i have a 96 civic ex 5 speed.
i was wondering if anyone could help me on this.
i forgot to disconnect the battery and i shorted the starter terminal.
after that my car wouldnt start and the main relay was clicking like crazy when attempting to start. i have a good starter, battery, and main relay.
if i try really hard it starts then stalls.
also the check engine light wont come on with the main relay plugged in but if i crank it with it unplugged the light will flash on and off
it doesnt go through the diagnostic when you turn on the key, no check engine light

 

You may need a new ECU. Have any friends with a 96-00 civic ex? If so, borrow their ECU and see if that solves your problem.

Are all your fuses good?

Edit: When you turn your key to the On position the following should happen:

1. Engine check light comes on for 2 seconds and goes off.
2. You can hear your fuel pump activate in the rear of the car (under the rear seat).

Do both of these happen?

 

Another thing you can check is your main relay.
good luck.

 

when i turn the key on the engine light only comes on if the main relay is unplugged, but ive been through three( main relays) fron the junkyard and when i tested them all the same pins were bad 1,3,5 and 7 big coincidence.
also when the light comes on its stays on and the diagnostic does run the light just comes on and stays on, no blink
im thinking now its the ecu and when im plugging the good relays in its shorting the same circuits every time and causing the relay to go bad.
also my speedometer jumps around like crazy when i crank the car.
also it got progressively worse, at one point i could get it started if i tried really hard and then i couldnt start it at all.

 

Sounds to me like ECU. Do you have anyone with one you could use to check? Check all your wires. Make sure none are shorted or anything. Check voltage going in and out of your ECU.

 

Check all the fuses under the hood. What you described will blow the main fuses on 99% of the cars made since '84. There's usually a 120A or 100A fuse on most cars. Usually, it will fry so the ECU doesn't.

 

all fuses are good 99% sure its the ecu cuz sometimes the check engine light comes on and stays on (no diagnostic cycle) or it doesnt come on at all (no diag. cycle) plus no voltage to any sensors

 

im getting a new one (ecu)tomorrow so well see

 

Dayum. I hope it fixes your problem, fo sho! Check the usual places like carparts.com and ebay first. That's a terrible way to learn a lesson, so I hope you can find a deal. It isn't going to be cheap if you buy it new.

 

sounds like ecu, hope you learned, disconect the battery for everything

it sux hope it fixes the prob