Honda Car Forum

Main Relay's problem has been talked about here before including the
solution
of resoldering. My main relay on my civic is hot after the car is
driven about more than 40 minutes. It's really hot. Is this why the
car refuses to start? I did the resoldering but did not solve the
starting problem. My other solution is buying extra main relay so in
case the car is refused to start, all i have to do is replaced hot
main relay with extra one. Is this going to solve
the starting problem?

Why not just replace the main relay and see?


"Red Cloud" <mmdir2002@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1c9e1197.0407040012.d960104@posting.google.co m...
> Main Relay's problem has been talked about here before including the
> solution
> of resoldering. My main relay on my civic is hot after the car is
> driven about more than 40 minutes. It's really hot. Is this why the
> car refuses to start? I did the resoldering but did not solve the
> starting problem. My other solution is buying extra main relay so in
> case the car is refused to start, all i have to do is replaced hot
> main relay with extra one. Is this going to solve
> the starting problem?

"Woody" <TheDuck@pond.net> wrote in message news:<l6UFc.32562$eH1.15434253@newssvr28.news.prod igy.com>...
> Why not just replace the main relay and see?

I went to dealer and ask about new main relay. They said
it's same main relay. So if I put new one, it's going to be same
problem. They said Honda did not improve these default
same main relay problem on many 89-92 civic/accord.
Only option I have is I'm going to buy used part.


>
>
> "Red Cloud" <mmdir2002@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:1c9e1197.0407040012.d960104@posting.google.co m...
> > Main Relay's problem has been talked about here before including the
> > solution
> > of resoldering. My main relay on my civic is hot after the car is
> > driven about more than 40 minutes. It's really hot. Is this why the
> > car refuses to start? I did the resoldering but did not solve the
> > starting problem. My other solution is buying extra main relay so in
> > case the car is refused to start, all i have to do is replaced hot
> > main relay with extra one. Is this going to solve
> > the starting problem?

Red Cloud wrote:

> I went to dealer and ask about new main relay. They said
> it's same main relay. So if I put new one, it's going to be same
> problem. They said Honda did not improve these default
> same main relay problem on many 89-92 civic/accord.
> Only option I have is I'm going to buy used part.

I don't follow your logic here, why would a used realy be better than a
new one? How many years did you get from the original relay before it
started acting up?

"Randolph" <trash@junkmail.com> wrote
> Red Cloud wrote:
>
> > I went to dealer and ask about new main relay. They said
> > it's same main relay. So if I put new one, it's going to be same
> > problem. They said Honda did not improve these default
> > same main relay problem on many 89-92 civic/accord.
> > Only option I have is I'm going to buy used part.
>
> I don't follow your logic here, why would a used realy be better than a
> new one? How many years did you get from the original relay before it
> started acting up?

Randall's right. This is based on many reports here at the newsgroup over the
years.

A *new* main relay will solve the problem for at least years. That's my personal
experience. It's also the experience of many others here.

On 5 Jul 2004 00:42:56 -0700, mmdir2002@yahoo.co.uk (Red Cloud) wrote:

>"Woody" <TheDuck@pond.net> wrote in message news:<l6UFc.32562$eH1.15434253@newssvr28.news.prod igy.com>...
>> Why not just replace the main relay and see?
>
> I went to dealer and ask about new main relay. They said
>it's same main relay. So if I put new one, it's going to be same
>problem. They said Honda did not improve these default
>same main relay problem on many 89-92 civic/accord.
>Only option I have is I'm going to buy used part.

Someone else (Chip ?) has pointed out that the relay contact points do wear
and with the bad solder joints this can be accelerated. I'm not sure how
hot to expect but if it *is* too hot it could be due to poor contact at the
points or a diode going bad. If you've verified that, when it fails to
start, the pump is not running for 2secs at ignition on, just replace the
thing.

>> "Red Cloud" <mmdir2002@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
>> news:1c9e1197.0407040012.d960104@posting.google.co m...
>> > Main Relay's problem has been talked about here before including the
>> > solution
>> > of resoldering. My main relay on my civic is hot after the car is
>> > driven about more than 40 minutes. It's really hot. Is this why the
>> > car refuses to start? I did the resoldering but did not solve the
>> > starting problem. My other solution is buying extra main relay so in
>> > case the car is refused to start, all i have to do is replaced hot
>> > main relay with extra one. Is this going to solve
>> > the starting problem?

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??

George Macdonald <fammacd=!SPAM^nothanks@tellurian.com> wrote in message news:<jklje017dkgmih99n457rln4p987rk27dc@4ax.com>. ..
> On 5 Jul 2004 00:42:56 -0700, mmdir2002@yahoo.co.uk (Red Cloud) wrote:
>
> >"Woody" <TheDuck@pond.net> wrote in message news:<l6UFc.32562$eH1.15434253@newssvr28.news.prod igy.com>...
> >> Why not just replace the main relay and see?
> >
> > I went to dealer and ask about new main relay. They said
> >it's same main relay. So if I put new one, it's going to be same
> >problem. They said Honda did not improve these default
> >same main relay problem on many 89-92 civic/accord.
> >Only option I have is I'm going to buy used part.


>
> Someone else (Chip ?) has pointed out that the relay contact points do wear
> and with the bad solder joints this can be accelerated. I'm not sure how
> hot to expect but if it *is* too hot it could be due to poor contact at the
> points or a diode going bad. If you've verified that, when it fails to
> start, the pump is not running for 2secs at ignition on, just replace the
> thing.
>


Are you daying bad Relay causing unnessarilty accereration
why is that sometimes it does not start if the main relay gone bad?
It has to be not working at all. But I usually get start all the time
after I have had to wait to cool the car.

Randolph <trash@junkmail.com> wrote in message news:<40E908DF.EA6F6B2A@junkmail.com>...
> Red Cloud wrote:
>
> > I went to dealer and ask about new main relay. They said
> > it's same main relay. So if I put new one, it's going to be same
> > problem. They said Honda did not improve these default
> > same main relay problem on many 89-92 civic/accord.
> > Only option I have is I'm going to buy used part.
>
> I don't follow your logic here, why would a used realy be better than a
> new one? How many years did you get from the original relay before it
> started acting up?

I thought that the relay needs to be cool in order to start up right
away if not I have to wait to cool the car. See I do not have
to wait to cool the car if I replace with old relay since old relay
is already cool. You follow the logic here. What I'm saying is
replacing it cool relay. I will try this.

Red Cloud wrote:
> >
> > I don't follow your logic here, why would a used realy be better than a
> > new one? How many years did you get from the original relay before it
> > started acting up?
>
> I thought that the relay needs to be cool in order to start up right
> away if not I have to wait to cool the car. See I do not have
> to wait to cool the car if I replace with old relay since old relay
> is already cool. You follow the logic here. What I'm saying is
> replacing it cool relay. I will try this.

So you are saying the spare is better than the active, because the
spare, being the spare, has not heated up? I though you meant that old
relays were better than new relays.

On 7 Jul 2004 21:30:51 -0700, mmdir2002@yahoo.co.uk (Red Cloud) wrote:

>George Macdonald <fammacd=!SPAM^nothanks@tellurian.com> wrote in message news:<jklje017dkgmih99n457rln4p987rk27dc@4ax.com>. ..
>> On 5 Jul 2004 00:42:56 -0700, mmdir2002@yahoo.co.uk (Red Cloud) wrote:
>>
>> >"Woody" <TheDuck@pond.net> wrote in message news:<l6UFc.32562$eH1.15434253@newssvr28.news.prod igy.com>...
>> >> Why not just replace the main relay and see?
>> >
>> > I went to dealer and ask about new main relay. They said
>> >it's same main relay. So if I put new one, it's going to be same
>> >problem. They said Honda did not improve these default
>> >same main relay problem on many 89-92 civic/accord.
>> >Only option I have is I'm going to buy used part.
>
>
>>
>> Someone else (Chip ?) has pointed out that the relay contact points do wear
>> and with the bad solder joints this can be accelerated. I'm not sure how
>> hot to expect but if it *is* too hot it could be due to poor contact at the
>> points or a diode going bad. If you've verified that, when it fails to
>> start, the pump is not running for 2secs at ignition on, just replace the
>> thing.
>>
>
>
>Are you daying bad Relay causing unnessarilty accereration

No, what I'm saying is that the relay has a contact "breaker" in it which
carries a pretty hefty current when closed and it wears; if you have bad
solder joints, reduced and/or intermittent voltage supplied and the contact
is making and breaking more than it should and possibly sparking on each
make/break the contact points wear faster. IOW an old relay could have
worn contact breaker points... even after you've fixed the dry solder
joints.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??