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

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

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.