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jwbrunson · Dec 3, 2005, 03:17 PM

Have 89 Honda Civic with a carb. Car wouldn't start replaced main relay. However the fuel pump won't work from the main relay. So I bypassed the main relay for a temp solution. The main relay was brand new. I am looking for a permanent solution.
Help! & Thanks

CroCivic91 · Dec 3, 2005, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by jwbrunson

Have 89 Honda Civic with a carb. Car wouldnt start replaced main relay. However the fuel pump wont work from the main relay. So I bypassed the main relay for a temp solution. The main relay was brand new. I am looking for a permenant solution.
Help! & Thanks

Honda still made carburated Civic engines after 87? Also, I didn't know that carburated engines had a main relay! Considering all that, I'll just presume you mean you have a dual point injection engine.

Bypassing the main relay solved the problem? Do you hear a humming sound from behind you when you turn the key to "II"? Do you hear a *click* after it (given you have the main relay still connected)? Can you open up your "new" main relay, take a close-up picture of it's joints, and post a picture on here?

jwbrunson · Dec 4, 2005, 06:21 AM

My Bad it is a dual point injection engine.
When I first put in the new relay the dash lights would only come on in the accesory position (key) & the car still wouldn't start. Oh it would turn over but never fully start. Then I figured out the key switch wasn't turning on. So I fixed that by sodering the wires on the back of the switch. Plugged the main relay up & no fuel pump coming on.No humming noise. Both relays are clicking. I can jump across the relay with jumper wire from the hot side of relay to the fuel pump wire. The car will crank & run. Pull the jumper off with car running & the car dies. The code in the ECU blinks 16 times telling me that I have a bad injector. But the car will crank & run when the jumper wire is hooked up. With it bypassed I pulled the fuse for the ECu to clear the code.
Any suggestions with the added info?

CroCivic91 · Dec 4, 2005, 08:34 AM

Code 16 is often missinterpreted. Main Relay is a part of fuel injection system, and code 16 most often means you have a faulty Main Relay. To back that up even more - you don't see a humming sound, because your fuel pump is not working. The car can still run if main relay is bypassed, meaning that the fuel pump IS working. So I BET your "new" main relay is faulty. Did you read the link provided in the FAQ about main relay? Can you open up your relay and make a close-up pic of it's joints? I bet you have some dry joints, and by resoldering them - you would fix the thing.