1994 Honda Won't Start (vehicle, joint, auto, fuel)

[lonepalmhc]

1994 Honda Accord EX

Just a few days ago while driving down the highway my gauges (tach, speedo, temp) starting jumping all over the place and the in dash clock start turning off and on. Seconds later it "seemed" as if the car had died. I was unable to accelerate for approx. 10 seconds then it just started working again. The same exact thing happened about an hour later.

Today, it died (this time for real) at a stop sign. When I went to start it back up it would turn over like normal but would die as soon as I let go of the key (I hope you know what I mean by this, I don't exactly know what the word for it would be). The shifter was stuck in park so I had to use the shift release to get it in neutral to push it back home.

About an hour ago I tried starting it and it worked fine. Just moments ago I tried again and, once again, it would die when I let go of the key (same thing the happened at the stop sign). One this I noticed, however, was that when I put the key in the position that you would put it in to listen to the radio (you know, without turning it on) that only the radio would come on. The clock and gauges wouldn't react to it like they used to. There's a little "sweet spot" in between positions where they would work but a little nudge forward or backward would ruin it. The shifter would also stay locked unless I had the key in the "sweet spot".

A few notes:
The brake lights work fine and I have recently replaced the fuel pump relay.

So yeah, my car will only start at seemingly random times.


A bit of googling has made me think it's the ignition switch causing this. If so, does anyone what it would take to fix it? I don't know much about cars but I'm a quick and capable learner.

[Egobop]

The ignition switch going bad is a common problem with Honda/Acura vehicles and there was actually a recall for models between the 1997-2000 model years. Here is a list of some common symptoms of a bad ignition switch on Honda vehicles:

1. If you start the car and the radio dosn't turn on, then wiggle the key and it turns on.
2. Most often, the dash will go dark when the car stalls (no warning lights, no shift indicator, no electrical, except the horns.)
3. The speedometer and tachometer drop momentarily and come back up.
4. Car runs fine when key slightly held at start position.
5. Car stalls then can be restart, then stalls after driving or idling.
6. Once started the the car starts for a second and dies after letting off the key.
7. In some cases, the ignition key is warmer than normal and the electrical switch is hot.
8. On rare cases, all of the gauges go dark when in the ON position but if held between the on and start position they light up.
9. On rare cases, if held between the on and start position the system check bulbs light up on the instrument panel.
10. On severe cases, when the key turns to ON the usual clicks under the dash is not heard as well as the check system light but the horns work okay.
11. In severe cases when the key turns to START nothing happens (no electrical) but the horns or brake lights work okay.

[Egobop]

If you read the list in my previous post, it does appear to me that you have symptoms coinciding with those in the list. There are ways to inspect and test the ignition wiring to confirm that yours is bad before going ahead and changing the switch. Once you have the switch out visually inspect it. These switches are known for arcing in which case you may see a pitted hole or a melted solder joint.

To test the wiring you will need a digital multi-meter in order to test continuity as well as battery voltage in and out of the switch. I personally diagnose the problem on any vehicle on which I work but with the symptoms you are describing I would say there is a 95% chance that your ignition switch is bad so it is up to you if you would just want to go ahead and change the switch. An ignition switch for your vehicle where I live can be had from an auto parts store for around $150.

If you are planning to do this yourself, I would suggest purchasing a service manual (a Haynes book should be fine for this).

[Marv101]

Check the oil; a friend of mine got stranded in his 1990 Accord because there was no oil in it, and nothing will harm or detroy your engine faster than an engine with no oil in it.