2001 Accord. Vtec.

Last winter/spring (2008-2009) I had an issue with rough start-up. First thing in the morning start-up is great. I use the car for brief property inspections. After I shut the engine off and come back after about 15 minutes, the engine will sputter / no power, as if one cylinder is not firing. I slightly depress the gas pedal to keep it from stalling. After about 30 seconds the sputtering clears. The first time it happened it would not start for 10-15 minutes and then only after cranking for awhile.

I was able to drive the car to my local mechanic, who did not experience the same condition and suggested that I try to frequent another gas station, since the one I always use was sometimes suspect of poor quality fuel. I did this. The sputtering condition did not occur again until the summer and then I took the car to a Honda Dealership. They did not experience the sputtering condition, and after installing a new starter (unrelated circumstance) said maybe that was the cause (huh?).

Well the condition has returned again.

The car has 382,000 kms. Aside from the start-up issue the car still has very good power.

Its been a long time since I worked on cars and only then with very conventional engines. I am no expert on these cars and can only wonder if this condition is related to a faulty fuel injector or related component.

Is it possible for some amount of raw gas to slowly enter a cylinder after the engine is shut off?. It does not occur when the engine is turned off and immediately started again. It only seems to occur after turning the engine off and then when start-up occurs 15-20 minutes later..it mimics being “flooded” as with the old carburators. Leaving the car sit for a few hours / overnight does not reflect this problem and maybe dissipates any fuel over time?

Sorry for the long post, however, I thought I might as well provide as much as I could up front.

This has been a great car. Hopefully, someone has an idea or two as to what might be the problem.

Thanks.

 

Yeah, injectors can leak down. If it's turned off for long enough, the fuel evaporates so then it's OK.

How old are the spark plugs?

 

Hi Jim

The plugs were replaced last week. So unfortunately its a before and after condition.

I used a few gasoline additives but that didn't help. Do injectors typically get replaced?

Thanks

 

The first thing I suggest is to turn on the key and wait 10 sec for the fuel pump to build full pressure, then crank the engine. This allows the injectors to spray a fine mist for easier ignition.
You could have a fuel leakdown test done to check for a seeping injector.
You can do a 'poormans' injector leakdown check by running the engine for a few minutes, shut it off and wait 5 minutes then pull the plugs and sniff test each cylinder.

 

Hondadude

Good information. Thanks!

Ron