Last Straw for my 2001 Honda Accord coupe

Instead of having a mechanic just replace something have him find the real problem and repair what he finds.

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Yep, the advice to replace the relay only applied if it saved you a trip to the mechanic. If it’s going there, have them correctly diagnose the problem.

Count ur blessings the auto trans/v6 hasn’t taken a dump. Yet.

Trust me… I am. Last year had all six plugs replaced. Think I was overcharged for the work too,… paid more than 500 bucks. All the more reason I’m reluctant to find out what this fuel pump relay, or fuel pump replacement is gonna cost.

The v6 has 6 coils on top of valve covers. You pull off coil and take out plug. If you can’t do it in <1hr you are a poor mechanic. 1 hr labor and 6 plugs?

First, listen for the fuel pump to run for a couple seconds each time you turn the key from Off to Run (not all the way to Start.) It’s an electric motor in the gas tank, under the rear seat. You might need someone to listen up close if you are in a noisy place. Listening at the fuel filler neck with the gas cap off can work, too.

Is that the case with all models, or just most?

All.

Tester

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Considering Honda’s track record with them, a failing ignition switch is always a possibility. It’s easy to diagnose and repair.
Some models are under a Recall for this but I do no think your car is covered. No matter, the non-Recalled ones suffer the same as those that are Recalled. I vaguely remember that your car might have a Recall because of the switch interlock but that is not the same as the Recalled degraded switch contacts.
It could also be a main relay or fuse; both of which are part the reasoning behind the switch failures.

You mention not spending one red cent to repair. The car has low miles for the age and I think it’s way too premature to throw in the towel on this car.

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+1 for the relay. Common with 90’s Accords too.

Not familiar with Honda fuel pump relays but on my old 1995 Ford Ranger there were banks of interchangable relays tucked under the dash and under the hood. The fuel pump relay was identical to many of the other relays. So relay troubleshooting was just a matter of swapping relays around rather than buying new ones or having a servicer do it. Anyway, it always turned out not to be a relay problem. JIC, I wanted to keep some fuses and relays around and got a package of five relays on eBay for $10. There were a couple of different pole arrangements and the sockets were different so you could not mix them up.

Hey oldtimer_11, here’s what is going on with my 01 Accord. I went out to the car on Saturday to start it. It wouldn’t start. Kept doing the same thing… so I tried the thing a guy recommended. I gave the underside left of the dash a series of very hard whacks… nothing. Did it five more thumps and guess what …IT STARTED !!! Drove it straight to the mechanic. They trying to see if it will not start again, and of course it has started everytime they turn the ignition. And they are going to run a full diagnostic and let me know. If they get it running I’m gonna sell it straight away. Did I mention that it has a salvaged title??? Figure I’ll be lucky to get 700-1000 $$$

Sounds like the relay assuming that’s where it is.

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Get this thing going I don’t think you should give it away too cheap; salvage title or not. Granted, a salvage title can decrease the value BUT the car does have low miles for the age and I believe you said it was in good condition in and out.
It might bring more than you think.

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That’s me! Forgotten, but not gone. :upside_down_face:

Like I said. Save time and money by going straight to the dealer and buying a new relay. Then look under the dash for it.

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THANKS… I appreciate your advice!!!

Yeah… I would really like to get about 1 thousand for it.

That’s kinda the point of the neutral safety switch. It keeps the engine from cranking if the trans isn’t in neutral (or park,) because that is safer.

So it turns out that the issue is with the PGM-FI relay (AKA fuel pump relay). So my mechanic replaced it with an after market replacement. Guess what… the car wouldn’t shut off, so… he orders another appeared to work, then it didn’t, so they tapped on it… car starts. That isn’t gonna work for me, so they order the PGM-FI relay (AKA fuel pump relay) directly from Honda and are putting it in tomorrow so we’ll see.

I’m glad it’s working out for you.
When it comes to electrical parts for the Asian brands it’s best to stay away from aftermarket.

Just the fuel pump kept running, or the engine itself?
If the engine kept running you might want to replace the ignition switch too.
The part isn’t expensive.
Mind you, I could be wrong. The 2001 wiring might be very different from my 1988.

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