Hi all
New here
Been reading a few post that date back to 2012. Somewhat helpful but...
So, decided to post a new one.
No SPARK seems the problem.
Here is a list of what it is NOT!!!...
IT IS not..

* The fuel pump
* The Crank Position Sensor (replaced that after lube mobile gave a false diagnosis at a cost of $700)
* Battery (brand new)
* Starter (cranks over fine)
* There are are no fault codes being displayed on the computer my mechanic plugged into the car... Whom I trust implicitly.
* Timing is good

It worked fine one day... Two days later...Kaput!
Thanks all

P.S. I have just added this P.S. to say sorry if I have jumped the gun with this post. I read the threads, but maybe not thoroughly enough and may have missed the answers to my question pre-posted. It is Sunday 5pm and although it is too late now, I wanted to drive down to my father's funeral in Melbourne tomorrow from Sunshine Coast which is now not possible... Under a tad of stress . Apologies

 

You have a crank/no-start. The most likely causes in decreasing order are lack of fuel, spark, timing, or compression. I'll suggest not replacing any more parts until you figure out the root cause. New parts can be bad out of the box and complicate diagnosis, plus you are wasting money replacing a working part.

You may have come across this advice in some of my posts, but worth repeating some initial tests to figure out the problem.

Was any work/maintence done on the car right before this happened? Did you refill with gas not long before the no-start?

A quick test for fuel is to turn the key to the II position, but don't start the car. Listen for the fuel pump to turn on for about two seconds around the same time the check engine light does the bulb check. It is a faint whirling/buzzing sound from the back seat.

Another test for fuel is to get a can of starting fluid. Remove the snorkel to the throttle body. Have an assistant try starting the car while you spray starting fluid into the throttle body. If the engine runs (even poorly), then you'll have look into the fuel system.

Spark is tricky on coil over plugs. A spark plug tester or even an old spark plug will work, where you pull the coil, insert the tester or plug, then ground the tester/plug. Have an assistant crank the engine and look for a strong spark.

 

Thanks for the hasty reply. Bear in mind I am just the driver. One mobile mechanic came and misdiagnosed and yes I should have git a 2nd opinion instead of employing a, better, second mechanic to carry out the firsts mistake.

No.. no maintenance was done.
Was driving on the fuel for 2 weeks and still had half a tank left.

The fuel pump is working because (a) we can hear it and (b) we tested the flow at the engine input.

Being a deep set plug we didn't have rye right adaptor to test for spark that way, but we did go old school with a Philips screwdriver up into the coil sleeve and on to earth. I got ONE healthy spark at initial turn over of the engine, then nothing for the other 12 or more revolutions.

We sprayed brake cleaner into the intake manifold at the throttle butterfly and had no Ignition Whatsoever.

I have know forgotten the rest of your questions sorry because I can't view your thread while I am in this window.

Additionally... 2 months ago I came out to the car to find that my battery was completely flat. I checked and nothing was left on to cause this that myself , and an auto electrician could see. We charged the battery overnight, tested the alternator... All good.
2 weeks later.. same thing. We replaced the battery (quality) and no prob since.
However.. we NEVER really found the cause and we have been dubious of this ever since, especially that the window switches and some on the main console are failing and ALL the switches on the steering wheel have failed. Also the AC suddenly stopped working 2 months ago and I have not had the money nor the inclination to fix it.
I have owned the car for 7 months... No nothing of the history. It was bought under pressure at the time, a mistake I know but the motor has been excellent and drives very well until now.
Thats all I have time to write at present I have a funeral to go to.
Thanks for your time
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We are thinking it is the ECU , but as I stated there are absolutely zero fault codes appearing

 

My apolgies if my response sounded like an attack. I respond so future members consider testing before just replacing the parts you replaced. Folks might read this and blindly replace the crank sensor based on what you treied as a possible fix before testing. Also for future folks reading the thread, keep the old parts you replaced in case the new part is bad out of the box. Inexpensive aftermarket parts tend to be less quality and have higher failure rates.

Thanks for the additional information. I wanted to check if you did some testing to verify lack of spark. I'd suggest treating the issues with your car as separate problems.

Are you planning on DIY work? Do you have a volt meter, 12V test light, and/or a scanner? I can give some testing suggestions if you plan on DIY work.

 

All good Sir.
My other problems that I mentioned also caused me to be short and leave disjointed messages.
No...Not DIY.. I am just trying to help my mobile mechanic, the new one not the other ****, do some home work. All his resources / colleagues, have been exhausted... Almost.
But I know he will not stop until he finds the solution. It is just a matter of time on his side and money on mine.
Ok... I don't have any testing equipment but he does and another guy (a auto electrician) does who is coming out today to chew the fat over this with me, (and to charge the battery being flat from all the attempts).
Good idea and advice on the old part...we have kept it.
We did the following tests last Friday also..
1.. We established that there is a ground and a power feed, functioning, to the coils. We could not establish if the ECU was sending "the trigger pulse???" To the coil because he did not, at the time, have his oscilloscope with him.
2... The position of the crank sensor, as you are probably aware, is completely inaccessible until belt, covers, alternator, harmonic balancer etc etc, is removed, so getting any sort of diagnostic tool there is a no go. It is a 6 pin module, dual sensor unit.
3. The Cam position sensor however, is sort of accessible so we tested that to see anything. ( 3 pin unit. +- and ECU feed). Seemed ok but once again, could not establish the ECU active or not.
4. Reminder... There have been absolutely ZERO fault codes throughout this whole procedure. EXCEPT it does tell us, through the tablet plugged into the car, that the ECU that controls the ABS, there is a fault, don't remember what. The mechanic said it is a different ECU UNIT than the engine one we are needing so that's for a later puzzle.

All this info is stuff I have learned in the last 3 days so I hope this helps. I know it is a tough call. I don't know what else to say except I will post the results of the auto electrician's findings (the 3rd one to try) later on.

Just a foot note.. I paid $5000 for the car. I am moving overseas in about 6 weeks. If I can get it running I am happy to sell for $3000. If I can't it will be towed away and I will be lucky to get $300. I bought a lemon, I accept this. My first one ever and I am 60yo. Under pressure and a 2 hour window to yay or nay. There are too many gremlins in the machine to keep anyway. I want to be fair to the next owner.

I am in Australia by the way.

Thanks for your time... If your advice is ... Cut losses and scrap it.. I understand. I am leaning that way and don't need this **** in my life right. Hahaha
Cheers

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Sounds like a lot of testing I was thinking was done.

The coils have 3 wires, so constant power, constant ground, and PCM signal. You already eliminated power and ground, so now the PCM signal is either missing or wires harness is broken You'll have to verify the wire(s) from the PCM to each coil are good. Then move on to the PCM. Check the PCM has good constant power and grounds. You'll need a shop manual to determine which pins on the PCM are 12V at all time from the battery, 12V from the ignition switch, and grounds.

If the crank or cam sensors are not easily accesible, you can tap into the same wire at or near the PCM. You'll want to test for power and ground and also PCM signal depending on the wiring.

The mechanic should have a scanner that can read sensor data, so cam, crank, and rpm signals to give you some direction. Testing with an oscilloscope on the actual wires is good too. You almost want to rule out all of the items that can cause a no spark, then replace the PCM.

You might be able to pull the PCM and open the cover to look for obvious damage to the circuit board. There are probably youtube videos that shows the circuit board to give you an area to look. The location of the PCM on US accords is below/behind the stereo near the heating unit. A coolant leak in that area can corrode/short the PCM, so opening the PCM is a good check.

I does sound like you are heading towards a bad PCM in your case, but still have a few items to eliminate.

 

Excellent advice and tips.
SHall follow up tomorrow
Thanks so much
PCM? My mech called it the ECU.
Same animal?

 

PCM and ECU essentially mean the same thing. PCM (powertrain control module) technically is an ECU (engine control unit) and TCU (trans control unit). Accords before 96 had a separate ECU and TCU.

 

Ok...
Found that the green key symbol is flashing on the dashboard.
Would explain it not starting and why it occured suddenly yes?
The car is immobilized.!

​​​​​​New key battery 3 months ago.
Only have the one key.
Any suggestions on this one?