For about six months or so now my wife's '93 Civic EX has been experiencing what I'd call an intermittent starting problem. On occasion the engine will turn over wonderfully and powerfully but no start. The interval between the last time this happened (5/12/2007) and the time before (aprox 3/14/2007) was about eight weeks. The time before that was around 1/23/2007. After the 1/23/2007 no-start incident the mechanic checked the starting and charging systems (though not with analyzer) and replaced the alternator. The car has 192,000 miles on it. On 5/11/2007 the local Honda dealership replaced the fuel filter, v-tech valve seals, oil pump o-ring, and crankshaft seal. The also did an electrical analysis test with neg. results (no codes). On some instances of this starting problem the car would start if left sitting about 1/2 hour or so. On others, it would start after a jump even though the car would turn over as normal. That was the case on the 5/12/2007 incident which was the day after the Honda dealership replaced the aforementioned parts and ran tests (they couldn't duplicate the problem). When my wife called me on 5/12 about it turning over but no start, I went to the car and sure enough, it turned over as normal but no start. All accessories were off. I jumped it with my other Honda and it started with no problem whatsoever. Since then, my wife has used the car without problem for four or five trips (about seven or eight starts). After explaining the symptoms to a friend, he suggested the problem might be with the ignition switch. He said the neutral safety switch and the starter would NOT be the culprit since it wouldn't turn over if they were.

teamjdb

I just solved the same problem with my 1994 Civic EX. Performing diagnostic tests was frustrating because of the intermittent nature of the failure. Following advice from another website, I dismissed the idea that the ECU might be failing, and turned my attention to the main relay, the igniter, coil and ignition switch, all high-failure items on these Hondas. It turned out to be weak capacitors in the ECU. At 162000 miles my car was due for a tuneup and new ignition switch anyway, but I would probably still be looking for a solution if I hadn't seen suggestions on this website from Texasgreasmonkey about the high failure rate of computers on these cars. Search the archives here for Hondas, and you will find the procedure for running the tests necessary to diagnose your problem.

txgreasemonkey

teamjdb, if the K-Test helped you identify a problem with your ECM, could I get you to chronicle that fact on the link below:

http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-tr...ht=k-test+poll

Thanks.

katmanboo

I have had this problem, a common Honda fault. It was the Main Relay. After becoming warm, and then shutting the car off, it would not start again. After 20 min. it would then start. When the relay fails it doesn't power the fuel pump and ECU.