ludedude25 Posted June 27, 2006 Share Posted June 27, 2006 First off my dad has a 98 Honda Accord SEi one of the loaded ones with Leather interior, Bose system, etc. My Girlfriend has a 91 Honda Accord LX which is pretty much basic options power windows, locks, etc and the sport shift option on the shifter. Both of these cars when running run as honda's do, smooth and quiet. Now on to the problem. Both of these cars are randomly not starting. Details of this are you hop in the car, turn over the ignition, and the car misfires but just keeps cranking over and doesn't start. shut the key off and try again. After about five minutes of fiddeling with this the car will start and all is well for anywhere up to a few hours later to months later. I absoultly don't understand what is going on. My girlfriend's 91 I have replaced the battery and ignition coil within the dristributor. " ignition coil is only 6-7 months old." I have also just ordered a new TCU "transmission computer" for it as the Sport light is coming on and screwing with the transmission. This is the second TCU that's been put in it in the last 9 years. My dad's car, the 89, has the same exact issue with exception his has no transmission computer problem or as far as I know No TCU. Even tho Both cars are only a couple years apart both have totaly different engines, fuel injection, etc. I have a 92 Prelude S which has the same engine as my girlfriends 91 Accord but mine is a 5 speed. I have never encountered the starting problem as mine will fire up almost instantly. Is this a common accord problem? Any help, troubleshooting tips, reference, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Chad AKA ludedude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kastigir Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 Main Fuel Relay. Located behind the dash above the drivers feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phillyhonda800 Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 i concur with kastigir. your main fuel relay is faulty. i use to own an 86 prelude and this problem happened to me. the problem would persist mostly during the hot spring, summer, and early fall. basically when the interior was very hot (above 100 degrees). this fuel relay overheats due to its circuitry within. anyway, look for a block box (roughly 1"X2") under your driver side dash. i had to buy it at the dealer since third party vendors don't carry it. well good luck and let us know if this is the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphries Posted June 28, 2006 Share Posted June 28, 2006 needs new electrical part of the ignition.. i dont know what its called but i just changed mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ludedude25 Posted June 28, 2006 Author Share Posted June 28, 2006 Main Fuel Relay. Located behind the dash above the drivers feet. Well the relay sounds like the cheaper way to go so I will give them a try first. I had a 86 prelude Si with over 275,000 miles on it but never had the relay go bad. Matter of fact engine wise I only replaced timing belt, fuel pump, oxygen sensor, and valve guide stems. Not bad for buying a car with 150k and putting on another 125k. I won't comment on how many tires I went through, not to mention the clutch and transmission Man I wish I still had that car, the funnest thing I ever drove. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ludedude25 Posted July 1, 2006 Author Share Posted July 1, 2006 Well i've replaced the TCU and took care of the shift light problem but i've looked everywhere and cannot find the damn Fuel pump relay. I even found a picture of one on ebay but see nothing like it. Anyone point me in a general direction? above fuse box, under it, near break swich, etc. stick a camera up under their dash and snap me a pic? lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
initial Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 okay okay im a tech at continental nissan up in alaska, and continental owns Honda. so i get alot of honda stuff. well i see that alot of people think outside the box, and start thinking other things, ( not saying anything yo) i aint disrespecting... but why dont you look into the STARTER, you know the, thing that startes the car. they dont just go out they take time and where down in their power. okay. yeah the distributer you repaired but i dont know i that was wise...sorry, but i would of looked into it or tooked the car to a mechanic like me. well how you described it, it sounds electircal, id start by checking fuses, srs(airbag) "some cars the car wont start if the srs(airbag) fuse is blown. to see if its electrical for sure go to your trunk and on the back of the trunk there should be a openning to the fuel pump under the carpet. put the key to the on position and put your ear over the fuel pump if you hear it, it means that its not the fuses, usual when a fuses blows and the car doesnt start from it, the ecu/ecm doesnt activate the fuel pump because of a safety reason like the srs fuse. if you hear the fuel pump then it may not be electrical or it might be wires under the hood, like maybe you took the car out to get it washed and the people power washed the more and hit a wire or a sensor in a sweet spot and fried it but it still works... i dont know. but check your grounds and make sure the wires are good. also check the connection of the grounds "clean them", check the battery terminals, for bad wires,etc. if you dont hear the fuel pump then it may be the fuse for the fuel pump or the fuel pump is bad and may need to be replaced, cost is about 300-500 dollars. just look around for anything, really in my job i got to look at a car EVERYWHERE. it sucks, but i like what i do. hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kastigir Posted July 1, 2006 Share Posted July 1, 2006 Well i've replaced the TCU and took care of the shift light problem but i've looked everywhere and cannot find the damn Fuel pump relay. I even found a picture of one on ebay but see nothing like it. Anyone point me in a general direction? above fuse box, under it, near break swich, etc. stick a camera up under their dash and snap me a pic? lol. On both my Civic and CRX it was located above the hood release. @ The guy from Nissan: If you had read the OP more clearly, you'd have noticed he said the cars are cranking fine but not firing. There blows your starter theory out of the water. It *IS* the Main Fuel Relay. It's a common problem on both older and newer Hondas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
initial Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 okay, fuel pump relay... if i remember right i think the fuel pump relay is under the dash. in more discription, as you sit in the car, theres a kick panel fuse box on the floor by the driver door. well thats not it. its actually i think under the dash on the drivers side near the door. i dont know if you can see it and can remove it with not takeing the dash off, cuz most of the time i see those relays the dash is already taken off, and i have never had to replace one. well truthfully i dont know if thats your problem... cuz if you think about it, if your fuel pump relay is bad then how in the hell does it sometimes start,....umm thats weird... if it was bad wouldnt your car like not start at all. that is the relay that turns on the fuel pump... good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ludedude25 Posted July 3, 2006 Author Share Posted July 3, 2006 Well I went to dealership and asked for a fuel pump type relay. They asked me if the car was intermitently starting lol. I said yep so I bought a new one for $63 !!! Geez. I guess it's some kind of main relay what they said. They told me exactly where to find the thing so I climbed up under there, took out the cruse control box and it was up above it. Pain in the azz to get to but there she was. I yanked er out and put in the new one and it fired right up been good for a couple days now. I'll see what happens for the long run. Thanks kastigir for your tip, I hope it does the job. Now mabey I can get my Prelude back!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kastigir Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Glad I could be of help. I've replaced 3 Relays now in all my Honda ownership years. It's a common problem, and a common fix. It really sucks though when you buy a bad one that had to special ordered in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphries Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 kastigir is a genious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgabbard Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 Would this be in the same place on a 90 accord dx?...seem to be having the same problem. TIA.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kastigir Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 Would this be in the same place on a 90 accord dx?...seem to be having the same problem. TIA.. It's in approximately the same place for ALL Hondas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phillyhonda800 Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 excellent! u should be good to go for a long while now. my relay replacement lasted for about 4 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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