Hard to start

Tiny
ESAU RAMOS
  • MEMBER
  • 1996 HONDA ACCORD
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 200,000 MILES
My honda will not start in the mornings specially when cold weather. It took long sometimes 30 to 60 minutes or more. Rest of the day is just fine.

there is no "check engine" light.
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Monday, October 5th, 2009 AT 5:45 PM

79 Replies

Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Hello,

This sounds like you have a engine coolant sensor that needs to be replaced here is a guide that will walk you through the steps and the location of the sensor in the diagrams below.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/coolant-temperature-sensor-cts-replacement

this guide can help as well

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-cranks-excessively-before-starting

Check out the diagrams (Below). Please let us know what you find.

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Monday, October 5th, 2009 AT 6:15 PM
Tiny
ESAU RAMOS
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
You helped me so much! Thank you :) all fixed cost me $34.00 for the sensor.
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Monday, October 5th, 2009 AT 6:47 PM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Nice work, we are here to help, please use 2CarPros anytime.
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Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 AT 4:10 PM
Tiny
BOOSTEDVTEC419
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I actually had this very same problem. And after doing a complete tune up: plugs, wires, cap, rotor, fuel filter oil and coolant flush it stopped. Also my main relay didnt always want to work. Hope that helps!
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Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 AT 4:18 PM
Tiny
JSHBOWMAN
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1996 HONDA ACCORD
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 100,000 MILES
Every day I try to start my car it takes me a long time to get it started and then when I do it takes awhile to get it to go. But after I get it started and get it going it does ok. What can this be?
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Start by checking the fuel pressure if its within specs-could be low
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
ZEMORZEMOR
  • MEMBER
  • 486 POSTS
  • 1996 HONDA ACCORD
  • 233,000 MILES
I have 96 Honda accord LX 2.2 L. The car runs fine however when weather is cold specialty in the morning the car has long crank time about 3 second. When the car is warm it crank very quick. Could you tell me what could be the causes of that?

Thank you so much
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Check coolant temperature sensor and fuel pressure also go here for more information: https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-cranks-excessively-before-starting
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
JCOBB89
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1994 HONDA ACCORD
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 193,000 MILES
Ive got a 94 honda accord lx. And sometimes its extremely hard to crank and sometimes its not. But when it is hard to start the only way I can get it to start is if I keep turning the ignition over and pumping the gas. Then the car shakes bad until you take it out of park and start driving?
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,815 POSTS
Symptoms indicates a possible PGM-FI main relay which are known to intermittently fail. When this occurs, the D4 indicator and/or Check Engine Light might not turn off after 2 seconds when ignition is turned on.
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
TJBLACKMON
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
I have the same problem but when I drive over 70 mile and parkand then it started right up sometime to get it started I have to take the number one spark plug wire out and then it will start and cut off then I put the wire back on and it starts right up I have changed the relay the main relay twice check engine light come on sometimes sometimes it don'tdo you know anyone that have a ob1 scandal and Pennsylvania Pittsburgh
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
TJBLACKMON
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
By the way I checked the fuel injectors they all find good I change the fuel filter and the pump running fine like I said I change the main relay so what could be the problem you think it's the vacuum relay
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
TJBLACKMON
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
I also change fuel pressure regulator it's still hard to start until I drive by 80 miles and park the car it doesn't matter for how long it far is start right up and the check engine light me off someone please help us with this problem
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
DAN559
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
  • 1990 HONDA ACCORD
Engine Mechanical problem
1990 Honda Accord 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual 229xxx miles

Hello everyone. My name is Daniel and I have a 1990 Honda Accord Ex 2.2 FI engine. Recently When I drive my car for awhile and park, then come back to start it again, The car struggles to start. Like it has no gas. Like a typical winding sound. At first I thought it was the O2 sensor since the Check engine light code said it was bad. I figured it wasn't Mixing the air and fule correctly. But that did not correct the problem. At First it would start after a couple of times, but now it takes much longer. Could it be a bad Fule pump or do those just go out suddenly? Or possibly something electrical rather than gas related that went wrong. So basically my question is what could the problem Possibly be?
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,815 POSTS
Hi Daniel,

Is is difficult to say what is the cause since you did not test for spark or fuel to isolate the problem.

However the symptom coincides with a faulty main relay so I would suggest checking that first. It is both electrical and fuel, an electrical fault not allowing fuel to be pumped.
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
DAN559
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Thanx for the advice. I went ahead bought the relay and I am installing it right now. Im pretty sure thats what it is because the old one had a bunch of coroded solder spots on the circuit board. I'll post how it went when Done. Thanx again
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
TWISTER9970
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1992 HONDA ACCORD
  • 180,000 MILES
Hi guys. I have a '92 Honda Accord that I recently replaced the head on. It was warped and leaking compression into the water jacket. I ordered a re-man head and put it on with a Fel-pro Perma-torque head set. Followed a honda issued repair manual. I have replace head, head gasket. Cap, rotor, plugs, wires battery and run compression test. All cylinders test out around 180 to 195 lbs. Car ran fine for about 3 weeks then started getting hard to start again. Had to hold accelerator pedal all the way open and then it would start, after much cranking and rough idle. Once it started it would idle very roughly for about 30 seconds then smooth out and run fine. Car warms up to operating temp very quickly, usually within a mile or so of driving. Builds pressure in cooling system when running and pushes coolant out of overflow. What could be causing this?
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
HMAC300
  • MECHANIC
  • 48,601 POSTS
Chekc to see if you have a bad thermostat and check your fuel pressure it may be low.
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,815 POSTS
You could have a bad head gasket again. Did you check the block surface? Quite often the block surface is bad as well when the head gasket goes bad.

Recheck the compression. Have a leak down test performed as well.
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)
Tiny
DENNISTALLEY1
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
  • 1993 HONDA ACCORD
  • 85,000 MILES
My 1993 Honda Accord is very hard to start when it cold. When I starts it, the idle continue to go up and down. I had the 02 sensor and the max air valve change out and it still does the same thing. The check engine light is also on.
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Monday, February 11th, 2019 AT 11:20 AM (Merged)

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