If you are losing power to your gauges its possible the ignition switch is bad. If the key is loose its possible the lock cylinder is bad too, if the key is not loose when you put the key in then its prolly the ignition switch and its really easy to change out. Remove the negative cable first.

 

The Ignition key switch is not the issue. The issue is Fuel not going into the cylinders. I can spray starter fluid in the intake and the car will start up. The injectors seem to be fine. The Master Fuel Relay seems to be good also. There is fuel going to the fuel rail. I am begging to think it might be the coil.

 

It sounds like it may be a vacuum leak to me and/or your throttle body really needs cleaning. It may be something else but I would start there. I suggest checking out some of the Scotty Kilmer videos on YouTube like "How to fix a car that idles poorly" and "Fixing a car that shuts off randomly" also "Finding engine vacuum leaks with a cigar"

 

Right now the car sounds like it is trying to fire. But it will not catch. If I spray starting fluid in the intake the car will fire up and run till the fuel has exhausted. I will check to see if there are any vacuum leaks but I feel my issues may be in the fuel line and/or fuel injectors. its not easy to diagnose something that will not stay running. Then I could look up any check engine light codes to figure out what is wrong.

 

1. The ignition switch and the lock cylinder are two different things.
2. The main relay can be bad but test good. It only acts up when it gets hot.
3. If the coil is bad that won't cause any fuel related issues.

 

Either A: your fuel pump is dying, or B: timing has jumped a couple of teeth on the belt

 

If the coil was bad it would not fire when I sprayed starter fluid in the intake.
If the ignition was bad I would still have the same issues when I sprayed starter fluid in the intake.
The master Relay could still be bad even though I do not see any signs of a cold solder joint on any of the terminals.
When I feed fuel into the intake. the engine tries to fire up.
This is what gives me the feeling I have a fuel related issue.
I would check the pressure on the fuel line but I can not keep the engine running long enough to get error codes or check the fuel pressure in to the fuel rail.
When I first checked the fuel injectors. They needed to be cleaned, I soaked them in Naptha fluid and they cleaned up very nice.

 

I agree it seems more fuel related but I have had one previous engine that did exactly what you describe and the cause was timing off.
Prove the fuel pump good or bad would be my next step. Once the fuel pump primes the rail pressure should be close to running pressure (at least for several minutes).


Problem is does your 97 have a Schrader valve on the fuel rail to test from?

 

The car was running when I drove it home. I parked it and my neighbor unhooked the EGR valve and asked me to start the car. It was not running right. After that the car would not run at all. all it would is turn over and try to fire. When I pulled the fuel injectors. I took the time to clean them off and replace all the seals. I noticed there was no problem getting fuel to the rail. I have no way to check the pressure on the fuel line. The problem seems to be in the injectors firing off properly. I spray starter fluid in the intake and the engine tries to run. I can not spray starting fluid in the engine at the same time. Asking my neighbor to help is like asking him to check to see if there is fuel in the gas tank and him asking me for a box of matches to use as a light... Not someone I really want to get help from.

There is a FPR valve on the fuel raid is that what your calling a Schrader?

 

Sorry if I'm late to the party, but I just got here myself. I realise this is an old thread (a month old), but I wanted to find out IF the OP ever fixed/found his problem.

I have a similar issue with my 97 Accord with a 2.2L non-Vtec. You can shoot starting fluid into the brake booster hose, and it'll start and run, until you run out of starting fluid. But, in my case the injectors aren't triggering/firing. I've gone thru the ignition system, replaced the fuel pump, checked fuel pressure, both after 2-3 seconds and while running on starting fluid, and it's within spec (vacuum is adjusting the fuel pressure for a "running engine"). I've tested the main relay, and it functions as described in the FSM.
I've also ran the ECU test, and I do have a couple of voltage readings below what is specified.

I'm thinking in my case it's the ECU. But, I'd like to verify it before I lay out the cash. Can anyone help me?

 

Check your PSI on the fuel Rail. It should read 46 psi. If you don't have the proper pressure it will not supply enough fuel to fire properly.

 

I did check it, and according to the FSM it's within spec, for BOTH the 2-3 sec initial pump run, and while running (on starting fluid), as the FPR drops the "working" pressure down 10 psi to the mid 30's (34-37 psi).
However, if the ECU isn't signaling ground for the injectors, the engine won't run, which is what I've run into on my own car (injectors aren't injecting).

 

Over the weekend, I was testing/back probing all of my ECU pin outs trying to find out what would cause my injectors not to trigger. I really didn't find anything, so I packed it up and called it a day (helped a friend do some brake bleeding and beer drinking). I had gotten an e-mail from Clay, telling me he also thought my ECU was dead, but he also verifies this by using a sealed beam headlight to "see" the injectors cycle (like a noid light). So, I thought I'd give it a try, as I really didn't have anything to loose at this point, so I hooked up a spare square headlight I had laying around, and wired it up with my thin probes that I had been using over the weekend. I plugged 1 of the probes into the yel/blk wire for the igp1 terminal (gets power from the main relay), and the ground for the headlight to the injector #4 terminal at the ECU (using ECM/PCM connector A) with the other probe. I then went to turn the engine over (using the key) to see if I could see the injector ground flashes (that's what the ECU does to the injectors). What happened next surprised the hell out of me, as the car started right up and ran (1st time in over a month without starting fluid causing it to start up). I let it run for a while, and eventually it thru a code (16) which is the injector circuit. I had shut it off, so I could the code with my jumper wire in place on the SCS connector (OBD1 reader). I then started it up and let it run for a while, shut it off, then repeated it a fewtimes, as it was acting normal other than having the headlight plugged into the back of the ECU. So, now I've got to figure out what the hell is wrong on the injector circuit, as there isn't much there to go wrong.
Any ideas from those visiting this thread?? Please don't tell it's the main relay, as I've tested it several times, and it keep testing out good, and the car starts and runs with it.

 

Well, I fixed my problem. With the help of the headlight, I figured out what my real problem was...no power to the injector resistor pack. Once I brought 12 volts over to it (using a jumper wire), it started right up, and runs nice and smooth with no codes thrown. So it's time for a few of these , now that I've ran a new wire over to it, and connected it permantly. I'll say one thing about all of the hell I've gone thru with this car in the last month, I learned how everything works to keep the engine running.

 

It's like I tried telling the other guy but just gave up, it's likely your main relay is bad. The main relay is two relays in one. One controls the fuel pump and the other controls the ecu/injectors.

Not gonna say I'm sure but it's very likely. Even if it doesn't fix it, it's good maintenance on an older car anyhow to have it replaced or resoldered. When heat moves through it, it heats up and that's when it shows its symptoms. They normally test just fine even though they're bad.

Technical details Honda/Acura Main Relay

 

In my case the relay was good, but the wire under the hood that feeds power to the injectors and the IAC (terminal#6 of the main relay or fuel pump) was broken inside the harness. I had 2 clicks, I had fuel pressure, I had ECU. What I didn't have was injector action, due to no power. The relay was doing it's job, the wire broke plain and simple. I've fired it up 4 different times today, and at least 3 times yesterday after I fixed the wiring problem. I'm still using the same relay I had, and the original ECU that I drove the car home on, before it started acting up. Now, if I had replaced the main relay, and still had the problem, what would be the fix?? How would you know to look for a bad wire without testing components, and the wiring itself. I tested the relay, it was good, so I moved on, and started testing everything else related to the PGM FI system. I don't claim to be a mechanic, but I've worked on enough cars and trucks over the years to try and figure out what's going on with the system. And that's part of the key, you have to look at different parts of the car as systems. When they're all working like designed, you're driving down the road. When 1 breaks down, you might be sitting beside the road waiting on a tow truck. **** happens, especially when dealing with 19+ year old cars. Hell, it happens with new cars. Just look at the dealership service department.

In my case I'm glad I found it, and fixed it. My wife was ready to send it to the Honda dealer, but I chose to stick with it, and not let it beat me. The next time it fails, it might very well be the main relay. But then this car already has 234,000+ miles on it, so I suspect wiring over hard parts. I'm also an air cooled VW owner (have been for over 20 years), so you learn how to fix things. In fact my wife's VW has Fuel Injection, and it's a 1970 model with AT. That FI system only works on the fuel, but it uses the distributor to trigger the injectors (in pairs). It also has no OBD anything on it. To service it, you break out the VOM, and the fuel pressure gauge, and check everything. There's only 22 wires, an ECU, a manifold pressure sensor, a cylinder head temp sensor, an air temp sensor, a throttle position sensor, and the injectors themselves (5,one's a cold start). The ECU is analog. There's also an electric fuel pump, a fuel pressure regulator, and an auxillary air regulator (kind of like the IAC on a Honda, but not electric). You also have 2 relays, 1 for the ECU (to power it), and 1 for the fuel pump (to power it too). I should mention there's no O2 sensor either. It's all logic based, and uses a steady fuel pressure as a base line, and you have to have 13.6 volts or more, or the system will run rich. So, if I can work on that, I can try and figure out how the Honda system works. It's really all a matter of breaking down the components, and working from there. Working on a GM TBI set up is much harder.

 

Yeah, normally you have to send tone on a wire and then use a receiver to find where the break is in the wire. Wherever the tone drops off is the break.