lately i hear the engine wanting to start, but instead it just makes that repeated sound that tells you it almost is going to start, but then it just dies. Now I noticed on a couple of occasions that this happened when i closed the automatic windows and sunroof with the switch open but the car off. Now I have this car for now 4 years and never it still has the battery i got it with, could it be the battery? the battery light has never come on but i'm not sure whats the problem. Now when the car doesn't start, I wait sometimes 30 minutes, sometimes 2 hours, and then it starts. Any ideas? could the fact that i need to replace the valve cover gasket (cause there is oil all over the engine, starter, distributor cap and surroundings) have anything to do with it? thanks for any help. BTW, how reliable is the battery light, just cause it has never come on, does it mean I have a good old battery?

 

A common problem through those years was bad solder joints in the main relay.
The problem most often occurs when the car interior is hot [sitting closed up in the sun all day]
I'm guessing from your description that the engine is turning over/cranking but not starting.
Fuel pressure can be checked at the fuel filter bleed port, loosen the bolt and check for fuel when the key is turned on for 3 seconds.
At the distributor connector plug there should be 12V on the Black/yellow wire with the key on.
You can pull a plug wire loose from the distributor cap, hold it about 1/4" away from it's fitting, have someone crank the engine and look for spark.

 

wow, is it possible to get a picture of what you are refering to? I'm a novice and You've described my problem down to the T, but I dont know most of those parts or where they r located.

 

a simple suggestion before you try all that, take the battery out, go to autozone, have them check it on their machine. Couldn't hurt and then you could rule it out as the problem.

 

if you google search "Honda Main Relay", you 'll get 94,300 pages of information;
Image search returns 122,000 pictures; showing location and relay circuit board.

I strongly recommend resoldering the contacts because you can buy a new one and have the same problem in a years time.

Top Tech Tip; don't waste time getting the whole relay unit unbolted, just pop the guts out of the case. Leave the case bolted up

 

I tried getting at the main relay today, what a haeadache, ill keep trying tomorrow, its just hadr to get to it. But just for fun, what else could it be if not the main relay and how do I test what the problem is?

 

Look for the Main Fuel Relay info at following page. Probably more than you'll want to know.

http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/faq.html#transmission

MFR is at top of dash under panel on driver's side. It helps to temporarily release the triangular cruise control module. The MFR is usually visible above this spot. I found it easier to remove the 10mm bolt holding the bracket than get the MFR to release from the bracket.

good luck

 

We have 2 '92 Accords and I've had to replace thr MFR in both. The problem generally only occurs in the summer when the passenger campartment is very hot. The MFR is relatively easy to change out on a DX. A little mor difficult to change on a LX OR EX because the Cruise Control module is in the way. The MFR is way up under the dashboad and not the easiest thing to find or change out.

Good luck

 

Hello Folks

A few updates/Questions/Follow ups.

After a couple of days of not being able to start up my car, I managed to get the Main relay out, Just in case somebody with a 93 10th Ann reads this I'll make a quick observation. the black box next to the relay which i think may be a fan, has two screws which hold in place not only that box, but also the main relay case. to take the main relay out only the most visible screw needs to be unbolted, after that the main relay will come out by applying some muscle, I say this because there is almost no way to unbolt the second screw due to its location and for about 5 minutes I was getting ready to actually break the tab that the second screw holds so I could get the whole thing out untilI saw there was no need. Anyways, I took out the MR and resolded the joints, (I did an slightly below average job, I'm not good at it, well maybe I'm selling myself short, I'm not really sure) but when I connected the relay back in, the car cranked a little longer than usual, but then on that same turn it started. I guess my question is, After the car didn't start anymore for 2 days, and now it did, does it mean its fixed? or could I be looking at the car starting because it wasn't such a hot day here in Florida today and the car is cool since it hasn't been used for 2 days?

the second questios is: Does the relay have to be bolted or can I just leave it hanging or maybe just tangled up with all of the other cables? (I ask this because that mother was too hard to get to and should I encounter problems again I need to get to it easier) Will leaving it hanging or at least not completly solid bolted damage anything?

Well Thanks for all the help I got. By the way, how much does the average mechanic shop charge for the relay and the labor on this whole situation? I just wanna know if it was worth it. My sources tell me the relay runds for something in the neighborhood of 50 dollars. what about labor and etc...

 

You wouldn't be the first to leave the MFR hanging after repalcement. I tucked mine into some other wiring for support. I hate the thought of it hanging on the electrical wiring, but it would probably be OK.

There are several connections that get particularly hot and are likely to fail on the circuit board; both main relay coil connections and voltage step-down resistor. I measured temps over 110F on one relay, and the voltage step down resistor (middle of circuit board) gets very hot also. Total power dissapaited in these relays is 2-3 watts, which in a closed case gets the relay pretty warm, perhaps leading to the circuit board failures. If you managed to remelt all the solder joints, it should be OK.

good luck