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ardob11 · Oct 29, 2005, 04:54 PM

Hi,

I have Hona Civic '89. I had intermittent start up problems on hot weather recently so I replaced the distributor cap, rotor, and coil (I think this was the fault) and it worked fine after that. After about three week of good starts now it will fire and engine turn but then dies down after a second or two. I have tried replacing the main relay but no good. Weather doesn't matter either.
A friend told me that it could be the ignition key!?

I would appreciate your help.
Arianit

CroCivic91 · Oct 30, 2005, 03:58 PM

Are you getting any error codes? Did you just buy another used Main Relay, or tried resoldering your relay? Buying another USED main relay does no good, since the joints on your "new" relay might be as bad or even worse than your original relay.

ardob11 · Oct 30, 2005, 08:25 PM

The relay was brand new. I bought it while trying to fix the first problem a few weeks earlier.

Arianit

slivertea · Nov 19, 2005, 12:08 AM

Your friend might actually be correct about the ignition. My 90 did a similar thing a year ago and the problem turned out to be the ignition switch not fully closing the circuit *a honda tech told me this was a fairly common issue after years of wear on these older switches*. So you might want to try that, or at least test the switch out. Only downside to it is they're like $80 =(.

ardob11 · Nov 19, 2005, 10:29 AM

It wasn't actually the switch but a 10 in cable that connects the switch to some other cable down the line. Btw, you can surpass the switch by firing the car directly through a plastic thingy that goes into the metal part and see if that's the problem or is it the cable.
You will know when these two problems appear because they usually don't die out immediately but they'll give you some trouble first. You'll notice that if you keep the key turned to the on position with your hand, the car will stay on and you can park it or whatever. This is a clear indicator that problem is in the ignition switch or in that cable following it.

pattid · Jun 4, 2009, 09:17 AM

1998 Honda Accord dies while driving down the road. At first it was about once a week, now it does it 5 times in a row and eventually refuses to run. Husband replace main relay. What could be causing this?

TxGreaseMonkey · Jun 4, 2009, 09:23 AM

pattid, have your husband replace the Ignition Control Module (ICM) and coil:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...tml#post265896

This should restore the reliability and performance to your Accord. These are the two most problematic components on Hondas of this generation.