My 2002 Honda Accord (225000 miles) would not start this morning. It rained all night so I am going to remove plugs, wires, and cap to dry out. The car was not choking or stalling yesterday, so I don’t think it is a fuel issue ie fuel pump. Any thoughts?
Thanks
Car revs but engine isn’t doing anything
Update. Won’t start with starter fluid. Won’t start in neutral. I think I can hear the fuel pump at first key turn.
Do you have a 4 cylinder? Does it have a distributor cap? If so, remove the cap, crank the engine and see if the rotor in the distributor turns. If it doesn’t, you broke a timing belt.
Checking for visible spark at the spark plugs is another idea you could try. It’s almost certainly spark, fuel, or timing. These need to be eliminated one by one.
Update… Good and Bad.
Main relay-OK
Fuel pump- OK
Pulled all wires and dabbed in a little contact gel
After letting car sit in sun for a few hours with hood open, I got it to just barely start with a lot of cranking and pedal pushing. Started labored at first and sputtered out a few times. I let it run for a while and have not replicated the issue.
I ran the computer check and didn’t get any codes.
Without a smoking gun here, I am guessing it was a water issue so I put in some magical fluid to try and burn out any moisture in the gas or lines.
Good if this was the problem, bad if I try to go to work after a night of rain and problem returns.
Bad news. Car ran fine all week with no rain. Rained last night, car really hard to start again.
Seems like the symptoms are more consistent with an ignition problem. I’m assuming you’ve already done the obvious and checked for a good visible spark at each spark plug when it is not starting. Ask your mechanic to check the high voltage wire insulation for signs of cracking, and then testing one by one though the other components of the ignition system, starting with the crank sensor if you car uses one.