Start a car from the engine compartment ?

[Cd]

Anyone want to clue me in on how to do it ?
( no I do not have a friend or anyone willing to help - even for money )

I had a really great link to a fellow that showed how you can easily start your car from under the hood, but i lost it.
I seem to remember that you just run a wire from your positive post on your battery to the starter and touch it at the positive connection and it cranks, but i would hate to be remembering that wrong.

I remember it was super simple.

I searched a few times online for other videos or posts on this subject but I'm not seeing anything yet.

I am needing to test the spark coming from my coil. I don't suppose it is possible to just take the entire distributor into a shop and have them test it versus having the car towed ?

[wdb]

You need to apply power to the post on the starter relay that causes it to make contact and feed the starter solenoid. All of the usual other stuff has to be done as well, such as ignition on, automatic car must be in park, standard shift car must have clutch pushed in.

Please be aware that this carries a significant element of risk. Stuff under hoods spins around at high speed, opens, closes, gets really hot, and so on. Everybody knows a nine-fingered mechanic...

[jakobnev]

You may not even need to spin the whole engine for testing spark.

Just:

1. Disconnect the injectors. (If EFI)
2. Mark distributor position.
3. Remove dist bolts and pull out the dist.
4. Spin the insides of the dist from the coupling and look for spark.

Edit: Might be good to keep the dist grounded to the engine while spinning it!

[Cd]

Originally Posted by wdb

You need to apply power to the post on the starter relay that causes it to make contact and feed the starter solenoid. All of the usual other stuff has to be done as well, such as ignition on, automatic car must be in park, standard shift car must have clutch pushed in.

Please be aware that this carries a significant element of risk. Stuff under hoods spins around at high speed, opens, closes, gets really hot, and so on. Everybody knows a nine-fingered mechanic...

This sounds simple enough, but I would manage to get it wrong guaranteed and fry something - probably myself.

I just had a spark plug tester ( looks like the end of a spark plug with a wire going to a light bulb.) I touched it to a bare socket in my bathroom and immediately blew out all of the lights in a big 'pop !" I wanted to see if i could make the light come on in the tester, so i touched it to the live socket. I figured if it could handle the electricity going to a spark plug, it sure wouldn't damage anything to touch it to a simple light bulb socket.

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. Quite dull actually.

Thank you for the reply.

[Cd]

Originally Posted by jakobnev

You may not even need to spin the whole engine for testing spark.

Just:

1. Disconnect the injectors. (If EFI)
2. Mark distributor position.
3. Remove dist bolts and pull out the dist.
4. Spin the insides of the dist from the coupling and look for spark.

Edit: Might be good to keep the dist grounded to the engine while spinning it!

Since you have the distributor out of the engine, how do you spin it ? Surely you don't mean by hand ( me being dull again )
Are there any wires connected to the distributor at this point ?

By the way this is a 1993 Civic EFI engine.

[user removed]

You want to run power from the positive battery terminal to the small connector, on the starter motor, usually a male blade. This bypasses everything so be absolutely certain the car is not in gear if you have the ignition on to check spark as the car could start in gear and run over you.

Best insurance is a fully applied emergency brake.

You can spin the distributor by hand, but it needs to have a ground connection so it will work.

Mechanics use a starter button, which is a push button with two alligator clips. One goes to positive battery terminal, the other goest to the previously mentioned blade connector on the starter motor. This allows you to "bump" the engine over in small increments when you are adjusting the valves.

regards
Mech

[user removed]

Just pull a plug, stick it in the plug wire, lay it on the valve cover, and crank the engine while looking at the plug for a spark.

regards
Mech

[user removed]

Most Hondas have a ground wire from the engine to the radiator support. If you see a ground wire that is not connected at both ends, that could be your problem.

regards
Mech

[cbaber]

I saw this awhile ago and this thread made me remember it:

OEM/Remote starter switch (25330) | Remote Starter Switch | AutoZone.com

[Frank Lee]

I just lay one of the sparkplug wires with a plug in it on the valve cover or some sort of ground in such a position that I can see it when I'm standing outside the driver's door, window down, cranking via the regular key.