I have a 1994 Honda that originally broke down due to the radiator overheating. As it turns out, there was no leak in the radiator and one of the hoses needed replacement. A few weeks later, it would not start in the driveway and was completely dead. I had it towed to a Honda dealer who said they fixed it. But now, I have a different problem: Every four days it will start on the first crank then after 20 SECONDS of a little rough running, it runs like a top. What is going on with this car? The mechanics want me to keep throwing parts and money at it!
ANY OTHER TIME IT WILL NOT START.
A common cause of starting problems on older Hondas is the main fuel pump relay, which is under the dashboard. The relay often malfunctions when the car interior is hot, but it can fail intermittently at any time.
It shouldn’t be hard to figure out whether or not the fuel pump has current. If it doesn’t, the relay is the first thing to check/replace.
This car is too old to be taking to a Honda dealer. Don’t you have an independent mechanic you can go to?
Thank you for the response, however, I have already replaced the main fuel pump relay prior to having this exact problem. That was the first thing the dealer repalced! Any other ideas? Thanks for your help!
This web site has a good treatment for problems such as yours: www.tegger.com/hondafaq/startproblems.html.