Main relay hates the cold?

[Omniscient]

Well, It's happening again. My car wouldn't start the first few days of heat in the summer. Now it's the first day of cold and its fucking up again. I don't know what to do.

[Running925]

replace it

[Omniscient]

I belive its the main relay. Dash lights come on everything in the cabin works fine and the fuel pump primes. Go to crank over, no crank, nothing. I keep trying to crank it over eventually i hear a boing/ping noise. The starter was last tested good. New dizzy cap and rotor. Coil is good. When push started the car runs fine. Good idle and no stalling, no loss in power.

[Omniscient]

Thanks Han For Making This Double Post Possible!~

[dE.fUsEd]

auto or manual?

[Omniscient]

manual

[dubcac]

Clutch switch? I had a problem like that in my teg for a while...an intermittent thing. I'd depress the clutch, turn the key, nothing would happen...no starter solenoid click, no nothing. Let the clutch out, depress it again...start right up. If I'd change the position of the clutch, it would start too. Something to look into...

[Wharbone]

I belive its the main relay. Dash lights come on everything in the cabin works fine and the fuel pump primes. Go to crank over, no crank, nothing. I keep trying to crank it over eventually i hear a boing/ping noise. The starter was last tested good. New dizzy cap and rotor. Coil is good. When push started the car runs fine. Good idle and no stalling, no loss in power.

If it was your main relay, you wouldn't hear the fuel pump prime.

I had a similar problem about 3 years ago, and it was my ECU that went bad. I believe it threw a cel though.

[Omniscient]

I'm not throwing any CEL's, if I depress my clutch over and over trying to start the car it won't. The only time it works is when I get a push start. But then like I had a push start from the casino and drove my car home. Went inside for a little bit then went to go to 7 11 and the car started up just fine. Got to 7 11 got my shit went to leave and needed another push.




What the hell is the ping noise? It sounds like water dropping into a pool of water. Its weird as hell.

[Omniscient]

Ok, hm.. I just did the whole keep pressing the clutch thing and it worked. So you guys think its the clutch switch?

[sakura99]

[QUOTE=Wharbone]If it was your main relay, you wouldn't hear the fuel pump prime.

It could still be the main relay. There is a secondary circuit for the fuel pump, so even if the relay is bad, the fuel pump will still run.

Because of your (outside) temperature reference, I would be more inclined to agree with you that it is probably the main relay. Regardless of the temp, what is the humidity like when it doesn't start?

Either way, check the connections on the main relay before you spend more money on something you don't need. The civic main relay is notorious for connections going bad, more notorious than the internal coil going bad. I've heard of some guys taking their (bad) relay, heating up the conections with a soldeing gun, and sometimes even laying new solder on it, and the relay works fine.

Oh yeah, I forgot... the reason a car with a bad relay or relay with crappy connections will start sometimes and not others is because of the connections from the relay to the car... Humidity usually plays a factor, but one of the telltale sigs of a relay prob is the car starts, runs fine, you park it and it cools off, and then it won't start. (especially when your battery/alt./spark is all working fine.) Even if you have to replace the relay, it's less than say a internal coil, ignitor, or a set of wires...

...sorry for the novel, but hope it works out for you. Oh yeah... I had this problem with my civic also...

[Omniscient]

It's working fine again. Well see what happens tomorrow.

[Wharbone]

It could still be the main relay. There is a secondary circuit for the fuel pump, so even if the relay is bad, the fuel pump will still run.

Because of your (outside) temperature reference, I would be more inclined to agree with you that it is probably the main relay. Regardless of the temp, what is the humidity like when it doesn't start?

Either way, check the connections on the main relay before you spend more money on something you don't need. The civic main relay is notorious for connections going bad, more notorious than the internal coil going bad. I've heard of some guys taking their (bad) relay, heating up the conections with a soldeing gun, and sometimes even laying new solder on it, and the relay works fine.

Oh yeah, I forgot... the reason a car with a bad relay or relay with crappy connections will start sometimes and not others is because of the connections from the relay to the car... Humidity usually plays a factor, but one of the telltale sigs of a relay prob is the car starts, runs fine, you park it and it cools off, and then it won't start. (especially when your battery/alt./spark is all working fine.) Even if you have to replace the relay, it's less than say a internal coil, ignitor, or a set of wires...

...sorry for the novel, but hope it works out for you. Oh yeah... I had this problem with my civic also...

For me, when my main relay was not working, the fuel pump deffinately did not prime itself.

The problem with the main relay is actually dry solder joints, not the connection. These dry solder joints can be fixed (although I just replaced the relay).

Here is a great link that describes the symptoms of a faulty main relay, and also gived a DIY in how to re-solder it.

http://www.marklamond.co.uk/howto/el...main-relay.htm

[phiberoptik]

Just replace the main relay, its cheap a new one cost like $40.

[Wharbone]

Next time it fails on you, check for spark.

I think it is your igniter or coil. How do you know that they are good like you said before? An intermitant igniter will also be affected by heat.

The clutch switch sounds like a possibility as well.

[Omniscient]

Next time it fails on you, check for spark.

I think it is your igniter or coil. How do you know that they are good like you said before? An intermitant igniter will also be affected by heat.

The clutch switch sounds like a possibility as well.

I had the cap and rotor replaced pretty much exactly a month ago, and I was going to have the coil done but they said it was in perfect condition. The car runs fine now. Also if it was the coil, it think things would be a little shaky ya know? I don't think the car would run perfectly once I got it if it was the coil.

[Wharbone]

I had the cap and rotor replaced pretty much exactly a month ago, and I was going to have the coil done but they said it was in perfect condition. The car runs fine now. Also if it was the coil, it think things would be a little shaky ya know? I don't think the car would run perfectly once I got it if it was the coil.

If it is an intermittent problem, it might check out fine sometimes and not other times. Since you have an intermittent problem, the only way to check it is when it fails. Next time it doesn't start, check for spark. I imagine this is a spark issue since you can hear the fuel pump prime.

A failing igniter has similar symptoms of a bad main relay. This site (same site as the main relay site posted earlier) lists the symptoms.

http://www.marklamond.co.uk/howto/el...er/igniter.htm

Hope you get it figured out so you don't get stranded somewhere.

[Omniscient]

If it is an intermittent problem, it might check out fine sometimes and not other times. Since you have an intermittent problem, the only way to check it is when it fails. Next time it doesn't start, check for spark. I imagine this is a spark issue since you can hear the fuel pump prime.

A failing igniter has similar symptoms of a bad main relay. This site (same site as the main relay site posted earlier) lists the symptoms.

http://www.marklamond.co.uk/howto/el...er/igniter.htm

Hope you get it figured out so you don't get stranded somewhere.

Thanks a lot man. Yea, so far I haven't gotten stranded. I just push the car and hop in and pop start it. It works every time lol.

[Wharbone]

How is your battery? Might want to get it checked at autozone.

I forgot you could push start it. The clutch switch sounds more probable to me now.

[Omniscient]

It happend again. But After a push start it works fine. It really confuses the hell out of me. Here's a symptom list.

Fuel pump primes.

All electronics work fine.

The car runs with a push start.

There is no loss in power.

Repedidly pushing the clutch while holding the key in the ignition position works RARELY.

Same thing happend about 5 months ago, but went away on it's own.

The problem is now seeming to come and go as it pleases.

There is a buzzing noise comming from the dash now when I try to start it. Before it was a drip/boing noise.

I'm totally freakin stumped.






If it was the clutch switch, would it act as if I wasn't even pushing in the clutch? Like nothing would happen when I fully turned the key? Because when I do it, the oil and battery light get dim and there's a buzzing noise.

Hmm. I kind of sounds like the igniter. I wish they had more symtoms than that.

[Omniscient]

There's no spark because the engine doesn't even crank.

[Wharbone]

The engine won't crank at all when if fails? Get your battery and starter tested at autozone. I think it might be your battery.

[Wreckless96]

you could have bad battery termainals. your car could get enough power to turn on your radio and stuff but not get the power needed to turn the car over

[Running925]

hey, do your self a favor & check your engine grounds

if needed add a couple

[Tanker]

If it was the clutch switch, would it act as if I wasn't even pushing in the clutch? Like nothing would happen when I fully turned the key?

Yes

Because when I do it, the oil and battery light get dim and there's a buzzing noise. Hmm.

That's probably the sound of a dead battery on a bad starter solenoid or on the relays.

I kind of sounds like the igniter. I wish they had more symtoms than that.

It isn't the igniter, the car isn't cranking. Try jumping the battery to the starter solenoid. The voltage should drop and come back up to 12V if you just got bad straps.

[Omniscient]

Yes



That's probably the sound of a dead battery on a bad starter solenoid or on the relays.



It isn't the igniter, the car isn't cranking. Try jumping the battery to the starter solenoid. The voltage should drop and come back up to 12V if you just got bad straps.

All I had to do was clean the battery terminals.

[Running925]

All I had to do was clean the battery terminals.

and why is this thread titled the way it is!!!!

[Omniscient]

and why is this thread titled the way it is!!!!

Because I'm a moron. C'mon.

[Running925]

Because I'm a moron. C'mon.

lol.. well i'm glad u solved the prob!

[Omniscient]

lol.. well i'm glad u solved the prob!

Mommy, WOW! I'm a big kid now.