96 accord starting problems(fuel?)

[crabbie1]

This happened once about a year ago, three days ago and now will not start
Car turns over fine and has spark at all plugs. If you pump the gas pedal several times while trying to start it eventually started the last two times this happened(took about 20 seconds to fire off) Wondering if this could be a bad
fuel filter or maybe a bad fuel pump???? Any ideas??? Thanks

[jeffcoslacker]

When it starts finally, does it run rough and act like it has to clear out, or just runs fine? Any black smoke from the exhaust after it starts?

Reason I ask, pumping the gas pedal does nothing for fuel delivery on a fuel injected motor until the engine starts, but it does admit more air into the intake...and putting to the floor while cranking the engine puts it in "Clear Flood" mode, and shuts the injectors off...so you were either cutting the fuel off if you were flooring the pedal, or admitting a large amount of air to enter through the open throttle plate if you were pumping it at part throttle...if this makes it react, both possibilities point to too much fuel, which can be caused by several things...bad coolant temp sensor (the one for the computer, not the gauge sensor), bad fuel pressure regulator, IAT (intake air temp) sensor, etc...

Does it start fine once it has run long enough to warm up, or each time hot or cold? Does it idle stable and at the appropriate speed once started?

If it's overfuleing there are a few more possibilities, but they are items I've never seen fail on a Honda...

[crabbie1]

Yesterday was only the third time this event has happened in a year. The car runs fine once it is started, no black smoke, although the other day it was much cooler out and I did notice quite a bit of steam from the exhaust for about the first 3 minutes of the car running. I first I thought it might have been a build up of water in the fuel tank since it had been very cold the night before and the tank was only a quarter full. I am not sure what correalation of pumping the gas pedal has but it worked the first two times or maybe it was just the amount of time I left the starter engaged( about 25-30seconds) before it lit off.....???????Idle is stable after it starts and does not miss fire.... It happened actually after the car had been driven then shutoff for about a half hour.......