So here is my problem, I have an Automatic Transmission 2000 Accord LX with close to 129,000 miles on it which is having starting problems. Everything on the car is stock. I had my timing belt changed by Honda in September 2007. Everything else has been maintained at their regular intervals. However the other day, Thursday morning, my Accord wasn't starting. Wednesday evening when I came home, my car was fine.

My friend and I checked to make sure that it is getting spark by checking the spark plugs and those are fine. It's got spark and we even had them replaced just in case. We also attempted to jump start it, but that didn't work. The main relay is fine too cause we can hear it click over. We've checked the ignition coil and the igniter - had them tested at AutoZone and they tested out fine. We checked the wires to make sure its still good and they turned out to be fine. Then we checked to make sure that it was getting fuel by loosening the fuel rail and that turned out to be fine as well. So we know the fuel system is fine.

So my car is:
- getting spark.
- getting fuel.
- main relay is fine.
- tried to jump start, but it had no effect.
- replaced the spark plugs.
- wires are fine.


We've been checking over the internet for other possibilities that might be wrong with the car and asking other people familiar with cars for suggestions. We got pretty much the same answers.. check for spark and for fuel. One thing we haven't checked is the starter. At first we didn't think it could be the problem. Now, we aren't sure. Other than that.. we're out of ideas.


Suggestions?


Any feedback is greatly appreciated!


Dji-

 

I just want to get some clarification on your description.

Do you hear the fuel pump turn on (whirling noise) when you turn the key to the II position (when the MFR is clicking)? You might want your friend to listen at the gas cap for it. Its kind of a faint sound.

How did you check for spark? Did you ground a plug and look for a bright blue/white spark when trying to start the car? I was involved in a thread where the guy saw spark and thought it was good. We went through a ton of diagnostic procedures that went nowhere. He tried to use a timing light, tried to start the car, and there wasn't enough spark to have the light flash. A timing lihgt (if available) will quickly eliminate a spark problem.

 

Yeah, we heard the fuel pump come on when we turned the key to the second position. Both he and I took turns listening to it to make sure we both heard it. As to check for spark, we did the ground a plug and looked for a blue/white spark. It looked fine. One thing though, I'm not sure if it means anything - maybe it may - when we tried to start the car and check for the spark, it sparked between one and two sparks out of three attempts. We don't have a timing light so we haven't used that method yet.

Thanks

Dji-

 

i have no idea how you are trying to fix this car! [8D]4cyl or v6?


when it failed to start did the car crank? (no crank = dying starter or problem in starter circuit, crank = intermittent problem, difficuilt to diagnose)

if it's a v6 does it cranks but not start, or starts rough?

 

As for now, we're only trying to determine what is wrong with my Accord. So what we did was testing those parts. It is a 4 cylinder that failed to start when we cranked it and the car did crank. Before this happened, there wasn't anything odd that I noticed about my car.

 

so, it cranked fine just didn't start up.and it happens intermittently.

the main relay can fail intermittently - the main relay can click and not work because of burnt contacts.

the ignition control module can fail intermittently, but usually just dies.
the ignition coil can fail intermittently, but also usually just dies. sometimes they work until you rev the engine.
what temp outside is it?

do you have a ton of crap on your keychain?

does the intermittent no start happen when the engine is hot or cold?

do you have an aftermarket alarm? are you sure?

 

Yeah, it just cranked but didn't start up. This is like the first time it occurred like this which is pretty odd. One other time, back in late December, I started up my car. My car allowed the RPM to catch up then as it dropped down to idle, it dropped all the way down and died. That was only once as I tried to re-create the problem, but it didn't happen again.
As for the weather, It's not that cold outside cause It feels like 45 degrees here.
My alarm system is the stock one that originally came with the car. I know and I am 100% sure.
There isn't a crap load on my keychain - my house key, mailbox key, desk key and my wheel lock key.
As for the main relay, my friend and I heard it click every time. So if it was failing intermittently, wouldn't it not click several times?

For your other suggestions, I'll look into it, Thanks!

 

i'm talking about the relay contacts, they can be burned and making bad contact but still click every time. as far as the car starting, and idling then just dropping low, i'd think something is going on with the idle air control system. i'd start with doing a throttle cleaning since it's cheap enough to start with.

 

Well after doing alot of searching and whatnot. I just had it get towed to Honda. They determine the cause of why my car wasn't starting. It was because of the immobilizer unit. It's getting fixed now. I'm just glad that it wasn't anything more. Thanks for all the inputs and suggestions!

 

cool, that's why i was asking abou the crap on the keychain. it can interfere with the immobilizer signal. it's rare to have an intermittently faulty key though. they usually just up and die.