this car wont start.my daughter just bought this car and it wouldn’t start after parking in a dowtown lot. at that time it didn’t get any fuel to carb. after being impounded by tow truck then removed from impound lot by tow truck to local shop it ran for them that day and over night and the next morning.after giving the car back to my daughter she drove home (her house not mine)she stalled out one block from her house.I arived and pushed car to her house were it sits unable to start…the fuel pump ,tank ,lines and filters are abt 6 months old.i’ve been told there is a relay that may cause this problem . between impound and towing fees I’m at $350.00 and havent worked on the problem yet any ideas???
Hi. I have an '89 Accord and while I don’t know what might be causing this I would like to recommend that you ask this question on the website 3geez.com, it is an entire site devoted solely to the 1986-1989 Honda Accord.
Honda guys that post here have often suggested a “main relay” that’s located under the dash that apparently has contacts through which travels the circuit for the Honda fuel pumps.
I’m not personally familiar with it but a search for the subject may yield results.
On the Oct 23 show I just listened to, a listener posted about a problem with the fuel pump relay in Accords and Civics where the car acts like it is vapor locked - it will crank in hot weather but shows no other life.
I’ve experienced this problem with my 1993 Honda Civic VX hatchback. It usually manifests itself as follows: I have driven the car for several miles or more on a hot day, getting it fully heated up. I then stop on an errand. When I restart the car, I acidentally stall it, usually by not giving it enough gas as I let out the clutch (my fault, of course).
Here is when the problem starts: when I try to restart the car, it cranks but acts like there is no spark or gas - it just turns over.
My father told me about the fuel relay under the dash (his mechanic told him) and that he had replaced his. This past summer I experienced the problem again and, after about two hours of waiting for the relay to cool down, I had an idea: what if the relay is just stuck and needs a physical shock to get it to move. So, while I was cranking the engine, with the driver’s door open, I hit the side of the dashboard with my open hand (not really that hard but firmly). The car started immediately!
I have had the problem once since then and by slapping the dashboard, again the car started IMMEDIATELY.
I know this is not definitive proof that my solution works, but it sure is a heck of a lot easier and cheaper than replacing that relay (which my dad says is a pain in the neck.
Hope this is useful.
Dave