for someone who knows a lot about cars (spark plugs, fuel, engine)

[kml7780]

Hi everyone, My husband has been posting this message on some internet message boards for a little help, and I told him that I would post it on this forum since people are so helpful! My husband and father and law are pretty good at finding past car probs and fixing them w/o me having to spend the money for a mechanic, but this one seems to have them stumped. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

My wife's 96 Honda Accord would not start with her late last week. It would turn over but not crank. The battery was pretty old and had began corroding on the terminals so I went ahead and replaced it. I then replaced the spark plugs and it would start if I patted the gas. I then replaced the fuel filter and it fired right up. Thinking I had fixed the problem, I took it off for a test drive. Two miles later, it cut off while driving and wouldn't start again. It was running really well before it cut off. I've looked online and seen where it could be one of many different problems. When you turn the key to the on position, you hear the fuel pump come up to pressure so I don't think that's it. Just in case, I disconnected the fuel hose from the injectors that that connects to the filter and turned the key to see. It appeared to be alright. It pumped pretty good. I've also seen where it could be the main relay. Could a faulty relay make it cut off while driving? I've also taken the plug wires off and seen it spark when it was trying to start. Could the injectors be plugged? Could the fuel pump be pumping but not supplying enough pressure? Could it be firing but not hot enough to ignite the fuel? Relay problems? HELP!!

[mommiewrites]

Not much of a honda person here, but I would suggest finding an accord message board. try using the search term ' honda accord message board' and you should find lots. Might be trial and error to find the 'right' board- where people post regularly and help, but I'm sure theres one out there!

Chances are, folks on there would know quite a bit about the car and its nuances! My hubby has a 93 ford probe he loves, and usually finds the info he needs when the car is acting up on there (and trust me, the stupid thing acts up a LOT!) lol

Good luck!

[01Snake]

honda-tech.com/

[samyn on the green]

I would take a look at the alternator, those things need to be replaced in Honda's from time to time.

[Charlottean]

Well its OBII which means the thing has to be throwing codes and your engine light is probably on. Even if its not, it has thrown some codes. A general mechanic worth something will have a handheld device that they can hook up to the port under the dash. They can tell you what the code is and with a little internet search you will be able to at least try and narrow down the problem.

[Drover]

Another possibility to look into is you have one or more leaking injectors throwing too much fuel into the cylinder(s) and basically flooding the engine. When you changed the spark plugs, did you notice if any of them were particularly fouled? Is the starter dragging any when you try to start it?

[exhdo1]

Originally Posted by samyn on the green

I would take a look at the alternator, those things need to be replaced in Honda's from time to time.

Samyn, no offense but, stick to the ponies!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Drover

Another possibility to look into is you have one or more leaking injectors throwing too much fuel into the cylinder(s) and basically flooding the engine. When you changed the spark plugs, did you notice if any of them were particularly fouled? Is the starter dragging any when you try to start it?

Good point. Pull some plugs out and see if theyre fouled and smell like gas. Sounds to me like the engine is flooding. And if it dies out, dont turn the key all the way off, when you turn it back on the ECU will start dumping more fuel into the engine, which will only make the problem worse. My wife's car had this happen once, a quick check of the plugs revealed lots of gas, causing the car to die and/or not start at all. We burned the gas off the plugs (dont try that at home kids!), yanked the fuel injector fuse, cranked it and it started right up and ran fine ever since.

[exhdo1]

Charlottean gives good advice. The problem can stem from numerous causes. A mechanic that has an OBD scanner that can record events when it is hooked up, is a bit different than the OBD scanner that just gives codes. The mechanic will hook up the OBD scanner and drive the car. When the car cuts out the scanner will record the event. As far a just replacing parts till you fix the problem, that just never makes any sense.

[yo vanilla]

it sounds to me like the problem occurs either once the car is warm, or it's a cold start problem... like drover i wonder if the car is flooding itsself. there's usually a couple of sensors that tell the engine when the car is warm or cold, and thus how much fuel it should spray.

honda-tech is a message board you might try to get a nailed-down answer