98 Accord Coupe V6 - Won't start after short trips

My 98 Accord Coupe v6 has developed a nasty sporadic issue. It starts
great, with no problem. However, *sometimes* after driving it, if I
stop for a short while (say filling up with gas), it won't start again
or stalls immediately. After it doesn't start successfully, I have to
wait 3-5 minutes again, and then the car starts as if nothing was
wrong. It seems to happens more often when it's cold. The check
engine light doesn't come on, and there's no engine code. Any ideas as
to what the cause/fix is?

 

There are many things that could cause something like this, but check
the easiest first:

Could be a leaking injector, perhaps even stuck open. It might be
flooding the engine, causing a no start until it clears.
Try running some good quality injector cleaner along with the next fill
up. Some cleaners actually do a better job on an empty tank, so check
the instructions. Sometimes you have to repeat this procedure a couple
of times.
It certainly never hurts and is an inexpensive way to see if it fixes
your problem.

Remco

 

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I wasn't sure if Main Relay problems went into your year, but try this.
Next time it doesn't start, try turning the key to position II and
listen for the fuel pump (thye way you dooduring the Lamp Test. If you
don't hear it run, smack the dash tothe left of the speedo. If you hear
the fuel pump run, start the car. If it does it again later, it's
probably the main Relay.

Here's a link. See if this is you:
http://www.markl.f9.co.uk/howto/electrical/main-relay/main-relay.htm

'Curly'

 

I had this - I wrote an article on my website below (Rover 216GSi) in
the Miscellanea section about it. In brief, it's the distributor cap which
is misting up inside and you can stop it for free by thoroughly cleaning
it inside and out and applying some kind of water resistant polish to it.
That Rover above uses the Honda engine, btw.

HTH

 

It's worth checking to see if this the standard EFI Main Relay problem.

The sequence you want to see:
1) Turn ignition to ON. MIL illuminates (a click is heard)
2) 2 seconds pass, MIL goes off (a second click is heard)
3) Turn key to START. Engine cranks and fires (third click is heard)

If third click is NOT heard, main relay is not holding fuel pump relay
closed and pump won't run. Car will fire then stall. If fuel pump relay
won't hold shut at all, car won't start.

The relay is behind the dash, just below and to the left of the steering
column. My ears are bad, so I have to put my hand under the dash, touch the
relay, and feel the clicks rather than hear them.

If you've got a fuel pressure check valve problem, fuel pressure may bleed
off after you shut the engine off. To check, turn the key to ON, wait for
the MIL to go off, repeat several times in succession, then immediately try
to start the car. If the car now starts reliably, the check valve is bad.

If you hear three clicks and the check valve thing doesn't help, then check
out the distributor cap issue outlined by Graham.

 

If that's the case, holding the gas pedal on the floor while cranking will
shut the injectors off, and may enable a start.

I would say this condition would be unlikely in a car this old. Injectors
normally dribble when brand-new and not fully bedded-in yet.

 

Thanks for everyone's input. While the car's year doesn't seem to fit
the Main Relay issue, we're going to give replacing it a try.
Everything else didn't pan out. After stalling, we did put carb
cleaner in the throttle body - and that started it up. I'll let you
know if replacing the Main Relay works.

 

Instead of immediately replacing it, did you check out the link curly
sent you? (see one of the messages in this thread)
If you are handy with a soldering iron (or are willing to learn), you
can most likely repair the relay at a fraction of its cost.

Remco