When I first got the car and was having fun destroying tires I’d have this bad habit of driving down the street, coming to my house, yanking the ebrake, doing a 180 and parking parallel to the curb.... well I’d cut it off and if I tried to start it in the next 5-15 mins it would (not always but usually) just turn over but never start. After turning over for about 5-10 seconds a CEL light would come on. Only code is a 17. After 5-10 mins of cranking it would finally start and run like a champ.

Needless to say I stopped doing that junk. well yesterday I drove the car to the DMV... it was a 15 min spirited drive.... got there, turned it off... went inside for 10 mins, came out, it wouldn't start. For about 5 mins it turned over but never cranked. Didn’t even try.

I kicked under the dash by the main relay thinking that might be the problem... didn't help... I tried pumping the gas. I tried turning the key on and off a few times before trying to start it. I popped the hood and my buddy opened the fuse box to see if any fuses were blown... didn't notice any so he punched the cover closed... we were pissed.... slammed the hood and the car cranked right up.... dunno if it cranked b/c we jarred something or because it just felt like cranking but it's becoming rather annoying.

This is my daily driver when I can't afford to fuel up the jeep and I can't afford to be stranded somewhere.

Can anyone give me some ideas...?

It’s an 89 dx... bought it from the 3rd owner... engine is a JDM d15b (non vtec).... I think it was carbed and when they swapped it in they just reused the DPFI manifold and such.

Thanks in advance

-Erik

 

I've had this problem as well. The other day after work I went out to hit some golf ***** and left my car in the lot. Hour later I come back and it just cranks and cranks and then up pops a code 8. I know it can't be the dizzy since I just replaced it. So I let the car sit awhile. As soon as the car cools off from being in the sun it starts right up no problem. I think it may be the main relay but I can't be sure. Just my experience with intermittent starting problems.

 

code 17 is my VSS according to a buddy of mine... i hadn't taken the time to look it up personally so i'm taking his word for it. he said his old crx did the exact same thing and it was in fact due to the VSS.... i guess i know what i'll try replacing next.

good luck getting yours fixed.

Erik

 

Yup, 17 is VSS. Sounds like a main relay issue to me. I've had similar situations where it would take some time before the engine turned over. Sometimes it would start like normal, sometimes you just gotta sit it out and keep on trying.

 

maybe i'll just replace both... eBay could solve this problem cheap enough....

i just can't afford to have my "reliable" daily driver fail me....

i know it's little petty stuff but i either have to fix it or i have to fix it... no choice really.... i can't drive my jeep everyday....

 

Same thing happens to me. Check your grounds, they are key! Clean em out and it should be ok, if not better.

 

what grounds specifically are you thinking might be my problem?

the computer still powers up... the starter still turns... the plugs still get fire... everything electrical in the car still seems to function....

i agree with you though... this was actually one of my first thoughts... i was actually thinking fuel pump or fuel pump ground to begin with but to be honest with you i've been too lazy to see if i'm getting fuel.

i haven't been in a place where i could pull the spark plug and see if fuel sprayed all over the place when i turned the key.... i know i'm getting sprank b/c i pulled the plug wire off the plug and arched a spark once while i was having this problem... then again, i don't know if it was a "good" spark... i just know i had current there....

 

For me it was the ground on the starter, but it could be the others.

Hell, one time my friends and I went crazy trying to figure out why his car wouldn't start after his A6 swap and it turned out that the valve cover ground wasn't attached.

 

same thing used to happen to me, but then i resoldered all the connections on the main relay...its started up fine ever since...