Ok, something strange happened to me the other day. I was driving on the freeway and the engine appeared to just cut out. Total loss of power. I tried downshifting which didn't help and then I hit the emergency flashers and started blasting on the horn so people would let me over as I was in the left lane in fairly heavy traffic. I thought the f'king timing belt snapped, which I had just replaced in April, but when I got over to the right and stopped on the shoulder I attempted to restart the engine and was rewarded with an awful grinding noise. It was still running and idling smoothly at about 1k on the tach. Dumbfounded and still shaking from the spike of panic, I put the car back in gear, let up the clutch, and drove away like nothing ever happened.

WTF was that all about? Any ideas? The main relay is 3 years old so I doubt that is it.

It has been really cold in NY and the car has been dying immediately after starting on really cold days like the day in question. After two start-dies I rev the engine as soon as it catches and hold it up over 2k rpm for 15-20 seconds and then she is good to go. Perhaps the cold is affecting something?

Anyone ever run into a similar problem? If so, what was the cause and what fixed it?

 

Main relay? igniter? coil? any codes pop on?

I would lean more of the way of an ignition problem

 

I haven't pulled codes yet. After I tried to restart the engine and found it was already running I just drove away like nothing ever happened.

I think maybe it is jealous because I am considering purchasing a Fit :dunno:

 

If it was a main relay the car probably would not of started. Did you have a bouncing tach or notice anything like that at the time or since then? You ever change the fuel filter? Hows the Cat convertor? It could be plugging up. Fuel pump might be going out on you....The possibilities are endless.

 

Since then it has died a few more times but always restarts when you declutch and turn the key.

Fuel filter has been replaced but that was a few years ago. The cat isn't plugged as I just had the exhaust off to repair that flange and checked it out for curiosity's sake just a few weeks ago. Tach doesn't bounce that I've noticed, just drops to zero.

I have noticed that it has been hard to start lately on cold days and after running for short periods of time. I'm guessing that either like the pickup in the distributor is dying or the fuel pump is getting ready to crap out. I haven't had time to look into the matter any further.

 

Could be cold-solder joints* in the main fuel relay.
*(fine cracks in the solder connections make the problem occur intermittently)

You could take the main fuel relay to a TV repair shop and have them re-solder all the connections in the main fuel relay.
_or_
replace the main fuel relay.

Also, check and clean all the grounds in your car (transmission, valve cover, body, thermostat housing, negative battery terminal).

Take Care,
ChrisS
PS, my 91 crx si had the same hard start problem after the car ran for 20-30 minutes and did a 5-15 minute stop on a warm day. Re-soldering the main fuel relay fixed the problem.

 

I replaced the relay with a new HONDA part in August of 2006. You don't think it could go bad already, the original lasted 15 years?

 

Check wiring at ECU and between main fuel relay & fuel pump for shorts and loose/dirty connections. (note: The ground connections I mentioned before are very important. Bad grounds can cause all kinds of weird intermittent problems.)

What code(s), if any, does the ECU show when the problem occurs?

When was the last time you reset the ECU?
(by pulling the ECU fuse for a few minutes; Sometimes, it can get strange data stuck in its memory that can cause problems.)

Take Care,
ChrisS

 

Pull the distributor cap off and check the coil; it may be frying out the connection between it and the cap, giving you weak spark.