Honda Repair: car wont start, spark plug wire, injector problems

Question
I have a 2000 honda civic, just filled the tank the night before, parked the car and in the morning the car would crank but not start. I smell fuel but I don't think it getting to the injectors. Problem is, I'm not sure if there is a fuel filter anywhere before the injectors? And how tough is it to replace the filter and injectors?


Answer
Hi Tony,

Yes there is a fuel filter before the injectors and it is pretty easy to replace however I have seen only one case where a clogged fuel filter caused a no start. Not many injector problems either. If you smell fuel than the injectors are working! An engine needs five basic things to operate: fuel, air, SPARK, timing, & compression. These civics are known for the ignition coils going bad. To test for this have someone crank the vehicle and pull a spark plug wire either off a plug or off the distributor cap. If you pulled it off the cap hold it about a 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch away from the cap while engine is cranking and you should see spark. If you pulled it off the plug hold it near the valve cover or another ground source and you should see spark. If you do not see spark you have an ignition failure. The number one ignition failure on these civics is the ignition coil. I have also seen bad distributor rotors as well. I would replace the cap and rotor if they are original as well as the coil just for maintenance purposes. Hope this helps, let me know what you find and feel free to contact me in the future if you have any additional questions.

Nolan