dadrought6

Hello everyone.
So I bought an extremely clean 94 Prelude S Automatic with 120k on the odometer for my wife last week because she needed a new car. It looked unmolested, nothing had been done to this car besides maintenance and a CD player was put in. The car ran fine for the first week then today she called and told me the car was not starting.

When I got home to look at it I tried starting it and it started right up and ran just fine but would not run for more than 5 seconds or so and then just died. If you tried it again sometimes it would do the same thing or run even longer (15 sec), sometimes it would run like it was only on 3 cylinders and die, and others it just wouldn't start at all. Even giving it gas if it started to keep it from dying would not keep it running; it just shut off like if you turned the key off.

I did some research, saw that a typical problem is the ignition switch I guess just wearing out and if you hold the key forward it prevents the shutting off. That didn't work.

I don't have a voltmeter to test circuits and what not but I did go out and buy a main relay and a new ignition coil as the old coil was very corroded where the wire hooks up and broken. Neither of these things fixed it.

I decided to pull the plugs and discovered that they were soaked in oil from bad tube seals so I went out and got new plugs, new wires, a cap and rotor, the tube seals and a new pcv valve because that was pretty cruddy too. All of this and the car at this point wont even start now. When I first hit the key it acts like it wants to catch but doesn't. No more running for five seconds and dying.

I pulled two of the plug wires and stuck an old plug in the wire and turned the engine over and both of them fired so it has spark. I loosened the banjo bolt for the fuel line at the fuel rail and gas spewed out so it must have fuel to the rail at least too.

My question is, what the hell? I will say that the only thing aftermarket I have found on the car is what looks to be like an old aftermarket alarm system that someone wired in and must have disabled at some point. I say this because some of the wires in the tangle of mess under the dash are cut...this worries me. I have had previous nightmares with these older aftermarket alarms...

This car also has the electronic gas gauge...are they notorious for being off and could the car just be out of gas? It is reading low on the gauge, only two bars. Could it be a bad fuel pump?

Or is it an ecu issue...

I need help. If anyone has any tips on what I should check next I definitely appreciate it!!

Jackzor

First things first. Put gas in it. Second. Get it the car and turn the key to the running position. You should hear the fuel pump. Also. Check engine grounds. Be sure to check the grounds on the thermostat housing.

dadrought6

Thanks man. Definitely gonna put gas in it today. I tried to listen for pump yesterday but I couldn't hear it. Might have to try while I'm under car and someone else turns key on. I will check the grounds too and check back.

Raevyn67

We had a similar issue with our '98. We went through it and replaced the ICM, the battery, the distributor coil, cap and rotor. We had spark, we had fuel, we had air.

After taking it to a mechanic because we were out of ideas, they rechecked everything we had already checked and replaced. They were stumped and out of desperation they put in new plugs (ours were only a month or so old) and she fired right up. We had "fuel-fouled" the plugs by trying to start it so many times. Hopefully yours ends up being something "stupid simple" as well.

And on a side note: we couldn't hear the fuel pump from outside the car. We actually removed the trunk insulation to get to the pump, turned the accessories on and could hear it at that point.

AudioFunk

Could be a bad ground or Main Relay

dadrought6

Yea I did change the plugs, decided to check em cause I wanted to do everything I could before asking for help.

dadrought6

Yea I need to check the grounds, I changed the main relay too cause I know those are typical problems for the old Hondas. Thanks for all the tips though guys, gettin ready to put gas in now and see what that does. How many grounds are there in the engine bay again? The battery ground, one on the valve cover, starter, the thermo housing, anywhere else?

dadrought6

Well...it was out of gas! Womp womp hooray! Haha I'm glad that's what it was. After almost 200 in parts, in was just a little thirsty. It needed most of what I replaced anyway but I'm glad it runs. Thanks for all the help!!!

AudioFunk

At least you don't have to replace those parts in the future. I also had a simliar problem only mine was a loose ground under the thermo housing. Also wasted $200 lol. Glad you figured it out.

Raevyn67

I agree with AudioFunk - Just think, you have done a pretty nice little tune-up there to get you by for a while Glad you didn't have a nasty problem and it was something "stupid-simple" :D

dadrought6

I'm glad it was stupid too! Glad I also thought about trying that before spending any more money. Only thin I may try to return is the main relay.