Need help with my 86 wagon not starting :(

Roulette

Noticed the little battery light flickering this morning as I drove to get coffee. Drove fine, started fine. Once I came back after turning it off it cranked and immediately came on, then quickly died.

Now, it turns over but won't actually kick on and start. Checked a few things and it is getting fuel and spark. Tried starter fluid with no luck.

Could it be the timing belt? Obviously it's not the battery since it's turning over (and I checked the battery with a little voltage thing just to be extra sure) but why would that little light flicker?

Thanks!!

northwest_war_wagon

sounds like the timing belt snapped! sorry bro

evol911

Take off your distributor cap and crank it over... If the rotor isn't turning, dead timing belt!

Roulette

evol911 wrote:

Take off your distributor cap and crank it over... If the rotor isn't turning, dead timing belt!

Thank you for that awesome advice! I'm at work right now but I will try this as soon as I can.

If it is worst case scenario, and the timing belt is toast, where can I find a decent walk through for replacing that belt? I know I've asked around at mechanics just for general maintenance purposes and I've been quoted $500 just to replace it!

I understand it's a tedious and precise thing to replace but I have faith in my buddy when it comes to things like this. He however has not done a Civic timing belt replacement and is asking specifics that I don't know such as if there are pulley markings to line up with etc.

wagodizzle

timing belts are quite easy to replace actually.. once you get the crank pulley bolt off, the job should take no more then 1 to 2 hours. i did it once in 45 minutes

Roulette

Thanks for all the help and suggestions guys.

I ended up doing the distributor check and thankfully it was spinning so we narrowed the issue down a bit. We rechecked all the fuel and spark and everything appeared fine.

Eventually we sprayed the hell out of the intake with starting fluid while cranking it and giving it gas and after about 10 rough minutes it FINALLY hacked up a lung and started up.

It's still acting a bit pissy and the battery light flickers as it warms up in the morning but it WILL start hesitantly. This weekend I will be looking in to a new carb kit, fuel filter, and fuel lines.

evol911

Maybe fuel pump??? Maybe something is wrong with it and its drawing too much power or shorting out... Maybe???

Roulette

evol911 wrote:

Maybe fuel pump??? Maybe something is wrong with it and its drawing too much power or shorting out... Maybe???

Yea it almost seems like an electrical problem but I really have very little experience in that department.

By the way, does anyone know a great website I can buy the manual from? I only ever see the Haynes manual for CRX/Civic but it's not wagon specific. I just need a third gen workshop manual!!

lalunette

Roulette wrote:

we sprayed the hell out of the intake with starting fluid while cranking it and giving it gas and after about 10 rough minutes it FINALLY hacked up a lung and started up.

Sounds like my uncle Joe !!!

Jaker

86 Wagon has a mechanical fuel pump. Battery light flickering is the brushes in the alternator that are pretty much worn out. A new set of brushes is about $5 from NAPA, and after getting the alternator out, takes about 20 minutes to change. Don't know for sure what the hard starting is. Could be bad spark plugs, bad ignition wires, bad coil, bad distributor cap/rotor, or a fuel pump that's packing it in (doubtful).