I have checked about 20 pages of topics and didn't see this, so here goes. My '90 Accord with 275K miles has recently started occasional bouts of not starting. You can crank away to your heart's content; no go. Doesn't seem to be related to cold or hot engine. If you wait 10 or 15 minutes it usually fires right up. I figure it is either electrical or fuel (duh??!!) (BTW, I can't smell so it's tough for me to check if it's fuel related. Could be flooding or no fuel.) I am thinking of replacing the fuel filter and ignition wires (new plugs already a couple weeks back) as a start but from the forum, it could be the ignition coil or the main relay. I hate playing Russian roulette changing out parts and, at the age and mileage of the car, don't want to spend a fortune on it. Any concrete diagnosis (polite ones only)?

 

Welcome to the forum! This seems to be a common issue all of the sudden throughout all the different years...

The first thing I'd check is to get a fuel pressure gauge on there. Then when it doesn't start you can see if it's at least getting fuel. I'd also suggest changing the fuel filter prior to doing that. In addition to this get a spark tester to see if you're getting spark.

 

Sounds like it could be the main realy. But like you said, you don't want to go around replacing crap randomly. Check for spark and fuel pressure like sir_nasty said.

Does the problem seem to occur when cabin of the car is hot or has been parked in the sun?? This could point to cracked solder joints on the main relay.

 

Thanks guys. Looks like I am on the right track, i.e. it's either ignition/electrical or fuel related. (What else can it be, right?) I will change out the fuel filter right away (can't recall when I last did this) and try to see about testing for a weak spark. Obviously, you can't easily ground out a plug by disconnecting a wire with the long sleeve that fits onto the spark plug. Haven't checked any manuals etc. but should the gas cap be pressurized from the fuel pump running after cranking to check if it is working? I may also look inside the distributer cap for any obvious signs of wear and scoring. Hope it doesn't turn out to be the main relay, that sounds more expensive. This extremely intermittent fault has me puzzled and, as I have found over the years, it's really tough to get a handle on the problem with this type of fault.

As for cabin conditions, it happened to me the other day on a brief stop at the bank in the morning where I left the windows down, i.e. not too hot inside. It happened to my wife today after she left it sealed up in the sun in a parking lot for a while, i.e. probably quite hot inside.

 

although installing a new fuel filter is always good ,, in this case it is not the cause of your problem.. if it were it would act up all the time.....

go to the DIY section, there is a write up on how to test for lack of fuel.........try that
if it is a fuel issue, first thing i would look at is the MAIN RELAY ..

to chk for sprk, pull a plug wire out, insert a plug or screwdriver in the wire, make sure to ground it .. have someone crank the engine while you chk for spark output

if no spark.. let me know i will tell you a quick test how to chk for bad coil or ignitor