Help!

My friends daughter has a 2001 Accord. She has an intermit start problem. Car will crank and not start. Let it sit 20 mins and it will start. Then run for weeks without any problem. One time when it would not start I put a squirt of starter fluid into air intake and it started for a second then stalled. Problem may be heat related since several of the times the temps here in 90's. Also problem started late last summer, then in September I put a new battery in and the problem went away then came back this summer. Maybe last year the cooler temps fixed things and not the new battery.

Honda dealer has not been able to find the problem. But most of the days it has been at Honda the temps did not get into the 90's. All the dealer did was to replace the car key. But the car did not start today, so key was not the fix.

A friend loaned me a pressure Gage to check the fuel rail. BUT I can not find the fitting on the car to attach the Gage.

HELP!

Thanks
Dean

 

Here's another guy with a car that stalls out but restarts after 20 minutes or so:

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread/2060645

There is some information in there that may help you.

 

I'm having the exact same problem with my car, which is a 99 2dr v6. Problem happens mostly on hot days just like you mentioned. I did some research and found that it is probably the main relay, which is under the dash by the steering wheel. I was told that the relay goes bad over time, you can fix it by resoldering the connections or cleaning up the connections a bit, or you can just buy a brand new relay from Honda. I haven't actually done this yet, so I'm not sure if that will fix it, but apparently the relay is fairly cheap (~$60) so it can't hurt to try. Let me know if this fixes it!

 

yep, main relay

 

U DID GOOD WITH THE STARTER FLUID TEST, U DEFINETLY HAVE A FUEL PROB, NOW TRY TO LISTEN TO YOUR PUMP TO SEE IF U HEAR IF WIZZ EVERY TIME U TURN THE KEY TO IGN OR THE ll ON THE COLUMN, U SHOULD HEAR IT EVERY TIME, THERES A MAN RELAY UNDER THE DASH ON THE DRIVERS SIDE, THERES A BROWN PLUG THAT CONECTS TO THE ONE SIDE THATS BLACK BUT ALL OTHER SIDES ARE GRAY, MIGHT SAY SIEMANS ON IT. THATS THE RELAY, U SHOULD HERE THAT CLICK EACH TIME AS WELL WHEN U TURN THE KEY TO IGN, U CAN PUT YUR HAND ON IT AS WELL TO FEEL THE CLICK, ANYWAYS ITS DEFINETELY THE PUMP OR MAIN RELAY, I BELIEVE ITS THE PUMP. i HAVE FUEL RELAYS FOR YOUR CAR I WILL SELL FOR $20 SHIPPED. THE BEST WAY TO TEST IS GET A MULTIMETER OR TEST LIGHT TO SEE IF YOUR GETTING POWER TO THE PUMP. IF U R AND STILL NO CRANK THEN ITS THE PUMP FOR SURE.

 

Yes I did see that. And I called a parts store for a Main Relay for a 2001 Accord. The store did not list a Main Relay for the 2001 model Accord. Any other hints for the 2001?

Thanks

 

Yeah I told my uncle about my problem and he's a mechanic, he thought it was definetly the fuel pump. I'm not sure if this makes a difference or if its even related at all, but there is a green light with an icon of a key that comes on the instrument panel when you turn the ignition to the ON position, which is also when you can hear the fuel pump prime. I think the green light is for the factory immobilizer. Anyway, I noticed that when my car doesn't start, its because the green light doesn't come on, and when the green light doesn't come on, the pump doesn't prime. That's what makes me lean more towards the relay. What do you guys think?

 

>THE BEST WAY TO TEST IS GET A MULTIMETER OR TEST LIGHT TO SEE IF YOUR >GETTING POWER TO THE PUMP. IF U R AND STILL NO CRANK THEN ITS THE PUMP >FOR SURE.


OK, The thing is I am not the driver of the car. Any idea what color lead coming off the relay should have power to the fuel pump after the key is turned? I may hook up a test light to the lead and leave it on the floor of the car, Then when the car is running fine she will see the light. If she can not start the car she can just look at the light and we will kow if this is the problem.

BTW are your relays for the 2001? If so maybe I'll just replace it and be done with it.

 

The main relay is located somewhere above driver's left knee. You may have to dig thru some wires...

Turn the key "ON" but not to "START". The main relay will click, run the fuel pump for 2 seconds, then click off. Well, it's supposed to do that. The fuel pump isn't very loud, so turn off radio, ventilation, etc...

The known problem with main relays is bad solder joints on the relay for the fuel pump power. So it'll click but the pump won't run. The clicking will help you find the relay.

If you're OK with a soldering iron, you can re-melt the joints on the circuit board that were made originally without enough heat. They crack & then they don't make good contact, especially when the interior of the car gets very hot. People have got their cars started by opening doors & windows & letting it cool off.

 

>People have got their cars started by opening doors & windows & letting it cool off.

I went to Radio Shack and bought a can of componant cooling spray. If her car will not start tomorrow I will get under the dash and try to cool the relay down with the spray. Then if the car starts I'll have to replace the relay.

My only question is about the year of her car. From what I am reading the Main Relay problem seems to be with cars from the 90's. Has anyone seen this problem with 2001 cars?

 

Honda still uses a main relay, but maybe they've got their suppliers to control their soldering process better???
You may be right about the problem being limited to older ones, but it's still something to check out.

 

>Honda still uses a main relay, but maybe they've got their suppliers to control their soldering process better???
You may be right about the problem being limited to older ones, but it's still something to check out.


You are absolutely Right!

In Fact given that this is a 6 year old car and most of the posts I have seen are for 90's cars that are 8 or more years old her car is approaching the point were others have seen the problem. Honda may not have improved anything.

I did check the Internet records for two of the dates I know she had problems. June 8 the high was 91 and yesterday the high was 94. Her Black color car was parked all day both days in the sun. I would not be surprised if it was 2 or 3 hundred degs in the car. I am almost 100 percent sure it is the Main Relay. I am a ham and do quite a bit of my own electronics repair. My solder iron is a 700 deg unit. At 700 degs s older flows like water. But in a car baking at 300 degs I bet the solder starts to get like a stiff puddy. Years of this happening and re-cooling would easily make for a cold solder joint. Especially in the close quarters under a black dash baking all day. Heck, I would have concerns now for any electronics in her car.

Honda has to be buying the relays from some vendor. I wounder if Honda is specking them for high enough temps? Or is the vendor sticking to the specs ordered? Of course I'm sure Honda is not unhappy that she has taken her car into the Honda dealership four times and spent hundreds of dollars already. And the dealership has never mentioned the Main Relay.

I hope to remove and clean the contacts and re-solder the relay today. Then if we get more 90 deg days we'll see if this is the fix.

THANK!!!!!


Modified by tvnews at 2:03 PM 8/9/2007