Just baught my daughter a 2000 accord and it occasionally wont start, turns over fine, but twice now it just turns over and wont fire. The next day it fired right up?

 

First step w/ no-start is to understand whether fuel or ignition is source of the problem, no matter what you might think is the problem.

1) Turn keyswitch to On. Does the Check Engine Light (CEL), Alt, and Oil light come on immediately. CEL should go off after 2-3 secs.

2) When keyswitch is turned Off to On, you should also hear a soft click from under the dash and fuel pump in fuel tank come on and run for 2-3 secs. Fuel pump will stop and CEL will go off at same time.

If above 2) checks show all lights are coming on correctly, and you hear the fuel pump run/cut-off, then fuel delivery is likely and ignition fault is likely.

If you're missing the Alt, Oil, and CEL coming on, then ignition switch assembly is likely faulty. Easy diy replacement. See DIY forum.

If ignition is indicated, suggest going to techautorepairs.com/ignition.html for guidance on diagnosing where igntion is failing.

good luck

 

Thank You!

 

I hear the fuel pump run but the other lights CEL, Oil, Alt come on and stay on, the car turns over but wont fire. Occasiuonally it starts but the CEL stays on? Still possibly the ingintion switch?

 

If CEL stays on, you have a code set. Go to Autozone and ask them to scan the code. Write the code or codes down and repost what you found.

good luck

 

I took it to Advance Auto and they showed one code, P1457? It said emmisions on the screen but when we bought the car he said he just replaced the Catylitic Converter as well as the O2 sensor.

 

EVAP system leak. Search "P1457" in the DIY area.
The EVAP system is the charcoal canister located under the car roughly below the left-rear seat.

 

Thanks but would that keep it from starting occasionally?

 

The evap problem is not related to failure to start. See my original post. From your response, the problem is likely ignition; coil or ignitor.

Make sure you perform the descrbed checks when no-start is present. Checking when car is cranking and running will not tell you anything.

good luck

 

Agree, the P1457 doesn't cause a no-start problem. It's good to know the error code, just in case it WAS a good hint of what's happenning.

Lack of fuel?
Lack of spark?