Hello, my 93 accord wont restart after it died while i was driving home yesterday. When i turn the key, the engine sounds like it wants to start ( cranks) but wont. i figure its either a fuel pump prob or maybe ignitor?

My problem is i cant tell if my fuel pump is priming because of all the beeps and sounds my car and stereo system make make i turn the key to acces. Can i maybe unplug the fuel line from the filter to see if fuel comes out? i checked the filter and its fine.

 

my car will do that sometimes but i believe its the main relay that is going, if it happens more when its warm then it prolly is, try lightly kicking the fuse box under the dash while starting the car

 

My 1990 did the same thing. I removed the fuel line from the fuel rail and placed it in a coffee can that I fit down in the engine compartment. Then I just turned the key to "on" for about a second and it filled the can about a third full. That eliminated fuel starvation.

It turned out to be the distributor. I think it was just a bad coil but for what the autoparts store wanted for a new aftermarket coil ($80) I got a complete distributor ($75) from the salvage yard I use. It was a very easy replacement. You can't put it in 180 degrees off because the two ears that engage into the cam are offset and will only install one way. The guy at the yard was apologetic about having to charge so much. He said they are priced high because it is very common to have distributor problems on the 90-93's so demand is high.

 

same thing happen to me but it was a starter problem

 

So many possibilities... Fuel pump or ignitor are only 2. Why not check stuff before just throwing parts at it?

You can take the fuel line off but that's pretty messy. Listen for the fuel pump, that's almost as good.

You can turn off your stereo & ventilation. Close the door & put your seatbelt on first, so all that stuff doesn't beep at you. The fuel pump isn't very loud, but if you open the gas door & have someone listen back there while you turn the key to 'on' (not all the way to 'start')...

After cranking for a bit, take out a spark plug & see whether it's wet with fuel.

Take off a plug wire & check for spark.

 

this happened to my dads old van if the engine cranks the fuel pumps fine
if it dosent then check your stereo isnt draining the battery at starting, happened to my cuzes R32 and he disconnected the stereo and it worked, go figure?

 

Heres an update from an auto shop. They said my distributor wasent getting any power, he said something about a receiving coil. he also said that i would have to replace the entire dizzy because its impossible to replace the part inside and wanted 550 bucks. i of course said stick it up your azz and i towed my car outta there.

Where can i get this part ( if it exists) or do i have to replace the entire thing. ANy info would be great. im searching for some info on how to change a distributor. i know people say it takes about 30 min but i dont know how to check the timing....

from now on im sticken with CRX's


Modified by Hybridcrx469 at 5:30 PM 11/8/2004

 

If it's in a shop, does that mean you don't wanna DIY this?

With a multi-meter you can check whether the distributor is getting power. The black/yellow wire should have battery voltage whenever the key is on.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hybridcrx469 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Heres an update from an auto shop. They said my distributor wasent getting any power, he said something about a receiving coil...</TD></TR></TABLE>Maybe(?) what they really meant, was the sensor(s) in the base of the distributor weren't working. (TDC, CKP, & CYP) They provide a signal to the ECU for timing. I believe those sensors aren't available separately, you have to buy a distibutor.

If he was talking about the coil or the ICM (ignitor), those can be bought separately.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by smokey8890 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">same thing happen to me but it was a starter problem</TD></TR></TABLE>if the starter was bad the motor wouldnt spin
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get a multimeter and start poking around at your distributor

 

Im perfectly willing to do it myself, I just couldnt figure what was wrong. the distrbutor is getting power itself but he said a coil wasent working correctly and that the only way to fix it would be to replace the whole thing...ill call him back and find out exactly what he meant. ANYWAYS, a job like that shouldnt coast $550 bucks AND he said he was going to give me a rebuild dizzy. No way shouyld it be that much unless labor is $300 an hour. If it is indeed the coil would i have to take off the dizzy and worry about timing or is it a more simple process.


Modified by Hybridcrx469 at 5:52 PM 11/9/2004

 

i just had a brother who has a 91 eclipse w/ a bad distributor & calling around for the part only ranges $250-$410 for a rebuilt unit (w/ a lifetime warranty)... roughly an hour labor to remove/replace, reset the timing($75)

soo for a honda, it seems like it's in the ballpark

 

I think the distributors notoriously go bad.. I'd bet that's your problem.. I just replaced mine (twice.. once was free)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hybridcrx469 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">... If it is indeed the coil would i have to take off the dizzy and worry about timing or is it a more simple process...</TD></TR></TABLE>I don't know if '93s are strange, but you should be able to take off the distributor cap & remove the coil & ignitor without taking the distributor off the engine.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hybridcrx469 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Where can i get this part ( if it exists) or do i have to replace the entire thing. ANy info would be great. im searching for some info on how to change a distributor. i know people say it takes about 30 min but i dont know how to check the timing...</TD></TR></TABLE>You can get a coil or ignitor separately, but if it's the timing sensors down in the distributor, you have to buy a distributor.

There should only be about 3 bolts to remove the distributor. Swapping takes about 5 minutes, the rest of the time (I guess) is for setting the spark timng or opening the beers. You need a timing light for that. If you do that, post back or search for instructions - that gets asked a lot.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hybridcrx469 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">from now on im sticken with CRX's</TD></TR></TABLE>They're pretty much the same as far as the distributor goes...

 

JimeBlake is right. As I posted earlier, I changed mine and it literally took 5 minutes. It can only engage with the cam one way. Look at the ears for the offset. After you get the three bolts in there really is not much movement for timing. I just put it in the center of the travel and the engine started easily and actually ran pretty smooth even before fine tuning the timing. 90-93's are notorious for bad distributors.

Good luck.