Our 1992 Honda Accord runs great, except that once in a while, particularly when the weather is warm and the car has been sitting out, it doesn’t start. We’ve taken it to a mechanic who of course hasn’t had any problem starting the car regardless of weather. He’s replace the fuel pump but that hasn’t fixed the problem. Any suggestions?
I suggest you don’t go back to a mechanic who has never experienced any symptoms but replaced your fuel pump anyway.
Replace the main fuel pump relay, which is located under the dashboard. Poor starting in warm weather is a common problem with older Hondas, and the cause is almost always the relay. Your mechanic must not work on many Hondas. Too bad you paid for a fuel pump you probably didn’t need. The relay will be much less expensive than the pump was.
Isn’t this one of those Honda years which has chronic problems with the main fuel relay? See here for details: http://autorepair.about.com/cs/troubleshooting/l/aa010301b.htm.
We get this question so often, and so many people are familiar with the cause and solution, that I am totally astounded that professional mechanics always seem stumped.
This is a familiar problem with Honda. When the cabin gets warm, and it doesn’t start, it’s usually a problem with the PGM-FI relay under the dash. If you open the doors and windows for a while, the interior will cool, the relay will cool, and the the engine will, probably, start.
The PGM-FI relay can be repaired, or, more usually, replaced.
Here is a Honda website which give some troubleshooting guidelines on various problems: http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/faq.html Then, click on the problem of interest.
Thanks for the advice. We had the fuel pump relay replaced and we’ve had no starting problems since.
cool you guys are catching on.