I have a 1994 Del Sol S That has an intermittent fuel pump issue. If the car sits for a few days it's a fight to get the pump to kick on. When driven daily it rarely fails. I have replaced the pump, the main relay, distributor and the fuel filter; none of those have made a difference. It doesn't matter if it has a full tank or nearly empty tank. I am not overly intelligent about cars, but I have no fear of diving into it to find the issue. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

When it is not going to run the fuel pump, turn the key on but don't try to start-- what does the check engine light do? If it comes on and stays on (it is supposed to go out after 2 seconds) and you're sure the main relay is good, that usually means the ECU is bad.

You should also check the ground wires on the thermostat housing. The distributor doesn't have anything to do with the fuel pump priming.

 

I removed the ground wire and it had some corrosion on it. I cleaned it and the housing with some sand paper, put it all together and the car started without fail about 10 times. Then it stopped working. So I watched the check engine light and it is staying on and not going out at all when the pump is not coming on. The light does not stay on when the car starts. Any suggestions about what to do or try next? Also if I need a new ECU is that interchangeable with other civics for the time period? Mine is a manual, would the donor car also need to be a manual? Thank you in advance for any and all suggestions.

 

Does sound like the ECU then. You need an ECU matching the transmission type and whether or not it is VTEC. Also the VTEC-E system used in the VX is not compatible with any other version. Your best bet is to exactly match the two digits after the "P" in the part number sticker on the ECU.

 

Assuming it's stock, the ECU should be a manual P06 found in any '92 - '95 Civic that came with a D15B7 engine.

There's also a ground under the carpet near the trunk/fuel door release if it's like a Civic that you may want to check out.

 

It's an all stock car. I sent the ECU out and had it rebuilt. I got it back, put it in the car and nothing. Pulled every fuse, nothing blown, turned the key and the pump came on and it started no problem. Shut it off and nothing. My ignition has some slop to it so I wiggled the key around, next turn it kicked on. I'm now thinking that I need to replace the whole ignition and wiring? I'll check that floor ground, but I'm kind of at my whits end. I got it to start 4 times in about 50+ turns. Ya'll got any other suggestions? Thank you!!!

 

Pull the brake handle up. Watch the BRAKE light on the dash while you're trying to start. It's connected to the same circuit as the ignition. It should stay on all the time the key is at position II (on) and position III (crank). If it doesn't the key switch may be bad like you said.

 

I have had the main replaced, maybe it's bad again. Can someone tell me which one it is? I may stick in another one. It's got to be a cheaper try than $200 ignition. Thank you for all of the help. This car means everything to me, my dad bought it for me and he is gone.

 

The main relay if it's like the Civics is under the dash on the driver's side, right around the hood release. It's a grey box. Usually all that's wrong with them is the solder joints are cracked. See repair video here below (just be aware that Eric didn't do a nice job soldering, normally you wont even need any new solder, just heat the joint up until the old solder flows again):


As far as the ignition goes, if it is bad chances are it's just the electrical switch and not the lock cylinder. Either way you can probably find a used one at a junkyard.

Also, do some testing first. Buy a service manual, or if you dig around enough online you can find the OEM Honda service manual in a PDF format.

 

pssst: go to h_ndah__kup for a manual.

Honda Acura Essential Electrical Repair Website. Troubleshooting Main Relay, Coil, Igniter, etc.

 

Thank you for the information!

 

Hopefully the ECU was rebuilt correctly. Probably the capacitors were changed out. If you know someone with a similar car see if your ECU will start their car with no issues. That will isolate the ECU as to whether or not it's the problem. Did you say you cleaned the bundle of wires connection at the thermostat housing? That's the ground point for the ECU.

 

You can check the ECU main relay control by running a ground directly to the main relay pin #8 on PGM-FI Main Relay is a ground from the ECU, stuff a lead into that terminal and when fuel pump does not prime when you turn on the ign. ground that lead, if pump runs the ECU or wiring between ECU and relay is bad.

As mentioned check the fuel pump ground lead. 94