yea yea another noob to the forum registering just for some help, but don't worry i'll stick around

so my girlfriend's 97 2.7 is acting up lately. she says (we all know how reliable that is) that when she's driving it it sometimes sputters a little, maybe having a problem getting enough fuel pressure, and now today it wasn't starting. There wasn't enough time for me to tell her to check for spark or anything before it eventually started up after letting it sit for a few minutes. It was cranking fine, but just not turning over.

She is away with the accord now, and i'll only be able to meet up with the car for a day to fix what needs to be fixed. i don't want to go around throwing new fuel pumps in without it being the problem, but how can i figure out what's wrong if it's running fine now? is it most likely the fp? also, how can i narrow down what the problem actually is now, and if it doesn't start again? thanks for the help

 

Have the codes read at a parts store. The connector is behind the ash tray.

 

The check engine light isn't on though...

 

My observation from reading many posts on rough running and no-start is that electrical is more frequently the problem than fuel delivery. If this is a distributor, then check cap, rotor, wires, and plugs.

A good test for cap and wires is to spray fine water mist over all parts at night w/ engine running. If you see sparks jumping or engine dies, the cap, wires, or both are faulty.

One other possibility is a failing ignition switch. This can cause complete no-start, but will sometimes resolve to run for some time. When no-start occurs notice whether Alt, Check Engine, and Oil Pressure lights are Off or On w/ keyswitch On. If lights are Off w/ keyswitch On, the damaged ignition switch is indicated.

good luck