1988 Honda Civic Wont Start or Run

Asked by kontreeboy Mar 05, 2011 at 08:26 PM about the 1988 Honda Civic S Hatchback

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

This is a BASIC Civic. Nothing fancy, not even a cigerette lighter! SOHC. Was driving the car and engine just quit. When trying to start, there is a "POPPING" sound. Not really a BACKFIRE, but a Popping. Thought it may be out of time because of broken timing belt, but when I removed the cover, it is there. I removed Plug #1 and inserted a rod down it to crank it by hand counter clockwise til the rod was TDC, with the CAM marks aligned. The Rotor button is positioned BETWEEN terminal #2 and #1 on the Distributor. NOT touching #1 at all! I can not tell positively, but I THINK the Crank marks are aligned as well. My Crank pulley is NOT marked well. The only mark that I would consider a mark at all is in fact aligned correctly with the other items at TDC. Is there any way that the Dist. can be out it everything else is correct? Thanx for your help!

1 Answer
19,925

Mike answered 13 years ago

Sounds like it stripped the belt a few teeth - you will need to remove the front covers of the engine to verify. Usually the stripped teeth will be right under where the crack gear is.

1 people found this helpful.
Mark helpful

Your Answer:

Related Questions

  • 1988 Honda Civic Wont Start or Run 1 Answer

    This is a BASIC Civic. Nothing fancy, not even a cigerette lighter! SOHC. Was driving the car and engine just quit. When trying to start, there is a "POPPING" sound. Not really a BACKFIRE, but a Poppi...

    1988 Honda Civic S Hatchback

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • MY 1988 HONDA CIVIC,1.5L WONT START.... 1 Answer

    HAS SPARK WAS RUNNING WHEN I TURNED IT OFF...WONT EVEN PUSH START NOW....ANYONE HAVE ANY IDEAS/THINGS I SHOULD TROUBLESHOOT FOR?please help!!

    1988 Honda Civic DX

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • 2000 Honda Civic wont start 1 Answer

    Alright so it overheated and seized up on the highway. tl;dr replaced radiator, plugs, wires, distributor and headgaasket. sounds like it wants to start but wont, even when being jumped. Any ideas?

    2000 Honda Civic EX

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • 2017 Honda Civic wont start 1 Answer

    Steering wheel, brake and shifter are locked. Electric start button is flashing red but wont start. Dash panel also will not come on

    2017 Honda Civic EX-T

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

  • My Honda Civic LX 2006 Wont Start 8 Answers

    Six weeks ago, my problem started. Week One: My Civic wouldn't start. I jumped it and took it in for a new battery. The battery was 4 years old and I simply decided to replace it. Week Two: Wouldn'...

    2006 Honda Civic LX

    -

    Maintenance & Repair

Shortcuts

Search Honda Civic Questions

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    ColdinMA
    Reputation
    2,370
  • #2
    Guru9CNGV
    Reputation
    2,110
  • #3
    GuruDMD1V
    Reputation
    2,090
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Honda Accord
57 Great Deals out of 961 listings starting at $2,995
Used Toyota Corolla
138 Great Deals out of 2,314 listings starting at $103
Used Toyota Camry
44 Great Deals out of 1,134 listings starting at $4,795
Used Ford Mustang
41 Great Deals out of 1,643 listings starting at $7,999
Used BMW 3 Series
67 Great Deals out of 1,211 listings starting at $2,500
Used Dodge Charger
26 Great Deals out of 904 listings starting at $5,995

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.