1997 Honda Civic Civic will not start

PRNROXHRD

MEMBER
1997 HONDA CIVIC

Engine Performance problem
1997 Honda Civic 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive 185000 miles

lately I have trouble getting my 97 civic to start back up after i've turned it off. It cranks but will not start. I have to let it sit for a while before it'll start. The only thing that has been done to it lately was a radiator replacement and I replaced a lost radiator cap. Do you have any ideas?

3 Replies

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

Hi prnroxhrd,

Do you have any overheating or coolant losses problem?

You need to verify what is missing causing the difficult starting and the following links have videos on how to check. Let me know what is missing and we can continue with further trouble shooting.

http://www.2carpros.com/kpages/first_things.htm

SPONSORED LINKS

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Friday, February 13th, 2009 AT 12:00 PM

PRNROXHRD

MEMBER
1 POST

In responce to your question on weather I have coolent loss or not, I checked my radiator and there's coolent there but my resvior seems to empty out sooner than I think it should, and when I start the car, the temperature gauge reaches the normal halfway mark faster than it should but it really doesnt over heat. I also notice that the radiator fan only kicks on for about a minute when it turns on. I checked for leaks and found none. The problem did origanally start when I changed the radiator about a month ago. Also it didnt come with a radiator cap so I got another one that happened to fit but I dont think it was the one for a 97' civic. Any ideas?

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Friday, February 13th, 2009 AT 11:06 PM

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

The reserve tank should not be depleting and when it does, it means there is a leakage somewhere and if the leak is minimal, visual inspecton might not show anything. Look out for coolant contaminations at hoses joints etc. You would need to do a pressure test if there is no visual leaks.

The radiator cap should have a rating of 1.1 bar ( 14 - 16 psi)

Did you check out the links for what is missing causing the difficult starting? Is it a fuel or ignition sparks problem?

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Saturday, February 14th, 2009 AT 7:32 AM