I have a 01 prelude se. when i turn the key it wont start sometimes. you turn it the second time it still wont start. then the third time it will start. anyone have any ideas on what could be wrong?

I have tested the starter, all the switches from the clutch to the starter. everything is working.

Please help me i'm getting frustrated with it.

 

what switches ? The only switch that works to start your car is the ignition switch, unless your automatic then there would be a neutral safety switch also.

I would check your battery first. Make sure it has atleast 12.4 volts which would be 75% charged. Fully charged is 12.68v.

How does it sound you crank it ?

Do you have any CELs ?

Do you have gas in the car ? Funny as it sounds there are people that do this.

What is the green key light on the cluster doing while you crank ?

 

believe it or not there is gas in the car. new battery a couple weeks ago. alternator is doing it's job properly. never paid attention to the key light on the dash. what do you mean by cels? I've been talking it over with coworkers the last thing we haven't checked is the ignition switch. I work for a auto parts store. I am a first year parts person.

 

CELs stands for check engine light do you have a check engine light on and what kind of battery do you have you want to see how many cranking amps your battery has

 

what is the charging voltage and static voltage of the battery ?

What voltage do you have at the starter from the battery ?

What is the resistance of the wire going from the battery to the starter ?
Battery Neg to ground ?

Are your grounds ok ? What is the resistance of those ?

What is your fuel pressure KOEO ? Cranking ? Does the pump prime ? Does it hold pressure koeo after the pump primes ?

Modified by lude98SH at 8:39 PM 4/8/2008


Modified by lude98SH at 8:40 PM 4/8/2008


Modified by lude98SH at 8:41 PM 4/8/2008

 

Never overlook the problematic Honda main relays.

 

battery has 650 cca's. the fuel pump is working properly you can hear it turn on and prime. i've been doing more researching and the only other thing i can determine is there's something wrong with the ignition switch. worn contact or something to that effect.

thanks for all the advice.

 

check the ignition coil, it might be on its way out of resistance specs. coil increases its resistance when temperature increases, which you have to crank a few times to get it heat up to start. V = I*R which means it don't have enough voltage if the coil resistance is low. i may be wrong but it won't hurt to check at least in its ranges

 

how old are your plugs?

 

wow why didn't i think of that.. i have the same issue except that i just have to keep my key in the cranked position for until the beeping goes away. but i assumed it was from the tune and nothing to do w/ the spark plugs. thanks blake ill check 2m hehehehe

 

would the coil cause it to not turn over at all. when i turn the key it doesn't start. but i have power to everything else.

 

no it would turn over regardless if the coil is good or bad.