Hi:
I am having problems with my '91 Honda civic DX when I drive for a while, then I stop the engine for 5-10 minutes to do some shopping or whatever... and then try to start again. It doesn't start at all. But if I wait another 5 or 10 minutes and I try again, usually starts. I don't have any idea what the problem is. It never happens in the morning when the car is cold.
I have noticed that when it doesn't start, I don't hear a click right after I turn the key, then I know I'm screwed. 90% of the time when I turn the key and hear the click, it starts, not always. And again, it only gives me grief when the engine is hot. Weather it's because it's been running for a long time or because I left it parked in the sun during the summer (now!)
The
Battery is new. Please, if you can help me, I will apreciate it.

The other thing it does which isn't a problem but may help diagnose the problem is that on occasion, especially when the engine isn't too warm is that when I try to accelerate from near zero velocity it sounds as if someone completely covers my exhaust and it feels very weak. I don't know if it's a weak fuel pump that's not helping the problem or what? I just release the accelerator and try again and it eventually goes away. I have a new muffler and catylic converter, so I doubt that's it.

Thank you!

P.S. I'm a soil scientist, if any of you have soil questions (plants, environmental, septic, etc) I'd be more than happy to help.

Thank you in advanced

These are classical symptoms of a bad main relay.

Instructions for fixing it is here - http://www.markl.f9.co.uk/howto/elec...main-relay.htm

It's pretty straightforward. Take the relay out, resolder it's joints and put it back. Read the site - it will give you exact explanation why this is happening.

I am going through this on a 92 Honda Accord. Except I had a faulty fuel pump AND a sticky main relay. When I smack the relay hard and the car starts, the contacts are contaminated.. I will try and solder the connection... I bet it will fix the problem (and save me $60+)... I will repost my results...

Also, beware the relay schematic pinouts on my manual & a commercial service CD were incorrect...

Thanks Cro'!

P2E

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CroCivic91

These are classical symptoms of a bad main relay.

Instructions for fixing it is here - http://www.markl.f9.co.uk/howto/elec...main-relay.htm

It's pretty straightforward. Take the relay out, resolder it's joints and put it back. Read the site - it will give you exact explanation why this is happening.

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Thank you both for your replies, I greatly appreciate it. I'm betting that the relay is the cause of the problem because the link to the website describes the problem perfectly. It's funny too how it often happens at gas stations, it's so annoying. I live in Davis, Ca where it gets hot, 100+, so after I try this, I will reply. Besides, everything else in the ignition system has been replaced. Plusgs, distributor, coil, I'm hoping this is it.

P.S. I just heard about the smacking thing earlier today when I was talking to a coworker who knows a bit about the subject.

Do get back to us with your results. We love to hear success stories :)

To determine the source of the problem, I ran w/o (bypassed) the main relay for a month. When I replaced the fuel pump, I reconnected the relay and it started acting up almost immediately. I knew about the smacking the really & it does work well. Cause' I drove around for a week+ smacking it ~ 50% of the time. This "fix" is a dead give away for a contact problem.. In any case, per your recommendation, I pulled the relay out & resoldered the connections 2 days ago, and so far it has started 100% of the time..

With the exception if pitted/burned relay contacts, resoldering the main relay connections makes perfect sense. This is a common repair for electronic equipment, with electo-mechanical devices.

The ultimate test will be at the gas pump. :D

Thanks again!
P2E

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CroCivic91

Do get back to us with your results. We love to hear success stories :)

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I also have a '91 Honda Civic LX 1.5L (4 door sedan) and experiencing starting problems usually when it's warm outside. I clicked on the http://www.markl.f9.co.uk/howto/elec...main-relay.htm link, but the page cannot be openned. It's saying the Page cannot be found. Does anyone have the page saved somewhere where you might be able to send it to me? Or if you might have any other method for me to view the info on that web page, please let me know about it. I bought a Honda Civic Hayes Repair Manual, but it's not helping me much. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

My email address is: [email protected]

I noticed a few days back that the site was removed because of too much bandwidth used. I guess our forum added to the bandwidth quite a lot :)

Anyway, to make a long story short, you have to locate the main relay, take it out and resolder the joints. Main relay is behind the coin pocket, by your left knee when you sit in front of the wheel. Unscrew the coin pocket, take it out and you'll see a top of the main relay hidden behind the plastic cover. It is held on with a 10mm screw. Take it out, open it up, resolder all the joints (some of them will be "cracked"), close it, put it back, start your car. Of course, remove the negative battery cable before you do that.

Using IE, click Tools>internet Options->delete cookies, delete files & try again... P2E

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hani

I also have a '91 Honda Civic LX 1.5L (4 door sedan) and experiencing starting problems usually when it's warm outside. I clicked on the http://www.markl.f9.co.uk/howto/elec...main-relay.htm link, but the page cannot be openned. It's saying the Page cannot be found. Does anyone have the page saved somewhere where you might be able to send it to me? Or if you might have any other method for me to view the info on that web page, please let me know about it. I bought a Honda Civic Hayes Repair Manual, but it's not helping me much. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

My email address is: [email protected]

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First of all, I would like to thank you all for your support and help. :)

Yesterday, I was able to find two good sites that show how to remove the main relay and fix it. They are:

http://www.integra.orcon.net.nz/relay
http://www.gutterslide.com/fourthgen...mainrelay.html

I was able to remove the relay and fix it (resolder the joints). Today, I tried turning on my car when it was sitting in a hot sunny spot (which is also a spot that gave my grieve almost always) and the car turned on! I restarted the car a few times to see if it will hang up, but it worked 100% of the time :D . Yesterday, I also reset the error code LED which was blinking 16 times. So far after my test today, the LED is NOT blinking 16 times; which is great. However, I'm not done doing the test. I will keep checking to see if it will fail to start (hope not). I'll post here what I find.

By the way, the http://www.markl.f9.co.uk/howto/elec...main-relay.htm link is back up again.

Again, thank you all for the valuable information. Great work! :)

I'm having the same problems, this is amazing. I'm definitely going to try to resolder the main relay

I am having exactly the same problems, and look forward to avoiding the wife by going outside to work on my main relay tomorrow. I have a quick question though. Does a faulty relay play any role in my battery light staying on.It started as just not starting when the car was hot (I drive 45 minutes to our shop in the morning, and then the car wouldn't start once I was leaving to go to the actual job site 5 minutes later), and now my battery light stays on constantly. It was flickering a bit when driving to work for about a week, and now it won't go off. I had the battery charged, and put it back in and the light is still on. Does that have anything to do with the relay, or am I now chasing two separate deamons?

:D :D :D

As promised, I said that I will keep you posted with what I find so here I am. After about a month of testing, my car is turning on every time (100%). The soldering fix for the main relay actually worked for me. :)

Thank you!

The Mark Lamond page was moved.. Just so you know..
Here is the new address: MarkLamond.co.uk - PGM-Fi - Main Relay
Also, I was having the same problem, and was pretty close to fire-bombing my car out of frustration, but when I did the solder fix, it worked the very first time, and every time after that.. :) Well, that part worked anyway, I still had some pretty big issues under the hood, but those were taken care of by a shop.. :)
What's really irritating is I even had to buy an old Dodge Ram to drive while I was trying to figure out what the heck was wrong with my Honda.. Oh well, at least now I have something to drive when I take it back in next week to get the cv shaft replaced..

I had a similar problem with pressing the gas and the car would not accelerate well. The problem was the catalytic converter was plugged/dirty. Replace it or have your exhaust checked.

Who ever help this person help me a lot so very thanks full n god be blessing you guy's

I looked at the main relay on my 91 civic and didn't see any cracks, though they did look dull. Also had some blackish brown grime on the solders. Is this a sign of a bad relay? I tried to resolder it but it didn't seem to work. Should I just replace the relay?