Honda Accord 4cyl - starting problem when hot

rajateli · #1 06-12-2008, 11:20 PM

I have a 1999 Accord (4cyl) and it gives me lot of problem in summer. Problem is that it fails to start whenever I want to restart it just a few minutes after stopping it. If I let the car cool down for about 10 mins it just starts up fine. There is no problem with the battery as everything other than ignition (radio, lights etc) seems to be work fine at that time. I was seeing this problem last summer, but few days back when the temp shot up to 100 deg and my car was parked in open, when I tried to start it (it was parked for past 6 hrs in sun), it just didn't start. I left the car there and came back after dark when the temp had gone down and the car started without any problem. I am not sure what part (some electronic I guess) is causing this problem. Please help!

somick · #2 06-13-2008, 11:56 AM

It would be good to know your mileage and maintenance history.

Older Accords used to have that kind of problems with the Main relay. For 99 Accord I would look into spark plugs, wires, distributor cap.

Check out battery cables and ground connections as well.

Good luck,

Sam

rajateli · #3 06-13-2008, 12:17 PM

Thanks for your reply, I will update the posting as soon as I get some outcome.
My Accord has 95K miles on it and has been regularly serviced/maintained, not at dealer though!
I read many postings about "main relay" being the cluprit but none of the postings confirmed the outcome of changing the same, so I started this new thread.

jeffcoslacker · #4 06-14-2008, 09:17 AM

yeah I can't tell you anything specific either, but in general it's symptomatic of heat soak in a bad position sensor (crank/cam) or ignition spark module, or the main relay (which I don't have much experience with)

jeffcoslacker · #5 06-14-2008, 09:19 AM

P.S. sometimes you can find problems like this with a hair dryer....

With the engine cold, heat up the different suspect parts individually until they are well saturated with heat, then try to start the car. If that's not it, let it cool down, verify that the car still starts, and try the next component.

If it's a heat soak problem you'll usually cause the no start, and you'll know what you gotta do...

ctmoore79 · #6 07-24-2008, 02:23 PM

You can check your main relay by pulling it out and looking at the solders to see if there are any cracks or gaps. It is pretty easy to fix. Just heat the solder up and get a solder remover to pull it all off. Then solder it back up. Should be good as new. Had to do this to my wifes car last year and it worked great.

rajateli · #7 08-05-2008, 02:58 PM

Hi, I have been to 2 experienced mechanics since I posted the thread. One of them kept the car for 3-4 days to be able to reproduce the problem (does not start when really hot) but failed. He anyway hooked his monitoring system (computer) to the car, but the car did not give any indication of any problem with the main relay or any other part. The guy suspects that the problem maybe with the fuel pump, but wil not work on it unless the problem is reproduced.
The other guy told me that this may be due to a faulty "crank sensor" which cost about $400 at dealership. We talked about the main relay too and he said it would cost about $65 (from dealer). He too suggested that we should wait till the problem is reproduced.
However the problem occurs while I am miles away from these guys.. so it is nearly impossible to reproduce it. I am not able to use the car comfortably because of this.
Someone in the forum suggested to use a hair dryer by heating up the "suspect" parts to reproduce the issue. Can someone please help me locate the position of the crank sensor, main relay and Ignition spark module, so that I can try the trick.

rajateli · #8 08-14-2008, 10:48 AM

The problem has been nailed to some extent (after 2 hours of trying to reproduce the issue and restarting car over a 100 times). The issue is with one of the components within the distributor. The guy who checked it found that the current was going into the distributor but not coming out of it into the spark plugs, when the car got into the problem mode (not starting). We were unable to reproduce the issue so could not nail it down any further. The conclusion was that I should change the whole distributor before I get into some real trouble on road (car dies in middle of a highway while going at 65mph). The cost of distributor (Bosch) as quoted by the guy was $400. I cannot afford that .. can someone please suggest what brand and price should I be looking at and can get it from where at a reasonable rate? also it will be great if I can get the exact part number needed .. this is for a 1999 Accord (4 Cyl) LX model.

somick · #9 08-14-2008, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajateli

The problem has been nailed to some extent (after 2 hours of trying to reproduce the issue and restarting car over a 100 times). The issue is with one of the components within the distributor. The guy who checked it found that the current was going into the distributor but not coming out of it into the spark plugs, when the car got into the problem mode (not starting). We were unable to reproduce the issue so could not nail it down any further. The conclusion was that I should change the whole distributor before I get into some real trouble on road (car dies in middle of a highway while going at 65mph). The cost of distributor (Bosch) as quoted by the guy was $400. I cannot afford that .. can someone please suggest what brand and price should I be looking at and can get it from where at a reasonable rate? also it will be great if I can get the exact part number needed .. this is for a 1999 Accord (4 Cyl) LX model.

Looks like your mechanic is right:

http://estore.honda.com/epc/asp/rjane007.asp

But there is always a chance to find a used part at a junk yard.

Good luck,

Sam

alshane · #10 08-15-2008, 09:04 PM

i bought a whole distributor from AUTODOCTOR.COM for $150.00. it was for a 1992 model though. it came complete and ready to drop in (cap and button included). maybe they can help

rajateli · #11 08-21-2008, 10:51 AM

Thanks you everyone for helping me on this. I got a used distributor assy from ebay ($35 + $10shipping). Paid $40 to put it in (10 mins). Paid him $40 as he had spent lot of time with me in shortlisting the cause of the problem. I am hoping that the problem is fixed. But will have to wait for a very hot day to make sure it is gone.
Thanks experts!

rajateli · #12 09-29-2008, 09:19 AM

Hi, Today morning when I was driving to office, my car's ignition went off. Fortunately I was on one of the back roads so was able to pull the car to a side road before it lost momentum.
I thought that the problem (not starting when hot) was resolved since I changed the distributor, but it seems that either there were multiple problems to begin with or it was just a coincidence that the car was behaving properly since the distributor was changed.
Today the car was not even hot as it was a cool morning. Also not starting when hot different from dying on road while driving. When the ignition goes off by itself all the indicators (brake, door, battery, blinkers etc etc) on the dash board lit up. The battery is fine.

Car details:
Honda Accord 1999
4 cyl (Automatic)
Mileage 100300

Please help.

somick · #13 09-29-2008, 02:47 PM

See if that information can help you:

http://www.visualimpressions.ca/switch/

Sam

rajateli · #14 09-29-2008, 03:23 PM

Hi Somick, it seems that the symptoms of the problem with my car are slightly different from the problem due to issues with the ignition switch.

In my case the car fails to start for about 5-10 mins, so even if I keep trying to turn it on, the engine will keep cranking, but would not actually start, and once I just leave the car for 10 mins and try again, it would start normally.
It has always been like that and that's the reason that I thought that the problem was with some part/sensor getting over heated and leaving it for 5-10 mins cools it down and the car re-starts.

But in last 2 cases when I am sure that the car was not "hot" and even outside temp was cool or cold but still the engine died while driving , it has to be something else or a combination of multiple problems.

somick · #15 09-29-2008, 06:54 PM

If your car cranks but would not start it does not get either fuel or spark. Try to check for spark or fuel.

It is easy to check for spark. Pull the plug, ground it and see if it would produce a healthy spark.

In order to check for fuel you need to buy some gauges (if you do not have them already).

Let us start with these two simple tests.

Good luck,

Sam

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