turns over, but will not start. I checked with a timing light and she is getting spark, so I moved on to inspecting the fuel system. I can hear the fuel pump hum when I turn the ignition to ON, and I hooked up a fuel pressure gauge and got a reading of about 40-42 psi when I cycled the ignition on and off. It stayed at the same reading when I tried to turn the engine over and when i disconnected the pressuyre regulator vaccum hose from the manifold. So, I am thinking that this means the pump is OK (am I right in thinking that?). What is the next step? Is there anything that it could be other than the fuel pressure regulator (I don't have a vacuum pump to check that out). I would think that if it were the injectors you would get some miising before it would just not start? Thanks,

Andrew

 

Check for ECU codes. Check the mechanical timing and compression. Check for strong blue sparks. A timing light might fire on sparks that are too weak to start it. The 42 psi with no vacuum is correct. Disconnecting the hose doesn't change anything because the engine is not running.

 

Thanks mk378. I had a strange experience just now. I had tried starting my car many times recently while running tests on her and she would not turn over. I just realized that I could test the fuel pressure regulator with the vacuum portion of my old fuel pressure gauge, so I tired that and she started up. This was with the gauge connected to the intake manifold port (regulator port). I was quite surprised by that! She started up a second time with the regulator back on again. I had checked compression recently and readings were good, I have no check engine light on (not sure if there is another way to check for ECU codes). I probably should check the timing anyway. Any explanations for the start up, though? Thanks again,

Andrew