02 Civic hard to start a couple times

[TomM in NY]

I have a 2002 Honda Civic LX with 65k on it. A couple of times now it hasn't wanted to start. It cranked over fine but didn't want to fire. I live in the northeast and both times seem to be when it was a warm up above freezing. Any ideas what might cause this or what I can look for?

 

[electricked]

Make sure you get fuel (check fuel pump) and make sure the battery has charge. Then get back to us.

Most likely fuel related but it's worth checking the battery as well.

--Viktor

 

[George Macdonald]

I have a 2002 Honda Civic LX with 65k on it. A couple of times now it hasn't wanted to start. It cranked over fine but didn't want to fire. I live in the northeast and both times seem to be when it was a warm up above freezing. Any ideas what might cause this or what I can look for?

Had the engine been fully warmed up to operating temp the last time it was driven? Did you follow the "instructions"? By that I mean Honda manuals usually say to gradually try pressing the accelerator pedal futher if it won't start right away: try halfway then full to the floor.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??

 

[TomM in NY]

Thanks for your posts...
The first time it wouldn't start we had driven to the movies...about 40 miles. Watched the movie-about two hours...came out and it would turn over but wouldn't start. I was afraid I was going to waste the battery so I let it sit and on the 4th or 5th try she fired. The second time we had just backed it out of the garage and it sat for a good part of the day. When we tried to start it to put it back in, it didn't want to start.... I did push the pedal to the floor and she fired after a few tries. We had taken it to wash it that day so it might have had some moisture somewhere....

 

[George Macdonald]

Thanks for your posts...
The first time it wouldn't start we had driven to the movies...about 40 miles. Watched the movie-about two hours...came out and it would turn over but wouldn't start. I was afraid I was going to waste the battery so I let it sit and on the 4th or 5th try she fired.

That sounds awful like the main relay problem but I would have thought would have been fixed by now in later models. Could also be the ignition switch. You need to try to diagnose whether it's a fuel or ignition fault. As someone else mentioned, it could be a fuel problem - maybe water - so it might be worth shoving a bottle of isopropyl alcohol gas drier in the fuel tank.

The second time we had just backed it out of the garage and it sat for a good part of the day. When we tried to start it to put it back in, it didn't want to start.... I did push the pedal to the floor and she fired after a few tries. We had taken it to wash it that day so it might have had some moisture somewhere....

Very often that will leave the FI manifold flooded with fuel. When you try to start later, the already flooded manifold gets even more fuel from the "choked" starting.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??