I got a 1998 civic LX that had a busted timing belt replaced by someone I don't know and while he did that, for whatever reason, he took out a spark plug and stripped the threads in the head but didn't say anything about it hoping it'd hold. He tried starting it anyways and the plug literally shot out. He said he would come back the next day, haven't seen em since. After 3 years, yes years, the owner asked me "can u make my car work", told him ill try. I fixed the spark plug issue and hoped to see if the timing job was done right, the engine just turned but wouldn't start (spark plug did not shoot out). I loosened the fuel line and fuel pressure was good, cleaned corrosion in the distributor cap, tried again and still just cranked but no start. I told the owner id have to take the timing cover off and check the timing marks and sensors. A week later I got the car here to my house to start taking the timing cover off but just for kicks I turned the key and now it wont even crank. Bran-new battery, lights chimes bells n whistles all work fine, fuses are all good. Turn the key and the only click I hear comes from the passenger side floorboard area and that's where I'm at. I'm very, very good, at replacing anything and fixing anything, but I ain't worth a s**t diagnosing things. Thanks for ur time reading this and any and all help would be very appreciated.

 

First, turn crankshaft by hand (counterclockwise, the way it normally turns) to make sure the engine isn't seized.

Then with the transmission in neutral and the brake set, unplug the small wire on the starter and jump the small terminal on the starter to battery + with a test wire. The engine should crank, that shows the battery, starter, and related wiring are OK.

 

Yes, that's what I was gona try tomorrow morning. I almost certain its not seized cause it cranked about 2 weeks ago and I know for a fact that nobody has touched it since then. So, with the key on "RUN", unplug the small wire on the starter and jump the male prong (that i unplugged the wire from) to the big cable next to it that comes from the battery with a wire?

 

If the head gasket is bad, water can get into the cylinders and hydro-lock the engine. So do make sure it turns by hand. You can do the jump the starter test with the key off. It sounds like it's not going to start anyway, this is just to see if it will crank.

 

K, apparently the owner had someone configure something to where u gota pull the high beem lever a lil bit then turn the key, and load and behold (or something like that) it cranks. But only cranks, wont start. The smell of fuel is fallowed when I get back to the engine area after cranking it. The top half of the timing cover was lost (by the guy who did the timing belt or the owner) so I turned the crankshaft till the camshaft sprocket "arrow up" is pointing straight up then I look down at the little V and "tick" sights to see if it lines up with the notch on the crankshaft pulley and its dead on the mark. Distributor is almost somewhat new and that's where I'm at now.

 

Set engine to TDC1 then take the distributor cap off and confirm rotor points to wire #1. Other wires are 1-3-4-2 going clockwise looking at the cap from the outside.

 

K, ill do that tomorrow morning. I appreciate u stayin with me on this. Ill update tomorrow.

 

Yup, its right on the #1, TDC. And I even pulled the timing cover off to check if it was done right in the first place by that other guy, and everything lined up and is still on the marks.

 

Yup, its right on the #1, TDC. And I even pulled the timing cover off to check if it was done right in the first place by that other guy, and everything lined up and is still on the marks.

 

Well, now I'm at the distributor. I got power going to it, but not coming from it, even while cranking the motor, nothing. I'm gona test the coil, the pcm, and that other magnetic thing in there. Will update when I do that.