Honda accord not starting in hot weather

Hello Good People,

I was in the parking lot yesterday and my 99 accord v6 wouldn't start. It was like De Ja Vue all over again because the strangest thing about it, is that my last accord a 90ex would do the same thing.

I would come outside (in the heat of day) and it wouldn't start, after i let it sit for about two or three hours, it'd start as if nothing was ever wrong.

i'd try to take it to places to fix, but no one could ever diagnose what was wrong with it because they'd never seen the ailment before.

in this particular case, we let the car sit up for a few hours and when we came back to start it, it started, first try as if nothing was ever wrong with it.

a few things, i just had my timing belt changed about 10k miles ago, new battery and my oil wasn't low.

i know thise has to have happened to someone else before.

any solutions.

Be Cool

Hmm... maybe the heat caused a contact in your solenoid to expand or bend just enough to catch on something? I can't think of what else it is... does it turn over at all? If not, do you at least hear a clicking sound when you turn the key over?

no clicking sound (as in the clicking sound you hear when its your starter), it turns over but doesn't start.

in my old 90 accord i'd take it to places and once i had the ignition coil changed. (temporary fix) then one place said it was my distributor cap (temporary fix), but the car STILL ended up doing the same thing.

being that its the second accord that this has happened to me in, i'm sure its happened to someone else.

i'd like to get this problem nipped once and for all.

Be Cool

Check engine grounds and main relay.

make sure before you turn off the engine, turn off the heater knob( turn the knob to the cool side). like when i forgot to do so , the distributor, get extremely hot, and i cant turn on the engine( no cranking sound)

gideonkho said:

make sure before you turn off the engine, turn off the heater knob( turn the knob to the cool side). like when i forgot to do so , the distributor, get extremely hot, and i cant turn on the engine( no cranking sound)

i'm a novice, (and this might sound crazy) but when you say heater knob, you're talking about the climate control (heating knob)?

Does it crank and turn off immediatly. Or just not crank. I agree check power cable to starter(could be curroded on inside of insulation). Also Main relay and Ignition coil. I had the same problem last summer. At 1st woulnd't crank then I fixed that. Then it went to the other prob. :bh

Sounds like either a bad coil, ignition module or you're having vapor lock in your fuel system.

as mentioned, i had the ignition coil changed in my old (now traded in) 90 accord. but the problem still persisted.

when it happened again, they changed the distributor cap. and yet the problem still persisted.

can you break down this gas vapor thing to me?

Thanks for your feedback so far.

I used to have this in my old CRX, it was the main relay and it was located underneath the steering wheel, easy to replace

thecool said:

i'm a novice, (and this might sound crazy) but when you say heater knob, you're talking about the climate control (heating knob)?

i guess yea... i did so and the problem just gone.. iono why, no technical explanation i guess

thecool said:

as mentioned, i had the ignition coil changed in my old (now traded in) 90 accord. but the problem still persisted.

when it happened again, they changed the distributor cap. and yet the problem still persisted.

can you break down this gas vapor thing to me?

Thanks for your feedback so far.

Vapor lock is a condition where bubbles of air form in the fuel line caused by boiling or vaporizing of the fuel in the lines from excess heat. The boiling will interfere with the movement of the fuel and the air bubbles which form will in some cases, completely stop the flow.

Here is what you need to do. When the car wont start, pull a spark plug, reconnect it to the plug wire, lay it on the block or something metal so that it is grounded, try to crank the car and check to see if you have spark. If you have spark, then you have a fuel delivery problem.

it could be a problem as easy as fouled plugs or water in your fuel. $0.47 for a bottle or heat at walmart I believe, and ya put it in your tank and it gets rid of the moisture. plugs are usually $2 a piece, so $8 for all four, and so for less than ten dollars you have two things you could try. oh and by the way, the clicking sound isn't your starter it's the solenoid that gives your starter the juice to turn over. a transistor would melt if it were used to relay the power to the starter, so they use a solenoid (basically a mechanical transistor)

i like the solenoid theory, because during the times the car wouldn't start, we've checked or have changed everything else (ignition coil, distributor).

i say this because it seems like the problem would occur ONLY on days when it was really hot outside. it imagine it happens like once every 3-4 months or so.

how would i go about getting that changed.

thanks

thecool said:

i like the solenoid theory, because during the times the car wouldn't start, we've checked or have changed everything else (ignition coil, distributor).

i say this because it seems like the problem would occur ONLY on days when it was really hot outside. it imagine it happens like once every 3-4 months or so.

how would i go about getting that changed.

thanks

You said the engine turns over but will not start up correct? If this is the case then its not the solenoid. If it were the solenoid it would not turn over at all.

Accords are notorious for main relay problems, costs about 30 bucks from the dealership. If theres no click this is probably the problem.

spray004 said:

You said the engine turns over but will not start up correct? If this is the case then its not the solenoid. If it were the solenoid it would not turn over at all.

^^^What he said. If it DIDN'T turn over then you'd wanna get a wrench and back on it a couple times to see it it'll work, but it does sound like the main relay would be the problem, since that gives the ignition and everything else power, and without the ignition it wouldn't start hmm good luck

BINGO....

Just talked to Honda and he the 'cat mentioned that it might be the main relay, NOW the concern becomes is it something that i should really be paying $75 in labor for?

how easy is it to install

Thanks

If you only had one arm and were wearing a blindfold it would take you an hour to change your main relay. If you are a normally functioning human, 20 minutes tops.

Its really simple:

1. the relay is under the dash just to the left of the steering column
2. Take the wire harness off the relay
3. Remove the old relay from its mount. (It's kind of a bitch to get out)
4. Put new relay in mount. (much easier)
5. Plug the wire harness back in.
6. Resume driving

Good luck man