wat we v here is a failure 2 launch...

[blk_rob17]

could a bad ignition cil cause my teg not 2 start sumtimes, then start other times?

[vortex]

sounds like the starter

[92integ]

when it dont start does it still turn over? if so, when u cant get it to start turn the key off and on a few times then try to start it and see if it starts..

[xLAD23DERx]

could be a few things, does heat affect it?

[TEGadactyl]

Anything that happens "sometimes" is going to be really a bit harder to figure out unless you what those sometimes have in common. Heat, cold, rain/humidity, etc. More info more info more info pleeeaaase!

[blk_rob17]

yes heat nd moiste/wet weather do affect it, it doesnt wanna start wet, but recently it doesnt wanna start at all

[rewsintegra]

check your distributor cap. see if water is getting in it, or if its going bad.

[xLAD23DERx]

sounds like your distrb cap.

[blk_rob17]

I jus changed it nd it seemed 2 fix tha prob in its entirety...til a few days ago at least

[92integ]

could be ur distributor itself and not just the cap, i had a problem like this on my civic and it was the coil in my dizzy every time my car would get hot it would die and not start, if i popped my hood and banged on the dizzy with something i could get it to start again.

when a bad coil gets hot and expands it will lose its connection and give u no spark


also check ur main relay

[blk_rob17]

Main relay? Which 1 or where is that?

[92integ]

well ur main relay is under the drivers dash...in kind of a difficult place to get to.

easy way to know if main relay is bad is it will click 3 times, if it clicks 3 times ITS FINE DONT REPLACE IT! however if it clicks less then 3 times it is BAD

turn the key to ON, but not to START, u should hear click 1
when ur check engine light goes off u should hear click 2
now turn the key to START and u should hear click 3

if it dont click at 1 of those times ur main relay is BAD.


but sometimes the main relay will click all 3 times but will be bad, what happens is when the main relay gets hot and it is bad it will stop working correctly and ur car will die and not start untill the relay cools down.

[Acura2g]

Originally Posted by 92integ

well ur main relay is under the drivers dash...in kind of a difficult place to get to.

easy way to know if main relay is bad is it will click 3 times, if it clicks 3 times ITS FINE DONT REPLACE IT! however if it clicks less then 3 times it is BAD

turn the key to ON, but not to START, u should hear click 1
when ur check engine light goes off u should hear click 2
now turn the key to START and u should hear click 3

if it dont click at 1 of those times ur main relay is BAD.


but sometimes the main relay will click all 3 times but will be bad, what happens is when the main relay gets hot and it is bad it will stop working correctly and ur car will die and not start untill the relay cools down.

Thats not 100% way of diagnosing a bad relay so keep that in mind. Failing units will still click. Bad solding on the contact points within the relay that need to be cleaned will produce clicks at times and not at other times dependings on the nature and the degrade of the unit.

[blk_rob17]

well i believe i've determine it is tha relay bc it doesnt always click. so where exactly under tha drivers dash is this relay

[92integ]

PGM-FI Main Relay problems and fixes

go to that link, they have pics of how to get to main relay