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Recently the car was running rough at idle, the rpm would drop extremely low to the point the car shakes. A few days ago it finally dropped low enough to turn the car off. I cranked it back on and it stayed on for about 3 seconds then shuts off. I did it two more times and same thing. The last time it turned on lasted less than a second and died completely. Now the car does not start at all but still cranks normally and no strange sounds.
Being impatient I rushed in and did a fuel pump change and still nothing. I can hear the fuel pump sound and the relay click when I turn the key to on position.
Spark plugs are two weeks old
Considering the way the car died, what could be wrong?
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You mean let the fuel leak out?
Are you sure there’s a click at key position 1? On position 2 I hear *click* fuel pump *click*
which one is the line before fuel filter? Do you mean let it run without a filter?
I didn’t say “leak out”. But if your fuel barely squirts out of fuel line with pump working – if you disconnect line fuel filter, it’ll leak some out and then will stop. Now, if someone inside the car turns key to initiate the pump, and fuel shoots out from that line – pump and pressure is fine, but obstruction is in fuel filter or between fuel filter and injectors.
Of course, no open fire of cigarettes in the mouth during this test. It’s a quick second OBVIOUS test. Place a rag somewhere strategically to catch the spill. I personally had petrol spilled and even squirted onto a sparking plug, via plug goal, catching fire – and I am still around and kicking and nothing blew. Just be common sense NOT stupid. And yes, you got to have a helper.
What you MUST do is go to pages I referred you to and read how PGM FI relay works.
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/mainrelayoperation/index.htmlIt operates the fuel pump, AND supplies power to the injectors. Without this thing in proper working order, your car is going nowhere. As stated elsewhere, this device is prone to failure due to cracked solder, which results in intermittent/nonexistent current flow to the fuel pump or the injectors.
If you listen very carefully, or reach around behind the dash and put your fingers on the Main Relay, you’ll hear/feel THREE CLICKS as you start the car. Check the green text on the images to see when those clicks should appear. Most Main Relay problems that cause starting issues result in one or more of those clicks being missing, making the clicks a handy diagnostic tool.
The Main Relay will click three times during the starting process. When problems arise, one of those clicks (usually the third) is missing. If you consistently hear/feel all three clicks, the Relay is fine. DO NOT REPLACE IT.
Turn ignition to ON (but not to START): Click 1
Check Engine light goes off: Click 2
You now turn the key to START: Click 3Battery current passes through the main relay every second the car is running, so it gets fairly warm. The constant heat/cool cycle that occurs as the car is used then shut off flexes the solder and eventually it cracks.
The fuel pump’s default state is OFF. There is only one specific condition that will result in the pump running, so pretty much anything that goes wrong inside the Main Relay will turn the pump off, and your car won’t run.
Understanding the operation of this device will help you understand why cracked solder causes problems, and will help you troubleshoot those problems.
After resoldering everything on the main relay and changed the fuel filter the car still don’t want to start. I’m beginning to lose hope and starting to consider a tow to the mechanic. This is way over my head.
Sigh. I will give you this, at least you replaced the fuel pump with a Denso unit. THAT was a good move. I cover no starts extensively, especially for Honda’s in this article.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-no-start-problems
Given that you now have compression loss, it’s likely the engine is flooded. I would recommend you remove the spark plugs and check for fuel contamination. If that’s what you find, I’d recommend you let them dry out or replace them with Nippon Denso or NGK plugs. When you go to restart the car, hold your foot to the floor on the gas to put it into clear flood mode which turns off the fuel injectors so that you can clear the flood. I also cover this in the above article which I highly recommend you read.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Thanks for the responses.
What is the average cost for timing belt, water pump, tensioners etc + labor? I brought the car to a shop and they said that’s what I need and I don’t want to be overcharged.
It varies. Did they show you proof that the timing belt was bad? If not, I would go somewhere else. All you need to do to check that timing belt is remove the valve cover and upper timing cover. A flooded engine can also cause compression loss. I would look into that before I would look into a broken timing belt.
I don’t know if I would take it somewhere else… Pay a visit to the shop and allow them to show you the belt is broken. (Call them 1st so they can have the upper cover off) when the vehicle originally quit if it sounded as if it was cranking faster then normal it likely is a broken belt.
Watching videos on a crank no start problem may be helpful to some but it takes a certain mindset or skill set to effectively diagnose that problem.
If we was to try and diagnose an ecotech 2.4 Chevy engine with the same relative problem you are throwing good money after bad to tear down and reveal the exact failure.
Each car is different and has different failures.
Sounds to me that the car is in the right spot to get repaired!Ah well they said the water pump seized and cause the timing belt to jump so they replaced the timing belt, water pump and components. The car before the no start issue had always cranked up very quickly like no resistance and even now the car still crank super quick. It takes less than a second for the car to start, I don’t know if the car is being weird or the battery is just that beefy. No other car I ever driven crank this fast.
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