Hey all. I've searched the forums and haven't found any threads that quite have the same issues I'm having, so I thought I'd start a fresh post.

Background:
-1992 Honda Accord LX 5 spd.
-Sat for a Long time. Long enough for the fuel to virtually decay into kerosene.
-Was only going to use it for parts for a second Honda, which I later sold.
-Had some issues getting it going. Drained all of the fuel out of it, replaced the fuel filter. Was worried it was the main relay, but I pulled it out and tested it according to techauto.tripod.com and it seemed to be ok. Got it running this past Feb, just by putting in clean fuel and replacing fuel filter.

In August, on a hot day, it wouldn't start as I was leaving work. The starter would engage, the engine would turn over, and it would even rev up briefly, but then immediately die. The tachometer would flatline as the engine was dying. On the third or fourth start, the engine finally engaged, and the car seemed to be running fine.

I drove it home that day, and as I was cruising up the road to my house at about 35mph, the engine died again. Tach dropped to zero, but the car was still rolling. Managed to get it started again while the car was rolling. Drove the rest of the way home, and it died as I pulled up in front of my house. Hasn't started since. It does have a full tank of fuel, sufficient oil and coolant. I did add one bottle of STP fuel injector cleaner to this tank of fuel, prior to suffering these problems.

Characteristic behaviors:
-No CELs
-Starter will engage, engine will turn over, and tach jumps to 1000 as though its ready to idle.
-Almost immediately, it dies. Tach seems to drop to zero before the engine has completely stopped.

Things I have checked so far:
-Looked for spark. Disconnected the lead from the coil to the distributor and checked for arc from that wire, across about 1/4" gap to the engine block. Got a solid yellow/white arc when I turn the car over.
-Checked and replaced spark plugs. They were old and worn and looked like they might be originals. Replaced with NGKs.
-Checked the resistance of the spark plug wires and coil wire, all were well below 25kOhm, usually closer to 10k.
-Pulled a new spark plug and left it connected to a spark plug wire, while i briefly turned the engine over. Saw yellow spark on spark plug.
-Removed rotor and distributor. Rotor showed heavy signs of wear, and was likely original. Distributor also looked a relatively worn, but less than the rotor. Was likely not original. Replaced both.
-Cracked open the banjo bolt, and there is fuel pressure in the fuel rail.

I'm sort of at a loss of what to do to get it running. Any suggestions/ideas?

 

Seems like a yellow spark is weak? Should be blue? Understand that's a subjective visual thing, but maybe deserves further checking???

Just to cover all bases, can you get it to stall by wiggling the key?

 

Wiggling the key doesn't seem to make a difference. It stalls well before you have a chance to do/test anything. You can hold the key in the 'start' position and the engine will keep running and you can rev it using the accelerator, but I don't like doing that to the starter. It doesn't make the characteristic 'buzz' sound that lets you know you should release the starter though. It just uses the starter to run the engine, I'm guessing.

 

sounds like it could be the electrical portion of the ignition switch. just had this situation on a 91 model.
easy to change. both halves of the plastic housing around the steering column come off, and the electrical cable assy bolts in-place...other end goes to fuse box area.
If you can hold the key in the start position, and the engine continues to run...the cable is very likely the source of your problem.

used to be a dealer only item. auto stores carry it now.

good luck

 

Thanks! I'll go try it now and report back my findings.

 

Ok, update:

Took the steering column covers off and removed the ignition switch. Interestingly, there was a tiny puddle of cooled solder sitting inside the ignition switch cover, and you can see a place where the solder must have melted at some point. It looked old and oxidized though, so I don't think it happened recently.

Anyways, opened the ignition switch, and saw a point that looks like there may have been some arcing, but again, oxidization suggests that this is an old fault. I cleaned all of the contact points with a wire brush and put it back together and attempted to start the car. Same problem, car dies as soon as it starts.

This time, however, I tried your 'wiggling the key' idea. I don't know what you meant by wiggling (in terms of what direction you wiggle; in and out? clockwise and counterclockwise in the tumbler?). The accord has four markings on the tumbler, 0, I, II, and III, which correspond (I assume) to Off, Accessories, Run and Start. As soon as you let the key go from III to II, the engine dies. But I tried holding the key to just a little bit beyond the II mark (not quite to the III point), and the car, for the first time in two months, would run.

Now, as soon as I let if fall back to II, it would die again. Further investigation revealed that the key can move quite a bit in the tumbler around point II, probably 30 degrees swing, centered around the II mark.

My question now is this: Is this a fault of the ignition switch, or the tumbler? Does the tumbler even have anything to do with it, or are there just problems in the ignition switch that are likely to not be visible to the naked eye.

Thanks again for all your help accordfan and Jim.

 

When you said you can get it to keep running by holding the key a bit (not letting it spring all the way back to II); that REALLY sounds like the electrical part of the ignition switch is bad.

I've only ever taken apart the switch in a Civic (not Accord) but I hope it's the same. The mechanical detents are in the electrical part, so you can't really change the alignment between the clicks and the circuit closing. Besides, the burned solder is suspicious too.

Bad switches happen either of 2 different ways. In the less severe case it usually runs OK. But if you only just begin to turn the key back towards I, it turns off early. So early that it sometimes turns off just by barely touching the key.

Sometimes it's worse, like yours, it switches off the ignition/EFI when you let go after starting.

 

Seems like i paid $60 for the electrical cable at a local auto store. If you change that, and still have the problem, I would be surprised.

Guages tend to freak out when its going bad too. Had a 93 that the tach would jump all over the place. When the car finally exhibited the starting symptoms you have, I changed the cable and both problems went away.

Let us know how you make out

 

This cable you all are referring to, is this the ignition switch assembly?

 

negative, not the whole switch. it is only the ELECTRICAL portion of the ignition switch. any chain auto store will understand if you ask for it in that exact language.

Its nothing more than a wire harness that bolts to the outboard section of the ignition switch, and the other end plugs into the fuse block.