Had a very random isolated problem this afternoon. I left my office to head home, started the car like normal, and drove on down the street. About a block down I remembered something and went back to pick it up. When I came out from the office again, I started the car again like normal, it ran (idled) for a few seconds then died. da hell?

So I cranked it for a couple seconds, no start. I cranked it for a few more seconds, still no start. So I shut it all off and waited 15-20 seconds.

Tried again, started right up. Idled a few more seconds then died again! Cranked it 3-4 more times, for several seconds each time, still no start.

So I got out and looked under the hood, to see if I could see anything obviously wrong, saw nothing. Went back and tried again, started right up. This time I held it at 3K-4K RPM for a few seconds, then let off, and it idled normally. Closed the hood and drove all the way home (13 miles) without any further issue.

After I got home I shut it off, waited a few seconds, and started it again and it started right up and idled normally again just like always, like nothing had ever happened.

Car has 276K+ on the original engine and transmission. I've never had any trouble with the main relay, fuel pump, distributor or any of that in the 8 years I've owned the car. Other than the time my ignition harness fried and left me stranded about 3 years ago, I've never had any issue with the car starting immediately on the first try almost every time, or the 2nd try at most. Any idea what this isolated occurrence could have been?

 

Well my first thought was the in tank fuel pump possibly going bad. If it happens again get out and hit the bottom of the fuel tank a few good times with your fist or other hard object . If it starts right up after that I would say its a bad fuel pump . If not then well it could be any number of things and your gonna have to do some other more in depth testing and checking . I had a civic with the original pump and it went bad at 245,000 miles . So you could very well have the same issue . The pumps can developed a bad / dead spot in them and if it stops (car shuts off) at that spot the pump will not always re start . Sometimes if you cycle the key on and off they will but another way is to like i said hit the bottom of the fuel tank .Hope it helps ya out !

 

It might have been a bit flooded. Sounds werid but I have seen it. My cousin called me one day and she was like hey my car won't start(94 Del-Sol D15B7). I asked her some questions and drove 45 mins to her house. Everything looked fine,grounds,etc. Fuel Pump was priming,I ended up holding the throttle wide open and it turned over for about 5 seconds and then it would start hitting..it hit a few times and then finally completely started. My Moms D15B7 did the same thing in her 94 Civic..

My bros almost new Toyota Tacoma did that back years ago to. Its werid.

 

Yeah it's just odd that it would start and then die when I had just started it not 5 minutes before and drove off then came back, and then not start the few times I tried to crank it after that.

 

Go buy a rebuilt dizzy, IMO your ingnitor is going bad.

Seems to be a lot of this going on right now. This is like the 4th post with the same type problem.

 

wonder if it's possible to test/check my ignitor to see if it's good or bad.

 

It is, next time it will not start pull a spark plug, first check for gas, plug will be wet with gas and smell like gas, if it does then fuel is probably not your problem and ign./spark is, plug the spark plug back into it's lead and lay it on the engine so it grounds and have someone crank the engine, look for spark at the gap.94

 

I have had the same exact issue with a 88 accord (fuel injected), and a 90 integra. Both would flood time to time. The accord needed injector o rings,and I never figured out the Integra. Was probably leaking injectors.

Wide open throttle cranking all ways got them both going..

 

man WTF happened again tonight. Ran into McD's for a minute, came back out w/ my order (I hate drive-thru's) and it started up but then died after a few seconds. Cranked and cranked and it wouldn't start. Tried holding the throttle open, cranked and cranked, wouldn't start.

Popped the hood, looked around, nothing, closed hood and cranked, no start. Called wife, pissed, raised hood again, hung up phone, cranked again BOOM started right up. Closed hood and drove home.

WTF this is getting annoying, and I'm getting pretty worried that I may end up stranded somewhere.

 

Next time it happens, carry tools, Check if you are getting gas by spraying some starting fluid in the trottle body and cranking, if doesn't start then you are getting gas with no spark... if it starts then its a fuel prob...

75% sure its your ICM, ignition control module, going out slowly... 25% may be the coil... get them tested

 

do you need some icm and coil test info?
drop me a line and i will send it to you email on the bottom of the page.