The noise in the engine bay could be the abs pump pressurizing. You might not have paid attention to engine noises when your car was running properly.

You got it narrowed down to fuel. You need to determine if there is power getting to the fuel pump. Either use a volt meter or rig that light up.

 

as soon as you turn your key on does it send 12v to the fuel pump? cause when i check it it has nothing (zero volts) this is at the 20dcv setting with the red to the blk/yel wire and blk to ground.

does this mean it is my main relay??

 

Remember the Main Fuel Relay only enables power to the fuel pump (if switch is turned to ON) for 2-3 secs and then cuts off. If you measure after cut-off, zero volts is correct. If you don't get 12V for 2-3 secs after switch is turned to ON, the MFR is bad.

good luck

 

little update - hasnt started since it started raining sunday evening (still raining now)

i think you are right PAHonda on the abs pump and that i never noticed it before.

i did some more testing tonight and found out the following:

at the main relay (plugged in) i get 12volts, but at the fuel pump i get 1.3volts. does this mean my MFR is bad?

If it is the MFR, one - where do you recommend i get one? i ask this because autozone, advanced auto and O reily did not have one by looking up online.

Also, this still does not solve the connection of when it is cold and wet out. how would that be if the relay is inside the car?

 

What wire are you testing for voltage at the main relay and how are you testing the voltage with the MFR plugged in?

There is a 94 shop manual that you can download from the Online Manuals thread in the DIY section. It shows which wires on the connector should have power with the key in certain positions.

 

i would poke one prong into the blk/yel wire socket of the plug then ground the other. ill pull the shop manual and look further into it tomorrow.

 

Check the shop manual to verify that you're checking the fuel pump wiring. As opposed to the fuel gauge sender...

The popular way for the main fuel relay to fail is cracked solder joints on the circuit board. That can result in low power, poor contact in that circuit. If you're comfortable with a soldering iron, take the main relay out, open it's case, & re-melt the solder joints.

 

im looking into the ship manual this evening. the weather was very nice today - 63 and sunny, so i went out after work and tried to start it. ...nothing still. i popped teh gas cap and there was pressure...quite a bit of it actually. Which seems weird to me since i opened and released the pressure after it started last. could this mean something?

 

well i took the main fuel relay out and inspected it and i dont see any cracks.

im starting to got back to my first thought on the fuel pump. However, the cost, the uncertainty and the inability to return is holding me back. After calling around at prices and ideas on whats wrong i was told that the fuel pump failing on my car is not common. (even from a reputable honda only shop) the main relay and the distributor are what commonly fail. is this correct?

 

Bad fuel pump is uncommon, but not unheard-of.

Pressure in the fuel tank is due to temperature (vapor pressure of fuel), and at any rate shouldn't prevent the fuel system from working.

Measuring 12v at the main relay, do you mean on the wire that goes to the fuel pump? Or one of the other wires at the main relay?

If you know you were measuring the voltage in the fuel pump wire, then maybe it's a bad wire going back to the fuel pump. Broken insulation might allow intermittent short, especially when wet.