Please help! Car won't start!
 

Hello,

I have a 1990 DX that won't start. It died a couple of weeks ago and I traced that back to a bad coil. Replaced the coil and it was fine for a while. Then it started hesitating. It died a couple times when I would start out from a stop, the times it didn't die I had to accellerate very slowly. Finally it died when I had to slow down on the freeway. Took my foot off the gas and slowed down to about 50, when I tried to get it moving again it died. Now it won't start. It seems to be getting a spark and fuel (at least into the fuel filter).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Vince

Throwing any codes???

I don't know. I just bought this car a few months ago and don't even know how to go about checking the codes.

Sorry,

Vince

Under the passenger side carpet where the passengers feet would be, peel back the carpet which is held by pop out clips, you will see a big gold thing and there is a circle and it should have a red led blinking a certain number of times.

The check engine light will usually be on if it has codes... if the light is on follow FourthGenHatch's instructions.

dist or main relay...could be the ecu

if you get 15, 18, 21 then you are in the mess i am!

Can't be Main Relay if he says he is getting fuel.

A couple things I forgot to mention...

I tried starting it with starter fluid figuring if it ran off the starter fluid I'd know if it were some sort of fuel problem. It didn't run off the starter fluid. Also,when I tested for a spark it was there but seemed kind of weak. However, to test it I had stuck a key in the end of the wire and held that to a bolt on the car body. So, I don't know if the spark is actually weak or if it just appeared that way because it had to pass through the key first. Later, when I have help, I'll try testing the spark with a screwdriver to the wire instead.

As far as the main relay, I thought that controlled both the fuel pump and intection. Could it be possible that the pump is still working but the injectors aren't? From the diagram of the relay I saw they seem to be controlled by seperate portions of the same relay. Of course, this wouldn't explain why it wouldn't run on starter fluid now would it?

Oh, and what does "if you get 15, 18, 21 then you are in the mess i am!" mean? Is that some sort of diagnostic code that I'd get by looking at the light under the passenger side carpet previously mentioned?

Thanks again,

Vince

Your ecu (car's brain) is under the passenger side carpet. You lift it up, you'll see a nickel sized circle with an led light that might be blinking. You need to count the blinks and that'll give you the code.

Ok, I checked the ECU and it wasn't blinking at all. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?