I been having this issue randomly the past few weeks. I go out to my car and it wont start. I cranks but never fires (sounds like its out of gas). Ive tryed cracking open the fuel cap to release tank pressure... that sometimes helps. its also in the middle of the say when above 90F outside that this happens. Well today i was almost late for my sisters graduation today because of this... But to day i was kinna low on gas... i put another 1/2gal from the lawn mower can and it still wouldnt start. ended up taking my moms car. This was at about 2:30 @ 95F... i get home about an hour ago and it starts after a few trys, i run dow the road to pick up some money a friend owed me then to the gas station.... starts up fine when leaving the first place. at the gas station (one i always stop at) i put 6gal in and its starts but stalls right away, like it ran for about 3 sec before it stalled. It took 3 or 4 trys to get it to start... Now once it starts, it runs fine... no loss of power, no rough idle.... so im kinna at a loss here the fuel filter was changed a few months ago and i run seafoam though the take every other oil change.

 

Checked your main relay?

 

forgive the noobness... how to you check it? i thought it was just a replace and hope it was it

 

IT's extremely common with 5th gen Civics. When it won't start, turn the key to just before the ignition position. You'll see the CEL, oil light, and battery light come on, and you SHOULD hear a low hum from the back seat area. (fuel pump priming). If you don't hear it, that's classic main relay failure.

 

just tryed it a few times... first 2 times it started right up.. then wouldn't start again... no prime, no relay click... i have a friend that has some extra civic parts... i hit him up and see if he has one laying around... thanks

 

When the main relay is bad usually the CEL will come on and stay on when you turn the key on but don't crank. It should come on while the pump primes then go out.

 

double checked when it happened today... the CEL behaves normally, but i dont hear the pump prime or the relay click. im guessing its still bad, just not completely bad yet.

 

I had the same problem on the 91 crx I had so I used a toggle switch and ran a jumper from battery power terminal to the switch then to the fuel pump wire. So when it happened again I would flip the switch and the pump would prime then after the car started I would flip the switch back off and go on with my bad self. I left it in just incase It happened again kind of an emergence backup. It worked great till I could come up with the money for the relay.