I have had this problem and I'm at my wits end. I have had several times in the past where I was late for extremely important events and I couldn't go because my car was acting up Anyway, I just want to get it fixed hehe.

Basically, just at random times (alot more often in the heat, and almost always if it is sitting in the sun) my car won't start. It will turn over and over but not fire. This happens both if I drive it and turn it off for a minute (gas station) and if I start it up without driving first. At this point I have to let it sit a long time trying it over and over, often until the battery is almost dead and it will suddenly just start. Also sometimes, the car will run for a second then same thing...
It also just randomly stalls while i'm driving. I'll be going constant 80 mph and the rpm's will drop and the gas pedal will not respond. If I floor the gas all the way down, the rpms pick up about 750 and the car still not accelerate at all. Often at this point I just shut the car off, coast, sit 15 min and turn it on and it will start right back up again. If i don't wait 15 min, the problem above will take place, andt he car will just crank but not fire for who knows how long (sometimes as long as 2 hours of this nonsense, especially when i Have someone important to go). I put premium gas in and even though it happens, it's not NEARLY as much.

Sorry about all that.. heres the rest

someone told me this is the main relay. I read up on it and got a pointer that if it over heats the car won't start. So the next time it happened (I was trying to start car for 45 min) I went inside and got an ice pack. I couldn't locate the main relay, but then i found a white box mounted on the side. I thought this was it (because it said mitsumi or whatever). As soon as i did that the car started.

Well My dad went to autozone and got a list of main relay serial numbers that he could buy. I went back and looked at the white box but i see it says "retractor control" This leads me to believe it's not a relay.. but i don't understand because my car started right up when i cooled it off.
He said there were some more black and grey things behind that.. but I'm not sure what to do.

Any advice or anything? Sorry about the length of my post

 

have you ever changed your ignition coil

 

1. how much are those?

2. How hard are they to get at (can i change it myself)?

3. How sure are you it might be that? I figured the main relay was a really good guess if I put the ice pack up there and it started right away. Also the fact that it doesn't start in heat and further trying to start it only makes it take longer to eventually start. I read that those are signs of a main relay. I trust the people here though so if you tell me I'll look into it

 

well i'm no specialist on third generations,
but the exact same thing happend on my 92 lude
i thought it was the main relay, so i changed it,
only to have the same thing happen to me,
at the exact same spot on the highway coming from work,
towed it home, put the oem coil back on (had a blaster ss coil )
and i didn't have any problems after that

 

Read this here:
http://www.bayareaprelude.com/...Relay

I was having the same problems and resoldering the main relay cured it. I would try resoldering first, because it's free.

If you just want to buy a new one and replace it, part numbers are listed in the article and cost roughly $40