[Young-Love]

I've got a '92 Honda civic. It's a great little car but just recently since we've had all this snow and rain (not sure if it's a conincedence or not) I've been having trouble starting it. Sometimes it will start just fine. Other times it won't. If I turn it off and go to turn it back on 5 minutes later it won't start and takes over an hour to get started sometimes. It does turn over, but then will just quit and not start. There was a bit of condensation in the distributer cap but other than that thecar seems fine. It's getting gas, the cylinders don't have any moisture on them -- some have a bit of oil, and everything else seems to be fine with it... What could it possibly be or what could I do to try and fix it??

[TxGreaseMonkey]

It sounds like your main relay may be bad, which is located left of the fuse box, wedged against left kick panel and above hood latch. Remove fuse box cover and lower dash panel for access.

First, however, make sure your Civic passes the Check Engine Light tests below:

Check Engine Light (CEL) Tests. If the CEL does not go out, most Civics will not spark and the fuel pump will not run. Therefore, all efforts should first be directed to correcting the problem(s) that prevent you from being able to answer "Yes" to the three basic diagnostic questions below:

a. Turning the ignition switch to ON (or position II), not START, does the CEL come on and then go off after 2 seconds? If not, the problem is with the ACG (ALT) (S) 15 amp fuse, in the under-dash fuse/relay box; ECM (perform the K-Test); Main Relay; or the Ignition Switch. Perform tests in that order.

b. When the CEL goes out, do you hear and/or feel the Main Relay "click"? If not, repair or replace the Main Relay.

c. During the 2 second interval that the CEL is on, do you hear the fuel pump in the gas tank run? If not, check that the fuel pump works by jumping terminals 5 and 7 on the main relay connector and then turning the ignition switch to ON.

Ensure that the spark plugs (NGK only), spark plug wires, rotor, distributor cap, Ignition Control Module, and coil were recently replaced. Old spark plug wires can short out in damp weather. Make sure the distributor cap O-ring is in good shape and seals out moisture. These items will help restore "like new" reliability and performance. They are standard preventive maintenance items for older Hondas.

This link may also help:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...tml#post520809

[Duane in Japan]

Great advice above, should fix you right up. I would like to throw in a small piece of insurance since you mentioned the 5 minute hot soak not starting on top of the cold temps that are also involved. Please change the Engine Coolant Temperature or ECT (TW) sensor. When this sensor goes bad, it tells the computer that the engine is cold when it actually is still warm because you just turned it off 5 minutes ago, it tells the computer to give a very rich fuel mixture (which it needs when stone cold) and it floods the still warm engine which may take more than 45 minutes to clear up. It is an inexpensive part and good insurance to change it out, your car will be up and running with the above acvice, everything mentioned to this point is good preventive maintenance and all the items can be changed with confidence, no guess work here.