Honda Car Forum

i have a 1987 honda civic, the problem is that it wont turn on. i was driving one day and it just turned off for no reason. the car had gas, oil, and water. the day before it was overheating and it was low on oil, but i put oil that same day. the only problems i know is that it wont pass the smog check and it was leaking the anti freeze. does anybody know what could be wrong with it? someone told me it was the timing belt but i wasnt sure.

it won't turn on because it's a 1987 honda civic. it's 20 years old. i bet there's a million miles on it.

you need to try to turn the crank if it wont turn then you seized your motor by driving it without oil and coolant it is very likely you froze up your engine.

It sounds to me like your thermostat stuck that would cause your overheating if the overheating was rapid and all the sudden then i would say your thermostat was bad this could also cause your head gaskets to go bad see if you are getting anti-freeze in your oil. If this is the case when you turn the key it will crank and never start also you would have seen thick smoke when it was running.

your question leaves a lot to be desired. When you say the car won't turn on, does that mean the key won't turn in the ignition, or does it mean the starter won't turn over, or does that mean the starter turns but the motor won't catch. provide some indepth info.

from your description that it overheats, had smoggy emission, and low oil level it seems that your engine is suffering from blowby, your piston rings are worn, your oil and air/fuel mixture manages to pass thru your compression and oil scraper ring hence smog, high oil consumption and overheating. If you pull one of the vent hoses i'm sure you would have lots of air coming out because of loose compression(positive crankcase ventilation). It wont turn on because the cylinder pressure is too low to support combustion or your engine could have SEIZED. YOUR ENGINE NOW NEEDS A GOOD MAJOR OVERHAUL.