okay my hatch hesitates to start up at random times. It continues to crank but doesnt start up so i shut the car off and try again until it decides to. Once it's started it idles fine and doesnt stall out or anything and drives fine. I replaced the plug wires, cap and rotor, fuel filter, and timing belt. I had the battery and starter checked and they were fine. Please help if u have any ideas so i can continue this trial and error.

hatch has 188k miles and no check engine light.

 

check your main relay?
if you replaced all those items it could be a fuel issue. the main relay is a common problem and with that many miles its very possible

 

yeah i thought of that awhile ago and thanks for reminding me. lol.
I'll go check it haha.
If it's not the main relay the only other thing i can really think of might be my ecu

 

Ditto the above^^^

Can you hear the fuel pump prime?

To test, each time to go to start the car, turn ign. switch to run, [not start] and listen for the fuel pump, you should hear it run for a few seconds, then turn ign. to start.

Does the pump prime every time?

Do you hear the pump prime every time but engine still does not start every time?

Do you not hear the pump prime every time and does engine not start only when you do not hear the pump prime?

http://techauto.awardspace.com/mainrelay.html
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/mainrelay.html

The problem may not be the fuel pump not working, it may be the injectors not working, the PGM-FI Main Relay has both the fuel pump relay and the injector relay in it. 94

 

yeah dude it primes everytime.

 

I checked my main relay and fuses and there fine, I'm starting to think that it's either my ignition or one of my injectors because it misses when I drive.

 

yeah ive looked at his car doesnt seem to be the main relay cant be sure though but i was thinkin maybe ECU or what he said. We smell gas sometimes when its hesitant.

 

That does sound more like an ign. problem then a fuel problem, unless it is an ECU/ECM problem, [not firing the injectors properly, too much fuel, flooding, because you can smell it], have you checked the TPS, possibly indicating, [to ECU/ECM] throttle is open a lot more then it is.

Next few times you start the car, step and hold gas pedal all the way to the floor and start the car, [get ready to take your foot off it] let me know what happens.

With that said, missing while running would also indicate an ign, issue, unless it is random, [cylinders] then that again would indicate a fuel problem.

Pull a spark plug lead, [one at a time] and see if the miss is random or not. 94

 

that sounds exactly like whats happening but we didnt want to replace it and that not be it

 

When my hatch is hesitant while starting up i find if I press down on the gas peddle repeatly it starts up.

 

How about if you just press it to the floor and hold it? 94

 

It fires right up when I hold the gas pedal down but then again I can never tell when it's going to be hesitant when I go to start it up because it does it at the most random times. I'm most likely going to go buy a ignition coil tomorrow and and see if it continues.

 

could be getting flooded with fuel...possibly leaky injector? Does your cabin or engine bay smell like fuel? My eg does the same exact thing. wont fire the first try in the morning, then turn off for like 5 seconds, do it again and BAM, good to go.

 

yes the engine bay smells like fuel when it doesnt start up, but sometimes the hesitation is brief but then other times it takes a few tries. One time it didnt start up for awhile so i popped the hood and there was a strong gas smell. I just recently discovered that if i hold the gas pedal down when i go to start it fires right up. Idk this whole experience is just irrating, im going to but a new ignition and if it still persist ill bring it back and deal with the injectors. Is your car still giving you trouble or did u replace the injectors and its fine now?

 

You have shitty gas milage huh? Or worse than normal?

I replaced my injectors with some junk yard ones, but my problem DID go away. Also your Fuel Pressure Regulator can go bad, dont ask me how, but its possible.

Your air/fuel ratio can get out of wack by either being too lean or too rich.

Running Rich - FUEL > AIR
Running Lean - AIR > FUEL

Your not starting up right away because im willing to bet there is fuel on the spark plugs. That fuel is being pushed out through the exhaust when you hold the pedal down and start it.

 

well im not sure if im really getting shitty gas mileage because i recently just bought this car and im used to driving a 300zx that runs prem. What do you suggest i should do?

 

Where are you located? You're best bet would be to go to a local junk yard or good old craigslist.com. Get yourself some injectors and fuel pressure regulator they dont HAVE to be new, but it wouldnt hurt.

On injectors, there are 4 parts that you need to look at...

1. "o" ring near the top of the injector.
2. Brown or black filter at the very top of the injector. Its removabe just pull it out. (the side that goes into the fuel rail).
3. Rubber gasket at top of the injector.(this pinches between the fuel rail and injector body when you seat the injectors into the intake manifold.
4. Rubber grommet INSIDE the intake manifold, about the size of a nickle, that the fuel injector POPS INTO while mounting the fuel rail.

If any of those look bad/worn/torn/brittle, replace them with a fuel injector kit from autozone or a place like that. There is also an "O" ring on the fuel pressure regulator where it mates up with the fuel rail.

You said you replaced the plug WIRES, what about the plugs? You should look at them and see what color they are, and see if you can smell gas on them. Take something long and skinny, preferably with an absorband material put it down the spark plug hole, see if fuel is down there.

Bottom line, you already did a good tune up...unfortunately, there is no check engine light for the injectors or fuel pressure regulator. So, you have to just replace them and their accessories and hope for the best.

EDIT: Check your gas milage, i was getting around 170miles PER TANK when i had this problem. Now im getting around 250 since i've replaced these things.

 

thanks for your help man ill get on it as soon as i can. i did check the spark plugs by the way and they looked fine, almost brand new if i had to guess. when i first got the car i checked to c my gas mileage for a full tank and i got close to 300 miles.

 

im located in melbourne FL. by the way.

 

so there is no "normality" to when the car doesnt start? could be your ignitor inside your dizzy. or ignition coil.

 

what do u mean by "normality", sometimes it starts up fine and other times its a bitch, its unexpected. That's what i thought the ignition coil, because im experiencing all the symptoms, such as backfiring, the fuel smell, misfiring occasionally- not common, and the typical not starting up. So tomorrow im going to buy a ignition coil from autozone and try it out, if i doesnt solve my problem ill just return it.

 

I just meant does it do it after sitting for a little while, overnight, when its cold outside.

Or is it completely sparatic, like one morning it will fire up first try, while the next morning it will take a few tries.

 

its sporatic. but im starting to think it might depend on the more i use the car in any given day, but im not sure i could be wrong. like this morning started up fine then when i left class it was hesitant, if anything i suppose its getting worse, like its more common than now since its first occurance.

 

Check this out, i've spent a very long time reading through this.

http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/faq.html#heatcool

 

it usually hesitates when the car is warm thats when it always messes up but a lot of the times when he starts it cold its fine