Honda Repair: 96 civic fuel pump, butterfly valve, auto parts store

Question
I'm working on my sister in law's 96 civic it died on her the other
night and wont start.  She has fuel, is not flooded and i replaced
her battery, which i figure she killed trying to crank it over, no
avail.  I checked below the butterfly valve for gas while it was
cranking: nothing but a small puddle is visable and no gas
appears to be being injected.  The pump is making a funny noise
with the key in pos III after start attempts.  it stops when key is
removed nad reinserted.  i also pulled the fuse to check it (its
ok) and it stopped the noise.  heres the question is the fuel
pump faulty?
thanks for your time.


Answer
Joe:
I would say the fuel pump is good, the noise you hear is normal. You need to determine if your problem is fuel or spark, it sounds like it may be spark since you have fuel to the engine. Check the plugs, plug wires and distributor.
If you guess, you will end up spending a lot more money on replacing (good) parts rather than fixing the problem. I would suggest getting a repair manual and it will step you through checking and replacement. An auto parts store sells repair manuals for about $15.
Good luck.
Bill