The car won't send power to the fuel pump while cold. If I start it with starter fluid, the problem is fixed for the day.

Quick list of things I've done trying to fix this.

-replaced fuel pump and filter

-pulled injectors and cleaned them

-replaced main relay. Yesterday it wouldn't start at all on the old relay, but it fired right up with the new one.

This is my first car I've worked on. At this point it's just absurd. I'm pretty much totally stuck.

 

Sounds like a bad ECU. If so, you can either replace the ECU or the ECU electrolytic capacitors.

Start by opening the ECU to inspect the printed circuit board. A swollen or leaking capacitor is generally a bad capacitor. You can also desolder the capacitors and measure their capacitance with some types of multimeters.

 

Good thought. I looked up how to reset it on a whim. Fuses are out now, just gotta wait for 10 minutes apparantly.

Can you help me out with the location of the ecu? I know it's behind the glovebox, but I don't know how to proceed.

 

ECU is behind the passenger kick panel.

 

Reset actually worked! Praise Jeebus, there was no way I could afford an ECU. Thank you so much.

 

I hope you are right, but problem will likely recur.

 

I will be on alert.

 

Best of luck!

 

Of course that didn't work. If it's the ECU, then the car is basically scrap metal to me. Starting to hate this wonderful little car.

 

If there is something wrong with it, it's not visible

 

The cost of an electrolytic capacitor, which generally go bad to cause the type of problem you are having, literally cost pennies.

 

If you don't feel up to the task of replacing the capacitors yourself, you can send it to Hondata and they will do it for $50.

 

Well at least I have an idea what it is.

 

I circled examples of electrolytic capacitors in your ECU. Inspect all of them for swelling (generally at the top) and/or leakage (generally at the bottom). Any of these abnormalities indicate a bad capacitor.

However, not all bad capacitors can be identified by inspection. In this case, you need to desolder them from the printed circuit board and measure their capacitance. Some multimeters are able to measure capacitance, but make sure the capacitance rating is not higher than the micro-farad limit of the multimeter.

I believe that one of the two capacitors marked by an asterisk controls the fuel pump.

Watch some YouTube videos on desoldering and resoldering capacitors on a printed circuit boards (PCB). It's easier than you think.

I buy replacement capacitors here:

https://www.mouser.com/

 

I guess I'll post back here when I have a soldering iron then.

edit: found the 2 bad capacitors. They have corrosion on the board stemming from them.

 

And watch the YouTube videos!

 

Is one a capacitor I marked by an asterisk?

Please post pics to show some nice examples for other members.