I’ve got a 1988 Honda Civic Sedan. 151, 000 miles. Runs great,
except when I have to stop for gas or I pop the clutch maladroitly to get
going and kill the engine. Then it won’t start up. It used to do it once or so
every five times I stop to gas up. I don’t drive it much and have to re-charge
the battery every month or so–even the new battery. It started this herky-jerky thing
last summer but the tow guy convinced me it was a bad gas problem. A gas additive
seemed to clear it up, but not the starting problem. Just last night I recharged the battery,
let the engine run 15 minutes or so the next morning, then shut it down and tried to
restart it; turned over but wouldn’t start. In general, when it cools down about an hour or so later, it starts fine. So engine heat seems to cause it.
I’ve giving up trying to gas up at the cheap stations. Instead I go to the local station two blocks away so I can push it aside and come back later to get it if it stalls.
Could this be something simple I could fix?
check fuel pump relay
Try dodge330’s very valid suggestion first.
That’s a relatively easy check and could very well be it.
Usually, when you first turn the key but not start it, there’s a slight ‘whirr’ coming from the rear of the car. It usually lasts about a second or so. That noise is the fuel pump priming the line, pushing fuel up. Does that happen? If so, your fuel relay is likely fine.
It could also be a stuck or bad fuel injector. It could be weeping into the cylinder when there’s still pressure on the line and flood the engine.
Could also be related to fuel pressure.