What does fumble the initial starting sequence mean? (you must be asking yourself) I drive my 94 Civic everyday, and as such I have gotten so used to it starting, as in the amount of revolutions that it takes to fire, that I sometimes get a little too anticipatory and release the key from the start to the run position before the car actually starts. I hope that made sense. After this quick release of the key, when I try to start the car again it will not fire. It cranks perfectly, but it will not light up and run. What I have found is that I have to wait in excess of 5 minutes or so and then the car will start effortlessly as she always does. My question: Is there a way that the two relays within the Main Relay are becoming crossed up? That is, by releasing too soon am I putting them in an incomplete state in their sequence. If so, why would there be a 5-minute wait involved? Have I somehow pressurized the fuel rail insufficiently, but enough so that the relay doesn’t recognize the need for more? The power drain on the relay coils should release with a power interruption, as in when I turn the key off and then retry the start sequence, right?

OK, why am I asking this instead of just being careful and patient when I start the car to ensure that I don’t ‘fumble’. Well, I have had this occur about 6 times over the last 6 months, in all temperatures. However, it does seem to occur more lately now that the weather in Dallas has warmed up. I can’t help but wonder if my Main Relay isn’t starting to get a little flaky. Before I dig in though, I wondered if any of this sounds familiar to anyone and if so is there a definitive fix. BTW, I can’t hear my fuel pump run when I first turn the key on, never have been able to in this car, even when working perfectly.

Thanks for any help.

Ed Fisher
Dallas, Tx

 

With a problem like this (intermittently cranks but won't start) on a 4th or 5th gen, always resolder the main relay before you think about anything else.

When it does not want to start, turn the key on and don't crank, see if the fuel pump and CEL cycle on for 2 seconds and then off like they should. If the CEL stays on continuously, it is almost always the main relay. You should be able to hear the fuel pump outside the car (in quiet surroundings) easier than inside.

 

Thanks MK. The clue about the CEL staying on is exactly what I was looking to learn. Are there any tricks to getting the Main Relay out that may be helpful? The manual says that it is behind the hood release, but there are no instructions per se.

I appreciate the help, as always.

Ed

 

It's on the side of the car above the hood release. You will almost need to remove the bolt at the top by feel. It's a 10 mm head (use a socket). It's a lot easier unplug the wires by lowering it down once the bolt is out.

 

I appreciate it MK. I will update as I continue on the journey. Ed

 

Had the same problem as you described in the past, I remove my relay and resoldered all the points, now start every time.

Pix taken during the process while back.

When remove from car



Solder removed



Re-soldered and clean



Applied conformal coating

 

Wow, I haven't seen conformal coating since I worked on military projects in the early 80's. Nice job, and I appreciate the information and the pictures. Ed

 

Here’s an update and another thank you to those respondents that offered decisive help and hints.

I pulled the main relay out of the car. One helpful hint that I can offer to those venturing into this job is to remove the lower panel where the fuse box is located and then loosen the side panel on the driver’s side of the dash. On the side panel there is one screw behind a plastic cover that can only be seen with the door open, and another at the base of the side cover that is evident with the lower panel removed. You can then pry away the side panel a little that allows a good view and a socket to be directly applied to the main relay holding screw. I can now get them in and out in about 5 minutes.

I found another relay from a wrecked Civic with 150K miles. The one that is giving me trouble has almost 300K. I replaced the 300K relay with the replacement 150K relay and was back in business, problem solved. When time allowed I inspected the recalcitrant relay solder joints and was surprised to see that they actually looked good. Upon closer inspection with an eye loupe, however, I could find one pin with a very slight crack that was concentric around the pin. It was very difficult to see. I removed all solder from all pins at this point and re-soldered. It had now been one week of flawless starting with the replacement relay in place. I removed the replacement relay, re-installed the intermittent relay with the re-flowed solder, and have had no problems in four days. I will continue to update the list as more time elapses. As of right now, as knowledgeable list members told me, the re-flow on the main relay has solved my intermittent starting issues. I must say that I am impressed that a 300K relay is still firing away with no contact points burnishing at all. That is pure Honda design and selection of great parts providers, at least for the 1994 vintage year.

Thanks again MK and Droopy.

Ed Fisher
Dallas, Tx

 

After many weeks post solder re-flow I consider this a fix. Just reporting in.

Ed Fisher
Dallas, Tx