[CroCivic91]

If your fuel filter wasn't changed in a long time - it probably should get changed. Clogged fuel filter might cause your car to stall. Perhaps you have a problem with your igniter unit... check the post titled "Sparkless & In The Snow" in this forum, and search for an explanation I provided on how to check if your igniter unit is faulty. It might cause you starting problems. Check the link I provided in this thread about Main Relay and see if you have the same symptoms. If so, do give it a look.

[CroCivic91]

Hold on, you said your wheel locked up. Steering wheel? If so, perhaps your UNIT_WHERE_YOU_PUT_YOUR_KEY_IN_TO_START_THE_CAR (whatever it's called) is faulty. Someone on here had a similar problem, and that unit was the problem in his case. Check a few threads back...

[maxhavoc]

Hi all,

Im a new owner of a 91 civic w/ 146k miles... the first two weeks I drove it, it worked fine. Then the problems...

It would start to randomly stall at lights/stop signs and in traffic (no warning.. just stall). When I could feel it coming on, I could flutter the gas and would keep it going... then a few days later, I would be driving ~70mph or so, and the engine would stop with power.. I could downshift into 3rd and it would come back up and I could go to 4th and it would work OK...

After reading a bit, I thought it might the IACV, so I pulled it and cleaned it and put it back on... the dying during driving seemed to stop, but not the stalling at lights (and it had a fairly rough idle)... I went to get a fuel filter to do a replacement.. I relieved the pressure at the filter... HOLY COW the freaking banjo nuts on the filter are on there WAY too tight (I don't think the thing has been changed in sometime).. so I give up (couldnt even crack one of the banjo nuts loose with sockets... do I need to use an impact wrench?) and put the relif nut back on the special banjio nut and was on the way to a mechanci to help with the fuel filter replacement.. when it died a block from my house.. now the damn thing will crank,and eventually when it turns over, I can gun it for about 2-5 secs (with the obvious smell of rich, unburnt fuel emitting from the exhaust).. then it dies and acts flooded... I can let it sit for several hours, and it will turn over, but not for long...

I pulled the main fuel relay, desoldered and resoldered the connections... I guess it was working fine before, because that didn't change anything...

anyone with any suggestions? I just don't know enough about this car to start running around replacing everything.. any pointers.. GREATLY appreciated

[CroCivic91]

Holy crap... that is a pretty usual thing that happens with hondas of that age, but everybody had a different fix for it.

For instance, cleaning the throttle body, and putting some grease in the gas cable helped my dying at the stop lights. Replacing the fuel filter cured the whole situation with rough idle. Changing the oxygen sensor smoothened out the ride.

Just a few quick questions... did you change your spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor cap and rotor? It probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

Does your ECU throw any codes? Try checking for error codes and throw them here if you don't know what they mean. We might move on from there...

[labman]

The excess gas can have 2 causes, too much gas or ignition problems. Too much gas can come from a leaking injector. Pull the throttle body injector or whole rail and see if the gas quits flowing as soon as the engine is shut off. If so, the injector is bad. Could be a bad sensor too.

[maxhavoc]

I think it was the distributor.. thanks!

[ajaybathija4]

"Once again, this seems like a usual symptom of a faulty (but easily repairable) Main Relay. Main Relay gives power to the fuel pump when you're starting the car. Problem is usually heat related. Main relay is inside the vehicle (not under the hood), and when it gets warm (after you're driving for a while), the relay heats up, and some of it's joints mysteriously stop conducting electricity. You can easily fix it by taking the relay out and resoldering it's joints."

CroCivic91, thanks for the advice. It did work for me also.

When you have informed me about it, I planned to re-solder the main relay. However, due to personal problems did not get a chance to do it. Hence I was stuck with the same problem. In the evening when leaving work my car would just not start. My collegeu realized that those spark plugs were covered with oil. Hence we concluded that when ever the car does not start, it means that the spark plugs are covered in oil, after waiting for a few minutes, the oils drips down and then the car starts. Hence I replaced the valve cover gasket, the spark plugs, wires, distributor, and the rotor. I was just hoping that the problem is resolved. The next day I was again waiting in the parking lot for my car to start and it was confirmed that my diagnoses were wrong. The next weekend I tried searching the main relay (it is hidden behind the silver box). Since this was the first time in life I was working on the car, I was scared to touch anything, but finally got the main relay out, resoldered and back in place. And have never been waiting in the parking lot again for the car to cool down.

"Mechanics here in Croatia also knew nothing about the problem, and i found a fix on this forum."

You were absolutely correct on this. Even the guys in the part shop did not know about this. I went to check out the master relay, and the guy tried selling me the started instead. I checked my car with 4 mechanics and all came up with different answers and none were the master relay.

I am trying to make a site that you help people know about this problem and also how to repair. If you have any thing in particular I should put in there, I would highly appreciate your input. Since this was my first time working on the car, I did not take any pics, but in the future I will.

You can check out the link:
http://www.ajaybathija.ajayenterpris...nda_accord.htm

I will be starting another thread as I have a problem with my ABS. Hope this forum can help me resolve this issue also.

Thanks
Ajay Bathija

[CroCivic91]

I'm so glad it helped you! Perhaps you might want to add this site I always give out to people when in need of main relay fixing - http://www.markl.f9.co.uk/howto/elec...main-relay.htm

[terryg]

My 98 accord has a similar problem. There is a loud, rapid clicking when the ignition is turned on but the engine won't turn over. The battery is fully charged and the connections are fine. Any suggestions? Thanks. Terry

[jeeva86]

Same thing happened to me today..
When I turned key to start, it made clicking noise and then like a power failure.. lights would pop and go once.. I couldn't get it to start.. had to jump start it.. it's a 90 accord lx M/T.. anybody have any suggestions.. could it be the main relay that has to be resoldering it?

Actually, I've had problems starting the car before.. my mechanic said something was wrong with the ignition switch, I think.. so he connected a wire from the starter motor and left it aside under my hood and said if it doesn't start.. turn the ignition on and leave car in manual to avoid hault and pop the hood and connect the other end of the wire to one of the battery terminals, now I did this several times and the car started this way, but now I can't remember which side I have to connect it to?. red or black?. because I think I remember tapping it to the red.. but then I was told it should be connected to black.. but I can quite tell it was the red because it has the rubber cover over it and I usually lift it and tap it there to start it.. anyways.. I didn't want to spend much money on the car to replace the parts.. but I had that funny clicking noise when trying to start it today after turning it off for a 10 second lift.. the radio and lights were working.. but I couldn't turn on the emergency signal at first.. it gave that same clicking noise.. and in the end I had to jump start it.. and after parking the car right away.. same problem happened, so I just left the car in the garage..

If anyone could help, I'd appreciate it

[ajaybathija4]

Terryg, Jeeva86:

The problem I had with my car seemed to be a little different than what both of you have described.

I am new to this forum and new to auto repairing and hence in this posting also I might not be able use the right terms to explain, I apologize for that, I am still learning :)

The problem I had was after driving for a few minutes the car would not start again. The engine would crank (I guess it is the same as engine would turn) but it would not pick it up and start.

What I have understood from the working so far is that since my main relay was faulty it would not supply power to the fuel pump. And hence the result would be the same as there is no gas in the car. I had checked up with a couple of mechanics, and they gave me various reasons and all different. In the end due to the Oil leak that I had, I replaced the oil gasket cover and tuned up the car also thereby chenged the distributor, the rotor, the cables and the plugs. But it did not make a difference.

Due to the way the car was responding I was down to three options.

1. For some reason the fuel pump is not getting power.
2. The fuel pump had gone bad
3. The fuel rails had gone bad.

And luckly it was the 1st case.

I hope this information was helpful to you. If not resolving the matter then at least in making sure that this is not the case.

Ajay Bathija.

[sherryh1967]

Have a 91 honda civic car just stopped working at stop sign didn't want to start.got it started got it home son rocked the car and now it won't go in gear or start.

[TxGreaseMonkey]

sherryh1967, perform the tests in the link below, if the car cranks but won't start:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...tml#post229012

[sherryh1967]

Thanks I will try it