I have a 96 civic hatch dx. 1.6 SOHC non-VTEC. it has been having problems running and starting since i bought it. it will continue to turn over until it floods sometimes and other times a light turn of the key and she's off. it tends to bog down a lot as well.i have not had the time to check any obvious things,i am just looking for a little advice. oh and if you have any parts suitable i need them lol, bad wreck with a friend of mine took out my hood and front bumper. only cosmetic damage though so i don't have to replace my 4 month old rad. her name is sally.

 

First off, check your ignition parts; cap, rotor, wires, plugs. Then the fuel filter. If that doesn't do it, do a compression test. I want to say check your FITV, but I don't think that year has one.

 

it has a new fuel filter, new wire,cap, idk about the rotor or plugs.

 

The car is fuel injected, by the way, so it isn't flooding. Does your check engine like (CEL) turn on for a couple of seconds when you turn the key on, then turn off? (just to verify that it works.) And does the CEL stay on at all?

 

actually, you wanna come to my house and listen to it turn over? it reeks of gas and any vehicle can flood. the CEL works, i had a coolant temp sensor out, i replaced it but have not reset it

 

You should check what codes its throwing out. And if its the same coolant temp sensor, then reset it. This is just to rule out that there isn't any other codes stored in the ecu. And then you can go on from there.

 

If the CEL is still on, there is likely still a problem. Generally the CEL will go out on the next start after a problem has been cleared, though the code will remain in memory until reset.

I'd also suggest letting it run (badly) for a short time, then turn off and take the spark plugs out to inspect. If one of the plugs looks different than the others there could be a problem with that cylinder.

 

it actually runs great when it starts. could the coil be bad?

 

Have you checked for spark at the plugs when it won't start? Is the CEL still on? Any codes?

 

i have not just yet. the CEL is still on because i have not reset it. i don't know exactly how to do it. it came up with a coolant temperature sensor. the previous owner had cut the wires and spliced them so the fan would stay on all the time. i have replaced the whole cooling system by the way.