Honda Car Forum

Sometimes after driving,and then parking,it will not start right away.
The engine cranks,but won't fire.
After a while,it starts right up.
Any reason for this problem? Someone said it might be a vapor lock
(whatever that is). Thanks for any advice.

This may very well be the classic "main (fuel pump) relay" failure. Any one
of the following sites will elaborate, help confirm, and provide the
solution:

http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/start...html#mainrelay
or
http://techauto.tripod.com/mainrelay.htm
or
http://www.marklamond.co.uk/howto/el...main-relay.htm

"Herb" <herb777@webtv.net> wrote
> Sometimes after driving,and then parking,it will not start right away.
> The engine cranks,but won't fire.
> After a while,it starts right up.
> Any reason for this problem? Someone said it might be a vapor lock
> (whatever that is). Thanks for any advice.
>

Herb wrote:
>
> Sometimes after driving,and then parking,it will not start right away.
> The engine cranks,but won't fire.
> After a while,it starts right up.
> Any reason for this problem? Someone said it might be a vapor lock
> (whatever that is). Thanks for any advice.


-------------------------------

Other thing to check: If it only happens after sitting overnight /
weekend, it could be flooded due to an injector dripping. If that's the
case run a can of Techron injector cleaner thru it, or a couple tanks of
Gasohol. Owner's manual tells you how to start a flooded Honda engine in
the meantime. It worked for our Odyssey. Same engine.

'Curly'

Herb wrote:
> Sometimes after driving,and then parking,it will not start right away.
> The engine cranks,but won't fire.
> After a while,it starts right up.

do you mean, say- pulling out of a garage, and parking in the driveway?
on a cold engine? especially now in cold weather?

if so, ive seen the problem described on here before. from what i
remember, whats happening is the car is running rich when you start it
until it warms up. thats normal.

if you shut it down before it warms up, there may be excess fuel in the
cylinder thats not being burned and temporarily leads to a "flooded"
type condition until it evaporates.

some people have suggested a fuel system cleaner like techron might
help, if its due to a partially leaky injector. techron a couple times a
year wouldnt hurt.

other people have said nothing helps it, aside from letting the car run
until the idle speed drops to "normal", then shutting off. another way
to tell if the car is warm would be to run the heater until warm air
comes out the vents. and the temp gauge starts climbing to the "normal"
range.

herb777@webtv.net (Herb) wrote in news:8896-43E4D16E-176@storefull-
3351.bay.webtv.net:

> Sometimes after driving,and then parking,it will not start right away.
> The engine cranks,but won't fire.
> After a while,it starts right up.
> Any reason for this problem? Someone said it might be a vapor lock
> (whatever that is). Thanks for any advice.
>



Have you checked for spark when it won't fire?
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/start...tml#checkspark

This is often a Main Relay problem.


--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

"TeGGeR®" <tegger@tegger.c0m> wrote in
news:Xns9760DA76250A1tegger@207.14.113.17:

<snip>


>
> This is often



Sorry, SOMETIMES...



> a Main Relay problem.
>
>

Forgot the link:
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/start...html#mainrelay


--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/