car won't fire up!
 

Hi everyone, I was referred to this site from a friend of mine and it seems cool so far.

Well, here is my predicament. Recently, my car wouldn't fire up. I would turn the key and it would crank but wont fire. Prior to this the car started up and ran fine like a champ. I changed the spark plugs, battery, and starter but it didn't help at all.

My car is a 90 TII with a JDM engine swap that ive driven on for 6 months before this situation. Do you all think that my fuel pump may have taken a dump? When I crank the motor the needle on the tach would jump so I assume that I have spark. All input would be appreciated.

ps. Im at work right now so when i get home ill take a look at the fuel pump connector and relay(s).

What did the plugs look like when you removed them. Were they wet with fuel? If so, do the deflooding routine described in a gazillion threads on the forum. Flooding is a common cause of no-start in the rotary engine. Basically, remove the EGI fuse, remove the two leading (lower) spark plugs, crank the engine for 5-10 seconds with the gas pedal depressed, replace the plugs and connect wires, replace EGI fuse, crank the car for 5-10 with the gas pedal depressed. If that doesn't get the car going, do the procedure again but add a few ounces of oil to each leading plug hole just before you reinstall the plugs. The car will smoke when it starts, but that is to be expected. It will eventually clear.

Otherwise, verify spark, verify fuel, and verify adequate engine compression. If you have all three and you haven't messed with timing, the engine should start. If you don't know how to check those, find someone who does or search the forum for another gazillion threads dealing with those things.

BTW, download a factory service manual for your car from one of the links in the 2nd gen FAQ. There are some good troubleshooting tips in it.

btw, i forgot to mention a potentially important factor. i was running premix along with the factory OMP

How much premix? A few ounces is no problem. Again, "read" the spark plugs. That should give you a clue as to the source of your problem.

i think the premix was an 8:1 ratio. when i pulled the plugs they were dry. thanks for the tip about the FSM. im gonna test the voltage stuff tomorrow on my day off. hopefully i can get this back on the road! my civic doesn't give me the confidence to overtake anyone on the highway! :P

well i jumped that yellow fuel pump connector by the passenger side shock tower under the hood and my the fuel pump did not prime or anything. there was no noise coming from it.

so before pointing my finger completely at the fuel pump, is there a chance the wiring can be messed up?

also, one thing i remember before the car stopped running is that the gauge lights and headlights would get brighter as the RPMs rose and very dim at idle. would that be an alternator problem?

Check the voltage that the fuel pump is getting. Should be at 12v I believe? Check the FSM.

Have your alternator checked at a local autozone or something. Sounds kinda like its dying out on you and trying to support everything that's running, electrical wise.

I'd say the cams are a tooth off...