Hey there guys. Recently, my 02 Civic LX has been having trouble starting when I drive a lot during warm days to run errands (a lot of short stops). It also happens on occasion after I get gas. Whenever I would crank, it would struggle to catch and will eventually catch and turnover but the engine would shake and and make a sputtering noise; it also sounds quiet because I am used to hearing that little "vroom" sound but there's a faint sound and the car would operate. One time after putting in gas, it did the same thing but would stall and the check engine light came on but after driving it a little, the check engine light disappeared. However, on many occasions, the car starts up normally and works fine. The problem is intermittent and I've already replaced the fuel pump relay. Battery, alternator, and starter are all fine. It leaves me to suspect the following: ignition, coil, fuel pump, fuel injector, and/or fuel filter. It's been a few years since I've dealt with fuel injector or fuel filter so I am guessing it could be that. Any suggestions?

 

Take the car to an auto parts store like AutoZone, where they will pull the CEL code from the ECU (free service). Post the code(s) to get more feedback.

 

oh that's the thing. There is no check engine light anymore, just the hard start.

 

Unless you have reset the ECU or disconnected the battery in the meantime, the CEL code should still be stored there and should help pinpoint the intermittent problem.

 

I am having similar issues. Was the problem solved?

 

^check your main relay. I had similar problems before. I took my main relay apart, resoldered all of the connections, and haven't had a problem since. You might also try changing the fuel filter.

 

Will the starter not crank if the main relay is bad? I get gauges but when I turn the key, it will not turn over. The car runs fine once it starts. I thought if the relay was bad, the car could shut down while driving and when you try to restart, it would crank but no fire??

 

A bad main relay would not cause a no-crank problem. Check the safety starter switch at the top of the clutch pedal and the rubber stopper that it presses on.

 

I answered my question about the relay. It has nothing to do with the starter as far as I can see.

http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/mainr...ion/index.html

 

My car is automatic