Hi all,
Sorry if I sound stupid here. I don't know anything about cars, much less Honda Civics. But I desperately need help as my funds are dwindling and I can't afford to get ripped off at the mechanic.

I just bought a 1995 Civic in Austin, TX three days ago and am driving it to Madison, WI. But now I'm stuck in Gardner, Kansas. I pulled off I-35 to grab some food. When I got back in the car to start the engine, here's what happened:
It starts but then immediately dies again. I tried 3 times, waited a half hour, then tried again. Same thing. So then I tried holding the key and letting it rev a little longer to see if that would keep it from dying long enough to stay on but then a bunch of thick smoke started coming from under the hood and it smelled like burning rubber or plastic. I tried to look under the hood for ideas but it's dark and I had no light.
(I checked the solved problems thread but one like this isn't there)
Fortunately there was a Super 8 right there so I checked in for the night and will need to fix this in the morning.

Here's some back story if it helps:
It's a 4-door, 4-cylinder with 108,000 miles. And it just passed inspection 2 weeks before I bought it.
As soon as I bought it I noticed a problem when I turned the AC on. It would drive smooth when AC was off but as soon as I turned AC on a belt would start squealing while simultaneously the car would stutter and stammer. But then when I turned AC off it would run smooth again.
On my way north on I-35 I tried leaving the AC on for a while to see if it would correct itself but eventually the AC stopped working altogether and it was just pumping out warm air. So I turned AC off and have been driving it north for another 9 or 10 hours (over the course of 2 days).
Since then I noticed that when I slowed down it started to run rough and loud and had difficulty accelerating. But when I got back up to 70mph it would run smooth and quiet again.
Finally, the current problem (engine starts but immediately dies again) began after I stopped for food this evening.
Does anyone know what could be happening and what I should do/look at? I need advice ASAP!

btw, I called a friend and he thinks it might be the air compressor seizing and if I just cut off the AC belt it could run fine. Does that sound like it could be it?

Thanks in advance,
Andrew

 

yes..you can cut the belt off...BUT make sure it's the right belt or you won't be going anywhere. There should be 3 belts in that area.
At the very front end of the Engine area(where the hood locks into place) there should be 2 thick AC tubes(cover with insulators) that goes to the right & down...follow those tubes down to the AC Compressor(kinda squared shaped) & you'll see a belt that is attached to the AC Compressor. That's the one you can cut off if need be.

When the AC Compressors seizes, it interferes with how the engine is trying to work since they're both connected together by that belt...cut the belt off & it won't interfere anymore.

Check out the condition of that belt & see if it's the reason for the smoke you saw earlier. Hopefully that's the only issue.

BTW...I live very close to Killeen...What dealership did you buy the Civic from? I'm asking because I like to look at online ads for Civics in the area from time to time & a few in Austin caught my eye.

 

Thanks, Mecca. I will try your idea in the morning and hopefully it works.
If it turns out that's not it, what would be your second guess?
Thanks again

I bought it for $2100 from North Lamar Auto Body, 7313 N. Lamar in Austin.

 

Well first if that doesn't work..is the CEL(Check Engine Light) on the dash lit up(for 2 seconds) then go off when you turn the key in the 2nd position? Did you have anything done to the car recently?

 

Removing the A/C belt is a good idea. Often when first started there is some harmless squealing from the alternator belt.

Check that the engine has oil in it. The dipstick is right in the front center. (Summary for those who have never checked oil before: engine stopped (unfortunately no problem there) pull dipstick out, wipe all oil off, put it back in all the way, take it out again-- there should be oil on the bottom end. Proper level is anywhere between the two holes.)

Also check that the radiator is full of coolant. Again no problem since your car doesn't run, but absolutely never remove the cap when the engine is hot.

Check that all the spark plug wires are all the way down. If one has popped up that spark plug may be loose.

 

Good news: Turns out it was the AC belt all along. I just cut that off and the car runs normal now. Problem solved! Thanks, guys.

Total cost: $0.00

Of course I will want AC in a couple months but I'll just worry about that then.

 

Thats great to hear!