Hello, my brother and I just bought this 1996 honda prelude 5-speed vtec. We got it for cheap, we want to fix it up and learn from doing so. The car was sitting for about a year and had no battery. When we got it home, we took the old gas out and put some new gas in, we replaced the coolant, changed the oil and filter, changed the spark plugs and the valve cover gasket because we saw some oil on the spark plugs. We trid to start it and it and it wouldn't start. We changed the fuel pump and fuel filter. The car now starts but dies after 5 seconds. If we press the gas after it starts it dies very quickly, in about 1 to 2 seconds. What should we check next? I was thinking it could be the ignition coil? Anything else we should go for? Thanks in advance.

 

change also ignitor cap, rotor and spark wires, adjust valves, change gas filter

 

Sorry for not replying sooner was busy. I checked for spark and there is at the spark plugs. I spoke to someone and was told that maybe the throttle body could be the issue. I will check that next. Have to wait till the weekend when I have time.

 

It's most likely the main relay, aka the fuel pump relay. This is a common problem, and the description you gave is exactly what happens when the main relay starts to fail

 

If the main relay was bad would I still have some fuel pressure? I ask because I changed the fuel pump and filter and I didn't tighten the banjo bolt on the fuel filter all the way the first time and when I attempted to start the car some fuel came out of it.

 

sometimes yes sometimes no.
If you have owned the car a while and have never replaced the main relay, It's a good idea to just replace it now. It will most likely fix the problem. And if it doesn't, it's still good preventative maintenance that will prevent you from getting stranded somewhere in the future, which usually happens at the worst possible time lol

 

Hey thanks guys I'm pretty sure you're correct. I used some starter fluid and the car stays on so it most likely is the relay. I went ahead and bought one. Thanks again.