89-91 Civic - One Possible Solution to your starting problems
CHECK YOUR KEY SWITCH
I noticed many people here saying they have problems starting their 89-91 Civics. I had an 89 Civic Wagovan that had some intermittent starting problems. One day I went to start my car and it wouldn't start. After about three or four tries, it finally started. About an hour later I was driving on the freeway and smoke started coming out of my steering column. I pulled over quickly and noticed that one wire to my ignition switch was slightly melted. After letting things cool down, I attempted to start it again. It ran fine until about another 30 minutes later when the smoke returned. I was able to get to a large parking lot, where I let things cool down and tried to start it again. My car wouldn't start no matter how hard I tried. When it turned over, it would start, but as soon as I let the key return to the ON position, it would shut off. I realized that when the key was in the ON position, none of the lights on the dashboard were on (engine, battery, etc.) I found that I was able to keep my car running if I backed off the key slightly after starting (holding it between ON and START) It was just enough to get me to an Auto Parts store. I replaced the key switch and everything worked fine afterwards. I didn't need to replace the tumblers, rather just the switch which is a white plastic piece that fits behind the tumblers. Apparently these things wear out over time and can short out inside, creating enough heat to melt the switch. The internal components had melted, and the actual contact for the ON position had moved slightly (which explains why I had to hold the key between ON and START just to keep the car running) I had this happen to a 91 Civic DX Hatchback also, so I'm assuming this is a common problem with 10+ year old Civics. I just thought I'd mention this, so anyone with problems starting a Civic can try this first. If you turn your key to the ON position and none of your dashboard lights are on (check engine light, battery, oil, etc), but the engine still turns over when you try to start, chances are you have a bad ignition switch. |
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