99 civic not starting

Gumby

Hi all,
New to the forum looking for some advice/direction.

My car wont start in the mornings. it turns over but wont fire.
after 2-3 minutes of turning it over, it splutters, struggles and then finally fires.
once it starts its grand, maybe a little splutter again in the first 2-3 mins of running but then its grand for the day.
it only seems to occur once the car has been sat idle for 10 hours or so.

Ive tried replacing fuel filter and spark plugs to no avail, ive also tried using the fuel injector cleaning bottles that you add to your tank and it hasnt helped. ive also tried rinsing the new fuel filter with clean fuel and reinstalling it to no avail.

It seems like its not getting fuel for ages and then eventually it gets some and it starts....
im not giving it fuel when trying to start it as im worried about flooding it.

I brought it to a mechanic who just ran diagnostic on it that day and showed no issues and of course it started every time for him.

obviously im worried i'm going to destroy my starter motor.

I do have a habit of running the car low on fuel so its possible some dirty fuel has got in but i only fill from reputable petrol stations.

any ideas? or suggestions as to a specialist mechanic in Dublin city centre who might be able to help and not just run a diagnostic on it?

jimgoose

So it starts away fine after it's been warmed. I wonder if it's cold-start enriching properly? This could be caused by a duff coolant temperature sensor.

ComfortKid

I had a few civics over the years with similar problem. They don't like to be driven on low fuel or to run out of fuel. Car is 16 years old so I'd say it's sucking up all the ****e in bottom of the tank. Either keep her half full or get your tank cleaned.

Gumby

thanks for the replies folks.
i suspect the latter as i would have thought a busted sensor would show up on the diagnostic?
car is old and while ive never run it out of fuel, i do regularly run it low - I need to cop on and start keeping her half full.

Problem now is that even when tank is full this problems remains.

Any idea how much we are talking to get the tank cleaned, or recommendations as to where to bring it for this sort of work?

jimgoose

Gumby wrote: »

...i would have thought a busted sensor would show up on the diagnostic?...

Not on a 1999 Honda, I wouldn't think so. And I would expect a clogged/knackered fuel line/filter to cause problems regardless of whether the car has been warmed or not, but hey, I've been surprised before.

Gumby

ok cool thanks for the advice.

ComfortKid

jimgoose wrote:

Not on a 1999 Honda, I wouldn't think so. And I would expect a clogged/knackered fuel line/filter to cause problems regardless of whether the car has been warmed or not, but hey, I've been surprised before.

I think the reason it only happens when car has been parked for a while is that the fuel, and dirt had time to settle and clog up again. I'm not a mechanic but I had this exact problem before with a 97 Honda.

I got mine cleaned for 50 quid, they cleaned the injectors and all.

Toyotafanboi

Does it burn much oil?

Do you mean literally 2-3 minutes cranking to start it, or a few seconds longer than usual?

ComfortKid

Toyotafanboi wrote:

Do you mean literally 2-3 minutes cranking to start it, or a few seconds longer than usual?

Must have some battery if it's literally haha

Toyotafanboi

ComfortKid wrote: »

Must have some battery if it's literally haha

Well I just thought if you spent 2-3 solid minutes cranking, that might cause an.awful lot of wear to the starter, as you say, if the battery was capable. There was only an 049 battery in those civics I think?

Gumby

It doesnt particularly burn much oil, not that ive noticed anyway.

It is sorta literally 2-3 minutes.
as in:
turn the ignition,
crank for 15 seconds,
release.
wait a few seconds
try again.
repeat for literally 2 -3 minutes.

eventually it starts.

@comfortkid Where did you get your tank cleaned for 50 euro?

thanks for the replies folks