[zahu1]

I have a 91 accord and when it flows below -14 and the car sits for longer then 8 hours it is hard to start.what could be wrong.

Replaced the following 2 months ago

1. Thermostate
2. Timing belt
3. Balancer belt
4. Water pump
5. Valve adjustment
6. Intake manifold gasket/ also cleaned it out to
7.spark plugs
8. Spark plugs wires
9. Cap and rotor
10. Battery
11. Fuel filter
12. What is left?
Help

It cranks and you have to hold on to it for about 7seconds or so.

>:(

[chabat]

Hi,
When you say it "flows below -14" -- do you mean when the temperature outside gets below negative 14 degrees Fahrenheit, it is difficult to start?

I have a '95 Honda Civic and if my battery gets low, which it has sometimes in the cold weather, it is harder to start. Cold weather robs the battery of some of its power and the fuel doesn't combust as well in very cold weather. If it starts by being jumped, you know you have a battery or alternator problem. Both can be tested free at your local auto parts store. If jumping does not help: :(
1. Check for fuel -- Crank it over with gas pedal floored -- inspect spark plugs - wet and smells like gas = fuel delivery probably adequate. 8)
2. Check for Spark -- get a spark plug tester (cheap) have an assistant crank engine and see if there is a good blue spark -- if there is good. If not, the ignition coil can be suspect. :o

These are the most basic things you can check. Also, I recommend a good Haynes Manual for your vehicle, they are available at an auto parts store or half.com or eBay or a book store. :D

One final thing I will tell you. A weird thing happened once when my battery was low on the Honda: ? It acted like something was wrong -- would not start -- it had spark -- it had fuel getting to engine, it ran the day before with no problems whatsoever... After much scratching my head and reading the repair manual. I got mad and said to myself, this Honda has never let me down and it is going to start right now! >:( I hooked up jumper cables to jet plenty of juice, and I pumped the gas pedal while cranking it over and voilà! It started. Go Figure. You know I never thought to pump the gas pedal before because you don't have to at all on that car under normal circumstances. Let me know how it turns out! Good luck. :)

[zahu1]

I have tried all of the above and nothing. Everything is in working order. Could it be the temp sensor?

[chabat]

No... Temp Sensor only tells you how warm the engine is when it is running.

If I were you at this point, I would look in the yellow pages for some local repair shops. I have found ones that will "look" at it for FREE. Or if you cannot find one that will look at it for free, ask for a quote for diagnosis.
A $10 tow strap will get you to the shop for diagnosis.

Sometimes you have to get a car looked at. Right now, my Honda Civic is down with a torn CV Boot. I bought the parts but have discovered that you need specialized tools to repair this part (a ball joint puller and a ball joint press) and you can rent the tool at the auto parts. I have had the car sitting in the driveway over a week, working on it here and there. I got so frustrated about all the tools and time this is taking so I called my local mechanic who I rarely if ever have to use, and he said he will replace the boot for $37.50 in labor since I already have the part. I could KICK myself wasting all those trips to the parts store and being without the use of my car so long when it could have been done LAST week for $37.50. *Sigh*

Anyway, I am sure you could get it diagnosed for about $60 or less or free maybe and then fix it yourself once the problem is pinpointed. Just don't take it to the dealership. Let me know what happens, and I am sorry I haven't been able to pinpoint your starting problem.

Chris

[zahu1]

I have all ready done that , but it does not show up in the computer.

Thank you

[Travis]

I live in a really cold climate and that seems pretty normal.
I wouldn't worry about it. I put in a new carbuerator in my Full size van, and I've had it turn over without plugging it in at -35, and that takes about 20 seconds of the slowest wrrrwrr sound you ever heard.

A couple things you can try,

Get a Block heater installed, and plug your vehicle in,
Try putting antifreeze in instead of coolant.
It may sound silly but put a piece of cardboard between your grille and your radiator, It helps.
And for cold weather starting, Make Sure everything else possible is off, No radio, no exterior lights, no heater, no defrost.

[labman]

I am not familiar with Hondas, but a 91 should have computer controlled fuel injection. Fiddling with the gas pedal usually accomplishes nothing in starting a FI car. You have 2 temperature sensors. One measures the temperature of the engine, and another the outside temperature so the computer knows to enrich the starting mixture. You could check the sensor.

Are you using the 5W-30 or 5W-20 oil the owners manual calls for? Perhaps switch to a 0W-30 oil.

[damuho]

If you checked for fuel and spark and you have both, try using your old spark plug wires. The spark may be too weak because you have the wrong wires.