Intermittent ignition problem?

[bochnak]

Hi everyone, first time posting.

I have a 92' accord and believe to have an ignition problem. Sometimes my car won't start.....waiting 15 min. does the trick, and fires right up. It doesn't matter if it's hot or cold, weather, etc. It only happens once every few months and I want to find the problem. I heard a common problem is the distributor. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Matt

[F22B Prelude]

Does it crank?

[bochnak]

Does it crank?

Yes it cranks. I did not have any tools when it wouldn't start, but I bet it wasn't getting spark. It has done this about 4-5 times over the past year....I just wait 10-15 min and it fires right up.

[F22B Prelude]

Main Fuel Relay

[bochnak]

Main Fuel Relay

Thanks. I really need to do a spark test next time this problem occurs, this will determine if in fact it's electrical or fuel related.

[Shallow_Bay]

i have the exact same problem in my 94 ex... its not a main fuel relay. the design on the ignition components was apparently bad, because theres a few in town that do the same. i checked for spark when it wasnt starting, and there was one that wasnt sparking... you can try new dist cap, rotor, wires and plugs, but it didnt work for me, and i'm still living with the problem

[bochnak]

The more I am researching the problem...the more I lean towards the fuel (main) relay. My ignition system (plugs, cap, rotor, etc) is fine. I also did not smell fuel while starting it...which explains the relay not allowing the injectors to work. I also got out of the car when it wouldn't start to look under the hood. I got back in and it fired right up. The trick in that was the door slamming and knockin' the relay back to life.

Check this out:
http://www.alldata.com/techtips/2003/20030602c.html

Thanks for the reply, guys.

-Matt

I ordered a new relay from rockauto.com for $30 shipped and will have the old one dangling under the dash until it acts up again. I will replace it with the new realy and see if that does the trick.

[98CoupeV6]

Did you do a search? There's a way to test relays to verify they work.

[Shallow_Bay]

well i guess i'm gonna have to see if the relay really is the problem... so you say to give it a hit, but where is it and what does it look like?

[bochnak]

This is the most descriptive info. I came across:

http://techauto.tripod.com/mainrelaydefine.htm

I did find the info. on testing the relay with the amount of clicks in each key position. The relay has to be tested when it's not working properly. If the car runs...it's working properly.

[bochnak]

I replaced the faulty relay.....no more problems. $30 at rockauto.com.

-Matt

[MTEng]

Yeah, don't bother testing it as the problem is intermittent and it may test good but still be bad. For $30 just swap it out. Those things are so troublesome it's going to need one sooner or later so even if that's NOT it, you're not wasting your money. Also, although the symptoms are more prevalent when the interior of the car is hot, it can still happen at any temperature. Glad you got it fixed !!!!!

[bochnak]

Thanks. I made the relay accessible (dangling under the dash) for when it failed again. I had the new one in the glovebox. I wanted to be sure I was chasing the right problem.

-Matt