*your civc shouldn't have a choke. No FI car does...
No choke on a 97 Civic, unless they put something WAAAAAAY wierd in the Euro versions. Last carbureted car I know of was in 93, and IIRC was a Hyundai or some other uber-cheap econo car.
Just the same, wide-open throttle does clear-flood mode now. It cuts the injectors when the key is in the start position.
One thing to be aware of: Civics in that time frame are known for bad ignitors and ignition coils. They can be destroyed if you don't use an OE cap and rotor. We only install caps and rotors from the dealership on Hondas. Sometimes, but a bit more rarely, it's the bushing in the distributor.
Try the throttle-down trick again, don't crank the engine longer than about 15 seconds, then wait about 30, or you'll destroy the starter, if it tries to start and dies, wait a few seconds and try the same thing again. If it does start, it probably won't want to run, if it's flooded (which takes some doing on EFI cars), you'll need to go wide-open throttle to about 3000 RPM, then take your foot completely off the pedal till the needle gets back to about 1000, then repeat about 3 or 4 times. It'll clear out any excess fuel (closed-throttle decel also causes the injectors to shut off). Once it's running smooth, get it warmed up and see how it runs.
How many miles are on that again?
ETA: Just tow it over to my place. I can get it running.
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