Car not wanting to start sometimes...

OK yesterday and about 2 other times in the past 3 weeks my car has cranked but didn't want to start, both time were when the engine was still warm. I can eventually get the car to start after it sits a minute though...

Ok I know it is not...

Battery (only 4 months old)
Starter (only 3 months old)
Spark Plugs (4 months old)
Spark Plug Wires (3 months old)
Distributor (I know it spins, I can still drive the car)
Fuel Pump (Car will still run)

That's my knowledge of what goes into my car starting. Other than those what could be possibly dying?

Coil?

They sometimes suffer form heat although the normal scenario is the car crapping out and you have to wait for it to cool down to run again.

Is the Coil that black cylindrical thing in the back towards the fire wall?

Is it possible maybe it's old and dying?

no, the coil is in the distrbuter in our cars... its the lil square box type thing... well, when it does it check and make sure you are getting spark, if you are then its not the coil or anything like that... i know from experience when my car did something like that it was b/c my headgasket went then my car overheated and my head had a lil warpage... right before it finally died that what it'd do... i'm not saying thats you prob... but it could be

Not the distributor seems to work fine. And my car has started first thing all day so far so I don't know....

are you getting any check engine lights coming on?

i had that same problem a while back,,a bunch of guys on the board told me it was my main relay and someone sent me this page,,, http://autorepair.about.com/library/weekly/aa010301a.htm

i changed two things,,,my main relay wich you can get at a dealer and my oxygen sensor and i never had taht problem again

hopefully that is your problem

yeah, that really does sound like the main relay. The solder joins in that thing weren't very good and will break. Then when it gets hot, the contacts will pull away and it'll kill the start.

The MR is located behind the coin box. Remove the coin box and gently bend the dash outward until you can unscrew the mounting screws. Then remove the MR, unplug, and reinstall in reverse.

It's around 60 bucks or so for a genuine honda part (they're made better now).

www.hondaautomotiveparts.com has the best prices.

it could be the main relay or it could be something else....I had ur exact same problem but I was throwing a code 13(injector).....you need to check ur ecu so u dont waste money on something you dont have to

No check engine light came on so I assume it wouldn't be throwing any codes.

might as well check tho.....its easy to do

Ok this pos did it again today. I had to sit in the car for like 15 minutes trying it. Finally I decided to take out the coin thing and I pulled the Relay out and inspected it. I blew on it incase it was too hot or something then I plugged it back in and I got the car to start. So I'm sure it is this.

And will my car throw codes if the engine light is not on. And if it is throwing a code how do I check it?

Originally posted by 88ReX
it could be the main relay or it could be something else....I had ur exact same problem but I was throwing a code 13(injector).....you need to check ur ecu so u dont waste money on something you dont have to

"If the main relay is bad... on a Civic, you will lose power to the injectors and the fuel pump but you may not lose fuel pressure because the injectors can't open without power. When the main relay goes bad and there isn't any voltage at the injectors, it will set a code 16 for an injector because the computer doesn't read voltage on the groundside of the injector.When the main relay goes bad and there isn't any voltage at the injectors, it will set a code 16 for an injector because the computer doesn't read voltage on the groundside of the injector."

http://autorepair.about.com/library/weekly/aa010301b.htm

ur right it is code 16, I did however clean my injectors and reset the ecu, havent had that problem since

I think the engine light will come on if U have a code, however if it starts up fine it will still keep that code in the memory if the engine light came on at some point in time and the ecu hasnt been reset. Its worth it to check it out:

All the information below was sourced from http://www.quickhonda.net/index2.htm

1988-1991 HONDA CRX
The ECU is located at the front of the passenger footwell, under the carpet. There is a single flashing light in the center of the ECU that flashes the codes. Simply count the flashes in each sequence to determine the code:


Code 0______Faulty ECU
Code 1______Oxygen content
Code 2______Does not appear to exist
Code 3______MAP sensor
Code 4______Crank angle sensor
Code 5______MAP sensor again
Code 6______Coolant temperature
Code 7______Throttle angle
Code 8______Top dead center sensor
Code 9______No. 1 cylinder position(only on 1.6L)
Code 10_____Intake air temperature
Code 11_____Does not appear to exist
Code 12_____Exhaust gas recirculation system
Code 13_____Atmosphric Pressure
Code 14_____Electronic air control (EACV)
Code 15_____Ignition output signal
Code 16_____Fuel injector
Code 17_____Vehicle speed sensor
Code 18_____Does not appear to exist
Code 19_____Lock up control solenoid (auto trans only)
Code 20_____Electric load

------------------------------

The ecu is jsut under the passeneger side carpet, just lift it up and U will see the ecu, there is a light in the middle (very small) that will blink if you have a code. Note: the car doesnt have to be on for the code to display simply the ignition must be on

Oh brilliant. My car just did it two days ago. Stalled right after I started it up (warm) and then was snotty about starting until it finally did. I thought I'd lost the timing belt for a second there. I'll watch out for that relay thing. Good info everybody.

ok, my car is doing the same thing!!! can you guys describe how to get to this thing in extreme detail??? What is it behind, the coin box that is in the center console??? let me know ASAP

OK just as a follow up I did replace the Main Relay ($41 at Dealer!) and it fixed my problem.

Ok here's how to replace this monster...

Take out your Coin thing, 2 screws appear visible when you open the coin thing, and the other one is right underneath the coin thing. Once this is out set it aside, now what I did was lay down on my back all crazy with my legs up on the seats so that my face was looking straight up underneath all this stuff. So then I thought it was in the fuse box, it is NOT in the fuse box, don't pull that stuff out. Look all the way over right where the Hood Release Lever is, the Main Relay is right above that, it maybe be partially covered up by a piece of interior panel. You can undo that screw holding that interior panel in place, and remove the two screws holding the hood release lever in place. You will know it's the main relay because it says "RELAY ASS'Y, MAIN" right on it in white letters. It is held in place by a metal tab attached to it with one bolt. Take that bolt out and unplug the wire harness attached to it and just pull it out. Do the reverse to install the new one.

ok, your prob sounds like my prob. so could you describe exactly what your car would do when it would and wouldn't start??? I have to wait like 30 mins. for it to start, did yours do that too?
is there anyway i can test this thing to see if it is actually the prob??? thx and let me know!

OK heres my "experience"...

It would be hot outside, around 90* and very humid.

My engine would be perfectly cold, not driven in many hours.

I would turn on the car, it would start, I would drive somewhere far enough that the engine would have time to warm up fully.

I would park my car, turn it off, go inside the store for like 5 minutes.

I would come back out try to start my car and it wouldn't start. The engine was still very hot at this time.

The car would crank (as in starter worked) but it just wouldn't start.

I popped the hood and opened it so I guess heat was released and the engine was cooled a bit from the breeze. The car sat for about 20 minutes since it's last start before I got it to start again.

Now I don't remember this but I know there is a way you can check...

The Main Relay controls the fuel pump and opens the injectors and basically primes the car to start. Now if you turn the key to the ACCII you will usually hear a sound like a "whaaaa" and that is the fuel pump turning itself on. Now from what I have read, if you turn the key to ACCII and you don't hear a sound, then there is no signal to the fuel pump, and then the Main Relay must be broken.

Anyhow replacing a main relay isn't a bad thing to do anyway since the old ones are made kind of crappy and it is going to break eventually. So if I got 14 years out of my first one I wouldn't need to replace this in theory until about 2016, so no loss.

http://fourthgenhatch.com/photos/mainrelay.jpg

http://fourthgenhatch.com/photos/mainrelay2.jpg

Thats what it looks like...