well my car has had starting problems lately. Sometimes when the car sits in the sun for awhile and heats up, it doesn't want to start. Also, when I go on long drives and turn it off for about 5-10mins(to fill up for gas), it doesn't want to start. I usually have to wait till it cools off. Well, I haven't drivin my car for 2 days. I went to try to start it today and now doesn't want to start at all. I tried to start it 10 or more times. so far I've swapped out these parts for new ones.

spark plugs
dist. cap
rotor

I just tested my wires and they're still working. the way I tested them was I pulled the plugs on the dist. side and held them 1mm away. all the wires held a spark. got shocked a few times how would I check if my coil is bad? man, this sucks. what else could be the problem? Pretty sure it's not the fuel pump. you can smell the fuel when trying to start it so I doubt it's that. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

what happens when the car doesnt start? do your inside lights come on? does it click? do nothing happen? does it crank over but not fire up?

 

the battery is still good. I just got it about 1 month ago. It cranks but doesn't want to fire up. help...please

 

spark fuel compression.

those 3 things are needed to start the car. you are getting spark, so move on to fuel and compression. check to see if the engine is getting fuel. undo the fuel return hose to see if there is any in there. youll need a test light for anything after that. your going to need to use the test light to see if your injectors are shooting the fuel into the engine.
*** check your connection with your ecu. i had this problem before. car would crank but wouldnt start. it ended up being a loose connection at the ecu.

 

thanks for the suggestions. It's dark outside so I guess I'll try to do it tomorrow(have to work overtime, freakin 12hrs a day). Any other suggestions on what I should check?

 

also, I was told it might be a bad PGM main relay inside the dash somewhere. The thing is, when my car was fine, it would make a clicking noise in the on position(position before starting the car). Now, it doesn't make the clicking noise. Could it be a bad PGM main relay?

 

YES: Replace the main relay which is what is causing the problems. It's a common thing. To make sure, give it a tap or a knock and see if the car starts.

 

I had a similar problem where if I shut the car off then tried to turn it back on right away it wouldn't start. I believe the problem was with the igniter inside the alternator. I can't remember the brand that came with a lot of the 4th gens (I can check I have it written down in my car) but once I replaced my alternator I haven't had the problem since.

 

well, went out this morning and started up my lude. It starts now. YEAH! now I hear the click right before I start it in the on position. Yeah, I was thinking it's my PGM main relay. Should I go ahead and buy a new one or locate a used one? I also thought it was my ignitor too but I'm getting spark. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get a spark if my ignitor was bad. thanks for the help guys. Also, the S, SI and VTEC use the same PGM main relay?

 

The main relays have been a common problem on Accords, Civics, and Preludes.
My Civic had the same problem, it would work intermittently but when it was hot it would most likely fail. After replacing it, the problem was fixed. It was only $50cdn so its a cheap easy to install fix.

 

i had the same problem, replace the relay and it was good for a little while then it started doing it again until one day when it wouldn't start at all. It ended up being my fuel pump. I dont know if the problem with the relay cause it to kill my pump or what

 

to test the fuel pump. open up the furl door and take off the gas cap. cycle the key to on, but dont start it. you should hear a buzzing sound. thats the fuel pump going through its test cycle.

 

thanks for the suggestions. we're getting about 3-4 hours overtime almost everyday which I'm not complaining. Just the fact that I don't get to work on my car as much.

MechEng: that's exactly what is happening to my car. when it gets hot, the car sitting there in the sun or running it for long periods of time, it intermittly(sp?) starts. Did you get your PGM main relay from a honda dealership? Did you get a prelude one?

is it easy to replace the in-tank fuel pump? do I just drop out the tank and then replace the pump?? how about the PGM main relay?? do I have to tear out the dash to get to it?

one more question, are all honda/acura PGM main relays universal?? I'll also check my fuel pump today after I get off of work. Sorry about all the questions. just want to get my car started again and keep it that way. Thanks again guys