92 civic fuel relay

Is the fuel pump coming On? if so check the fuel pressure if its within specs-start here

Can you use any old fuel pressure gague from advanced auto? They have one that "fits exactly" for $44 and an el cheapo- for $16 or so. Will this work?

If it turns out the fuel pressure is low then what is the likely cause of the problem, the fuel pump?


Can someone please explain to me the function of the fuel relay under the dash board? I haven't looked at this yet but heard its a common problem and this happened to my sisters car. Is there a way to visually inspect whether the relay is bad? whats the difference between a relay and a fuse?

Replace the main relay its cheap-Again one more time do you hear the fuel pump come on when you turn key to run?

Sorry, yes I hear the fuel pumprun when I turn the key to the on position

And if the relay isnt bad why replace it? Isnt there someway to know if its bad?

Hook up a fuel pressure tester and check it-comeback with the readings in order to continue-

Ok checked the fuel pressure. Consistent ~44 Psi. This is both with the pressure regulator vacuum hose connected and disconnected. Im not sure since i didnt accually start my car if it should change or be different when i remove the vacuum. Im assuming not since the service manual doesnt mention checking the regulator if your car wont start?

So pressure looks good, fuel pump and filter seem to be in working order.... Whats next?

Do you have spark out of the sparkplug wires while engine is being cranked over?

Yes checked for spark after i put new plugs in and new dist. Cap and rotor. Only checked one cylinder

Okay-Crank the engine over and listen if the injectors are clicking

Ok i tried just flooring the pedal and cranking ( flooded engine theory) and it ALMOST started, it felt like it was starting up then it bailed last second. Subsequent tries start out really strong in the first couple of seconds then the power just goes down and it doesnt feel like it has enough power to get back up there again (im trying this while the car is jumped to another car). Ill check for the injector clicking and get back to you guys

Not to much spray in some carb cleaner in the throttle body and see what happens and also recheck fuel pressure

Ok will recheck and run through carb cleAner and get back to you. Now everytime it just chugs chugs chugs without any 'feeling' that itmight start. I dont know if that makes sense.

Rechecked fuel pressure, 44 Psi right on the money. I checked the resistance across all the fuel injector terminals and all are within spec (12 ohms).

What does the carb cleaner in the throttle body tell us if it starts/doesnt start?

Should I check for spark on all cylinders and or re-check my installation of new spark plugs? This was the first automotive repair-anything ive done and I may have made a mistake. I gapped all the plugs to spec. If the gap is slightly wide on 1 plug (but fine on the rest) will the engine still fire?

I dont know what else to look for. It can't be the main relay right? since were getting max pressure to the fuel filter. The fuel pump is obviously fine, and the injectors appear fine, although i guess we dont know if they are ACCUALLY injecting fuel or not do we?

???????

Check the injectors with a noid lite if its flashing while cranking engine over

Ok update........

-voltage at injector terminals = 12V

-thinking something was wrong with main relay I removed it and resoldered it. However i botched this pretty bad, probably fried part of the board among other things (first time soldering anything and used a 40w iron by mistake...)

-plugged it back in, still heard fuel pump and CEL click/off after 2 seconds. No start

-checked for spark at all cylinders, no spark anywhere
-checked for spark at ignition coil, no spark, and rotor turns
-used LED test light, hooked up neg. to battery ground; positive to positive bolt on the distributor(blk/ylw wire with '+' symbol). Light lit up and stayed lit during cranking
-used LED test light, hooked up pos. terminal to battery pos. terminal, negative to terminal on distributor with (-) symbol. Light flashed on and off during cranking.

This last test implicates a bad coil based on what I read. After doing this I checked ALL fuses in the car. Here is how I checked them (not sure if this is the correct way)
- multimeter set to 12V. Connected ground (COM) lead to negative battery terminal, then checked both ends of all fuses with pos. lead with key in ON position.

I had no reading (0 volts) for fuses 4,5,7,8,9,10,18,19,21,22

I really dont know what this means. I dont know if these normally dont register voltage under these testing conditions, i dont know if I was testing these fuses incorrectly, and i dont know what this means overall. All other fuses registered 12V at both terminals.

If someone could help me analyze these results i would appreciate it. I assumed I jacked the main relay and ordeder one online it should be here tommorow

Thanks