Civic EG

So I went outside yesterday to start my car. It is parked at the moment so I start it once a week and let it run up to normal operating temp. Anyway I started it and it ran for a few minutes, then sputtered and died. Afterwards it would crank but wouldn't turn over all the way. It was also a little hard to start on the initial crank. Any ideas on where to start diagnosing this problem? 94 DX with the D15B7.

Start with the basics.

Fuel - put your ear on the back seat and listen for the pump priming when someone turns the key to the acc position.

Spark - pull a plug wire/spark plug from the head and set it on the valve cover. Have someone try to start the car while you watch the plug top for a spark.

Compression - if you don't have access to a compression tester, you can use a ratchet and deep socket and try turning the crank pulley by hand. It should get easier then harder, then easier then harder etc... Not as accurate as a compression test, but this will tell you if you have any compression at all.

Timing - Check to be sure the timing marks are all inline in case it jumped a tooth.

Do all of the things teal said, and add to that checking your distributor. Pull the cap off and make sure all the connections are TIGHT and solid and make sure your coil is good.

I had a no start for months and kept tinkering with it. Overlooked the dizzy internals, even though I did replace the plugs, wires, and even the cap and rotor. Replaced so many things with no results before I realized it was just a bad coil and it fired right up instantly after that. For that very reason, I have a spare brand new dizzy in a box for if any of my two cars fail to start.

So i started trouble shooting and found a bad coil..anybody know a wallet friendly place to acquire one? I have seen them online for around $20 but they are $75 at autozone...Im not to sure i can trust the $20 one...

Go to the junkyard and pull one out of an Accord or older Civic. They're a dime a dozen.

Get another OEM one. Well worth the price, even used from a junkyard.

could be a bad battery also. have that check out at autozone or somewhere