I have an 88 prelude and I went to Fred Myers today to get milk came out and it wont start. It acts like it wants to start but i put my foot on the gas and it wont fire. The light and everything work so I know its not the battery but I was only in there for 15 minutes please help.. I have to work tomorrow and I'm freaking out. Did I mention that my car is still sitting in the parking lot! Thanks any help is much appreciated.

 

a little bit more info please?

did you look under the hood?
was really wet?
check your spark plugs
your spark plug wires
alternator

could be a plethora of things, and all we know is that it cranks, just doesn't turn over, more info please

 

We did look under the hood and checked the spark plugs and wires it was not wet and I don't think its the alternator. I did call 3 different places today to see what they would say. The first place said the distributor, the 2nd said the relay and the 3rd said he was sure it was the ignition control module. The problem is me being a female i feel that I'm talking to people that just want my money , which I don't have a lot of. And I certainly cannot afford to fix everything. Any ideas?

 

I also went to the car this afternoon and it started right up. So I'm very excited. Well i get home turn it off and now it wont start again. I don't get it. Its almost like it will start once a day. I have been trying for the last 3 hours with no luck. So its not that it has to cool down to start because I waited 2 hours to try again and it is 40 degrees outside. Help!!

 

A defective alternator would not prevent the car from starting. Check the voltage of the battery. It should be arond 12-13v, (when at rest). When the starter is engaged, It will prbly dip down a lil, to 10-11v, (when the starter is trying to spin the motor), and then go back up to around the initial reading.

If the starter drains more power than it should, or the battery doesn't recover It could simply be a weak battery, or loose or corroded cables or leads. You mentioned it was cold. Check your battery sticker for the CCA (cold cranking amps) number. Normally, If it is cold, and you have a weak battery, or low CCA, your car will not start. Normally it will crank weakly. Ask a parts store like autozone or pepboys, they should be able to tell you what the minimum CCA required for your car to start is. Make sure your battery is capable. Older batteries can lose strength over time. Normally shelf life of a battery is 5-6yrs, depending on the battery.

Occasionally a clogged air filter can cause the car not to start. The car is basically suffocating. This is easy to test. If you have a screw driver, remove your intake hose at the throttle body. This will allow your to make sure your car is getting air... If it starts, and runs normally, change your air filter.

If it still doesn't start. You may have a fuel problem.

Pick up a can of throttle body cleaner and spray it directly into the throttle body continuously. Try to start the vehicle while continuing to spray. This will assure you that your car is receiving air and fuel. If it starts, you most likely have a fuel problem.

That is a good start, if you still have problems, let me know...