this problem has been steadily getting worse and worse for over 2 years now. None of the mechanics I've been to have been able to help, but it's a 1994 car, and I don't have the money to bring it to the honda dealer, and who knows if they'd fix it either...
over 2 years now, the starting problem has gotten more and more frequent. now it occurs about 60% of the time... it DOES turn over, and stalls IMMEDIATELY. I have to floor it the second it "catches" and rev the engine to avoid this when it occurs. sometimes that works. other times it takes a few tries with the gas pedal in different spots to get it to work, or hold the ignition key turned for a few 'tries' of the starter. Also, the check engine light is ALWAYS on when this happens, and throughout the ride (which is rough) after it does start. It doesn't seem weather related, but I CAN get it to occur 100% of the time if I start up, take a short drive, a short stop, and try to re-start... if that helps. it also will stall at traffic lights when it's really acting up.
ALSO, what I believe is a related problem, also becoming more frequent, but not as frequent as the starting problem, is the engine just CUTS OFF while driving. yesterday, I was coasting along with no traffic at 40mph, and the engine just stopped running... when I parked and tried to re-start, it took about 5 minutes to get it started again. this is the worst it's been...
Here's the kicker, as I said, it's been TWO YEARS, and I've done the following over that time:
-timing belt kit
-full tune up w/filters
-rotor/distributor cap
-valve cover gasket
-thermostat and coolant sensor
-ignition switch
again, NONE of these things have helped at all.
if anyone has other ideas, I'd LOVE to hear 'em. thanks.

 

Get in this habit. Go in the car, and turn the key to the II position, but do not try to start the car. While the check engine light turns on to do a 2 second bulb check, listen carefully for the fuel pump to turn on. It is a faint whirling/buzzing sound that comes from the back seat. Turn off the radio, blower, etc, so you can hear. Let us know if that sound is present when the car is starting and not starting.

The check engine light turning on means the engine computer detected a problem and stored a code. In the index thread stickied at the top of the gen tech forum, there is a link on how to check engine codes. Post any codes you find on here.

 

Thanks for the reply!!
OK, I turn the ignition to position II, and as the beeps begin, you can hear a pump kick on... but just for 1-2 seconds and stops. not sure if that's normal.
As for the error codes, I get 9 short flashes, then one long and 5 short... but code 9 says "invalid code for v6 engines", and 15: "Ignition Output Signal missing or defective ignition output signal".
What now?? thanks a million.

 

Test the ICM, some stores will do this for you.

Then there are some other sensors in the dist that would need to be tested next.

 

Yup, had 15: "Ignition Output Signal missing or defective ignition output signal" too once. Kept stalling car but not as bad as yours. It could just be that yours is significantly worse. Replaced the distributor (which contains the ICM) and the problem has never occurred since.

Trying to give you some confidence that you should try the ICM. You've replaced everything but the ICM and the whole distributor so it seems like the way to solve your problem.

 

I assume this is a 4-cyl. EX or LX? Post your info in siganture line.

The 94 Shop Manual indicates this could be ICM or ECM. There is a diagnostic chart. However end of the chart requires a special harness to measure voltage at ECU connectors. If you do this you'll need to backprobe the connector instead. Difficult and tedious.

ECU (used) ia actually cheaper than ICM. You can find ECU's on ebay and car-part.com for $25-$35.

Go to DIY forum and download 94-97 Accord Manual if you don't have one.

FYI, I had a persistent code 9 on my EX and measured CYP sensor resistance at the ECU and found good resistance indicating a bad ECU.
Replaced ECU and problem was resolved.

good luck

 

Thanks to you great people who have given me hope that I may get this fixed before I have to sell the car for 50 bucks as a total loss!
I even have hope now that it MIGHT NOT require a complete distributor. Still a little unsure if the ECM is PART of the distributor, but honestly, even the testing the wires, etc. described is a bit beyond my scope of skill. Regardless, I can give this info to a local trustable mechanic who I can work with. Think this is a great direction. Thanks again, all.

 

Good luck. The ECM is the "computer" for the car. The ICM is for the spark in the dist.....code 15...I'm going with the ICM inside the dist.

 

i dont know if this may apply to a honda, as ive only had mine for a lil over a month but i used to own vw's and i had this "almost same" problem, and moisture was a big issue with those cars...

with all the vw's i had, came with a notorious ignition coil issue, when they fail they will shut down the car, no matter the speed, or if you were accelerating or not. also bad idling was an issue, they would fail going through puddles, or say it would be damp and dewy the night before the car would have issues all day long...

i dont know if this can apply to your issue, but i would suspect a honda would have a different reaction to this issue than a vw

 

The saga continues: Not the ICM... I swapped out the ICM. brought it to autozone. they tested it, and they run it through 10 tests each time. they tested it 5x. out of the total 50 tests, just one was a fault... ONCE. Regardless, I decided to swap it out. I had it out already. SO, I suppose I should be happy I can rule that out now. same trouble. still stalling, having trouble starting. So I suppose it's down to 2 things: Either the ECU is in fact bad, and that's my next plan of attack, or a wire that goes to the ICM could be bad? I'm trying to avoid cost of the mechanic, so I'm trying to replace parts myself before bringing it in for testing. Hopefully the ECU does it. If anyone else has other directions I should be looking, I'm all ears. thanks!