poor hot start = unreliable car

[rusty_maxwell]

My '91 Honda Accord has trouble starting when the weather is hot. If the temp is in the upper 80's or higher it will crank over endlessly without firing. Usually if I wait 10-20 minutes and try again it will pop right off. The same thing happens if I pop the clutch in traffic and kill the engine. I have to wait for a while, then it will start right up. Once started, the engine runs great. I replaced plugs and wires last summer and this seemed to solve the problem, but now it is back. The problem NEVER happens when the weather is cooler. Any ideas?

[AccordCodger]

Sigh^#@*

Main (fuel) relay!

[will234]

Originally Posted by rusty_maxwell

My '91 Honda Accord has trouble starting when the weather is hot. If the temp is in the upper 80's or higher it will crank over endlessly without firing. Usually if I wait 10-20 minutes and try again it will pop right off. The same thing happens if I pop the clutch in traffic and kill the engine. I have to wait for a while, then it will start right up. Once started, the engine runs great. I replaced plugs and wires last summer and this seemed to solve the problem, but now it is back. The problem NEVER happens when the weather is cooler. Any ideas?

I have the same problem with my 90 accord, thanks for asking the question, now maybe we both can get an answer. will

[AccordCodger]

You both got one. This is a VERY common problem (try a search).

[hakachukai]

I have an 89 accord LX that just died in traffic one day for no reason, then wouldn't start back up. After about 30 minutes it started right up. do I have the same problem?

My car is not fuel injected, it has a carburator and the largest number of vacuum hoses that I've EVER seen!

[rusty_maxwell]

Turns out it was the main relay. I did an internet search and found a lot of info on the topic of Honda main relay problems and intermittent hot starts. I bought a new main relay and installed it. No problems since. I opened up the old relay and looked at the solder joints. There were 2 cracked joints that looked exactly like the pictures I found on the internet. Thanks for the tips guys!

[mpumas]

Repair the old relay be resoldering the connections and then keep it for a spare. You might need later.