Howdy everyone,

Having trouble with my car not starting. Before replying with suggestions, please read the list of things I've been able to rule out. Car is a 92 Accord LX with 190,000+ miles. Other than aftermarket parts from normal previous repairs the vehicle has no modifications.

Went to go to work this morning, cranked up the car. It ran for about 2-3 seconds then shut off and would not start again. Some backround: for the past two years or so this has happened, sort of. Car will start, run for a second then stop and wont start. I'd wait for 10-15 minutes then try again and it would fire up and run and start fine for months on end, then repeat. Finally, this morning it would not start again at all. This matched other no start symptoms i found online for the distributor going bad.

Car still cranks just fine, so the starter is good.

Tested for spark. No spark. Replaced the distributor and tested again. Plenty of spark to the plugs. Still would not start.

Went through a few other tests:

Plenty of fuel pressure so pump and filter are good.
Timing belt is ok.
Good compression in all 4 cylinders.
Fuel injectors ok.
Plug wires were sequenced correctly after replacing the distributor. While installing the new distributor I left the old cap still attached to the wires and when I was ready, hooked them up to the new cap one at a time so they were in the correct order.

Still no start.

After all that I pulled the new distributor back off just to double check that I installed it correctly. I had.

Also, the valve cover seal is bad and oil had gotten on the plugs and wires. I assumed that maybe the oil had degraded the insulation on the wires and that the spark was possibly jumping to the block instead of continuing to the plugs. I cleaned out the plug wells and then installed all new spark plugs (they were getting pretty worn out anyway) and wires.

Car still does not want to start.

I've also checked for codes and got nothing. While checking for codes, the Check Engine light stays on and does not blink. Same for the Battery light, Oil light and Safety Belt.

There doesn't seem to be any obvious reason for the car to not start. Running out of ideas.

 

Suggest attempting to start w/ 5-10 sec blast of starter fluid or throttle body cleaner in the air intake.

If car starts and runs briefly, the fuel delivery is the problem; lack of fuel pressure (main fuel relay or fuel pump), fuel injector system fault (no injector pulses).

If car does not start, then ignition is not adequate to ignite fuel; timing, ignitor, coil, etc.

good luck

 

Since you were missing spark and now have a good spark, make sure you did not install the distributor 180 degrees off.

I did this on my 95 accord, and this was years after I warned people numerous time on here not to install the key off.

 

Check PAHonda's post. Also remember the firing order is 1, 3, 4, 2. Could be that the ignitor is bad. I am also wondering if it is the key cylinder switch also commonly referred to as the electrical portion of the ignition switch. Might be a combination of the two.

 

Your post indicates you've already checked/confirmed timing, fuel pressure, and spark, yet you have no-start. You've missed something. That's why I suggested a simple spark or fuel test to find a surer path to finding the problem.

good luck