I bought a fuel filter today (although I don't think this will fix it, I can't remember when it was last changed so I figured I'd do it anyway) but am still waiting for my repair manual which should arrive any day now...I think we have a bad fuel pump or "something" is telling the fuel pump to cut out. Again, I'm waiting for the manual (it shouldn't be long).

My problem has been around for probably 5 years but has only gotten bad recently. I had a dealer troubleshoot it once , they took my money, and they said they couldn't find anything.

Anyway, have you ever seen this problem when it WASN'T hot outside?

 

The battery connections was a good idea...I should of thought of it since my 91 Mazda 626 had that problem...just checked and the connections are tight...the cable terminals and the battery terminals are corrosion-free and solid.

Thanks for the idea XCM828!

 

Hey, that's what I'm here for. You'd be suprised how often a big problem is caused by something that simple.

 

Does your Honda comes with fuel pump relay? My 924S had one and that went bad intermittently. Sometime it was ok to start and other time it was not ok. Sometime it would stop working and egine dieds while on a high way. I replaced that relay and there was no more prolem after that. This is not a Porsche site but I thought Honda may have similar system.....

 

I think I've solved my problem!!! It's the fuel supply system main relay...

After looking through the chapter on the fuel supply system in the 92-95 Civic Helm repair manual this morning (found a link to an online version in the General Tech thread http://www.televar.com/soxen/92-95-helms.pdf -- THANKS XCM828!), I figured the culprit was either a bad fuel pump (or intermittent connection), a bad main relay, or an open wire feeding the main relay.

I unbolted the main relay from under the dash this morning (be careful not to drop the bolt under the carpet like I did) hoping my car would fail to start this afternoon (for relay's location see manual page 11-4, .pdf file page 194 -- for info on the relay see manual pages 11-116 & 11-117, .pdf file pages 306-307). Later in the day, sure enough my car started and then died. While the car was in this "dead" state, I turned the key from the "I" to the "II" position, and rapped the relay against the inside of the car while the "check engine" light was on and the FUEL PUMP CAME ON!

Went to my local Honda dealer and purchased a new main relay (part #39400-S10-003, $63.62). NAPA carries one (part #AR559, $57.99) but the local stores didn't have it in stock and it wasn't really that much cheaper than the dealer. The new relay is a little bigger than the original. At the Honda dealer, the car died again but I was able to "wake it up" by rapping the old relay against the inside of the car. The Honda parts manager told me this was actually a common problem (and actually offered to take back the new part if my problem cropped up again in the next 24 hrs!).

After replacing the relay, I let my car sit in the 90+ degree heat for 1.5 hours and it cranked right up...if the problem crops up again, though, I'll let you know...but I think this is the fix!

 

Yeah make sure guys look through that general tech help thread at the top of the general tech forum. There's tons of great info in there, so you might just find what you are looking for before you post about it. Make sure you guys PM me if you find other good sites.

 

thanks shoobie...i was wondering yesterday and trying to decide if it was the fuel pump or a relay because as you suggested to listen for the pump when its hot and i did and it was not working.

 

Ihad the same prob on my 92 a few years back. the dealer did not have the part but said they would get it in a few days, so i would pull the relay when i got to work and when it was time to go home i just put it in and the car would start no problem. They finally got it in and all was well. Glad you fixed it.

 

I'm sorry I forgot to thank you seanperia!!! Thanks for helping me troubleshoot this problem from your side...this problem cropped up on my car ~ 5yrs. ago and has steadily gotten worse and worse...I'm just so happy I was able to finally solve it for less than $100! All in all my civic has been a great car!

BTW, I took the old relay apart and the solder on some of the posts does appear discolored and/or corroded around the edges...if you're handy with a soldering iron, maybe you could fix the relay and save a little money? It was worth it to me to go ahead and get the new one, though...

Had a little problem getting the relay bolted back in cause it's in such a tight spot...ended up taping the bolt into a 10mm socket (to make it easier for me to hold) and stuffing some crumpled up paper underneath to keep anything I might drop from going under the carpet. I couldn't get the bolt started with the relay fully in place for some reason (maybe the hole wasn't lined up right)...anyway, pulled the relay out a little bit to get the bolt started and it went right in.

Thanks again to everybody!

 

thank you too. so what tools did you need to take out the relay? im going to see if the parts supplier that i have has the fuel pump relay in stock tommorow and start working on it early.