My 95 Honda accord with 2.2 v tech suddenly started to SOMETIMES for periods of minuets to many hours, or days, start perfectly and die in 1/2 second. Later it will work fine for a while.
Given what I have checked what should I look for next.. help appreciated!

The exact details

Car ran perfectly until one day it would not start.
Turn key on, here fuel pump prime, CEL goes out after a second, then I turn over car and it starts...check engine light goes out... then comes back on a half to a 1/4 second later and car at same time light comes on, stops firing and dies. Restart attempt will NOT give any start at all!..UNTIL you turn key off a second, then try again and it does start and die just as above. Key must be turned to off to get another restart and die. Sequential repeated attempts bring the same result. Walk away, for 15 minuets, or sometimes for hours, or days, and it starts and is fine again, and will restart multiple times in a row,... until you walk away again and come back...at which time it may again do the start and die pattern again. If it is in a start mood, you can drive it hours and it keeps running fine... if you turn it off... it is luck of the draw if it does the no start thing or will start for you and go.

1. Main relay clicks in each time, fuel pump primes each time key turned off and back on.
2. Keeping key in start does NOT cause motor to continue to fire or check engine light to stay off. Engine still dies in 1/2 second even as starter continues to crank.
3. Check engine light is giving a code 15 for electrical issue when check is done.
4. Took out main relay and re-soldered the connections on it.... it seems fine.
5. Does not seem to be key contacts related to me, wiggle key, mess with key, etc. all you want has no effect. Holding key in start does not keep it running.
6. It is almost like the computer kills the car after 1/2 second as it turns on check engine light.

I have seen other threads about this, but no clear answer, often people stop posting before telling what finally fixed it. One example is here:

https://honda-tech.com/honda-accord-...2701927/page2/

If anyone has had this happen and solved it or has suggestions I would most appreciate a reply! Thank you!

 

check in distributor for loose wires and the icm (ignition control module)

 

At the exact moment the car dies, are the dash lights all turning off as well or do they all come on when the car dies ?

 

If the accord is anything like the civic, there is a crucial ground on the thermostat that grounds a crap load of things. On the civic it's called G101.

If you have a set of ground wires hooked up to your thermostat housing, I'd suggest pulling it off, clean it of all corrosion and reconnect it.

See if that helps your situation.

I'd also do a little more research into CEL 15. I can't see it being so vague like that. Your FSM should give you a troubleshooting guide for the CEL code.

 

 

 

Thank you for all suggestions so much!: I have cleaned and reconnected all distributor connections inside the cap, on the ECU etc. I have cleaned and reconnected all ground wires. I also will answer the above question, that the lights stay on, when it stops, check engine light coming on the moment it stops firing, just before it comes to a stop, all lights stay on.

After all the above the random occasional symptoms I originally described continue.

Could a intermittently bad ECU in distributer be the cause, OR, coil... the coil measured 5 ohms resistance by the way, is that about right?

IT really seems like something is "telling" the car to stop" hense the check engine light going back on, a half second after the car starts..after it has just gone out.... and at that moment the car is stopping firing and comes to a stop 1/4 second later, AFTER the check engine light came on.

Thoughts? or people who had this and solved it? thank you!

 

Hook up a fuel pressure tester and see if fuel pressure is dropping off when the car dies.

If not, then the issue is spark related or ecu related.

You can try opening up the ecu and seeing if the ecu has any burned spots which could indicate as such.

 

I finally solved this by replacing the electronic transmission control modual, located on the floor, under the carpet in front of the passenger side foot area. Thanks for all the help., it was self correcting for long periods of time, but this fix, repaired it for good, with no problems for more than a year now since I replaced TCU.

 

When you fixed the problem are you talking about changing the ecu? The P0A-A01? I’m having the same problem with my car:/