Honda Car Forum

My 94 GS-R sat in the parking lot all day in the sun and it was about
90 in Chicago today. So the inside was pretty toasty when I got in.
The engine fired right up and I shifted immediately into reverse.
Before I could let out the clutch, it died suddenly. Cranked and
cranked but wouldn't restart. Opened all the windows, sunroof,
checked the fuses, took a call on my cell phone. Must have been
opened up for 5 - 10 minutes when I tried it again. It cranked for
about 5 seconds and suddenly started. Ran fine all the way home with
the AC on.

Does this sound like a fuel pump relay? (Also called "main" relay?) I
am thinking the car started with residual pressure and died as soon as
the pressure dropped. The relay started working after it cooled down
a little, but it took 5 seconds to pressurize the system before the
engine started. Has anyone else had this experience?

If it is the relay, is it totally unreliable at this point or is it
likely to keep working if it stays cool?

Gordon McGrew wrote:
> My 94 GS-R sat in the parking lot all day in the sun and it was about
> 90 in Chicago today. So the inside was pretty toasty when I got in.
> The engine fired right up and I shifted immediately into reverse.
> Before I could let out the clutch, it died suddenly. Cranked and
> cranked but wouldn't restart. Opened all the windows, sunroof,
> checked the fuses, took a call on my cell phone. Must have been
> opened up for 5 - 10 minutes when I tried it again. It cranked for
> about 5 seconds and suddenly started. Ran fine all the way home with
> the AC on.
>
> Does this sound like a fuel pump relay? (Also called "main" relay?) I
> am thinking the car started with residual pressure and died as soon as
> the pressure dropped. The relay started working after it cooled down
> a little, but it took 5 seconds to pressurize the system before the
> engine started. Has anyone else had this experience?
>
> If it is the relay, is it totally unreliable at this point or is it
> likely to keep working if it stays cool?

It still could play up at any time or temperature. Get it out and
inspect the circuit board connections with an eye-glass. It is
pretty obvious if the joint has failed as there will be a ring shaped
crack around the offending pin.

Resoldering it will give it a new lease of life.


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Gordon McGrew wrote:
> My 94 GS-R sat in the parking lot all day in the sun and it was about
> 90 in Chicago today. So the inside was pretty toasty when I got in.
> The engine fired right up and I shifted immediately into reverse.
> Before I could let out the clutch, it died suddenly. Cranked and
> cranked but wouldn't restart. Opened all the windows, sunroof,
> checked the fuses, took a call on my cell phone. Must have been
> opened up for 5 - 10 minutes when I tried it again. It cranked for
> about 5 seconds and suddenly started. Ran fine all the way home with
> the AC on.
>
> Does this sound like a fuel pump relay? (Also called "main" relay?) I
> am thinking the car started with residual pressure and died as soon as
> the pressure dropped. The relay started working after it cooled down
> a little, but it took 5 seconds to pressurize the system before the
> engine started. Has anyone else had this experience?
>
> If it is the relay, is it totally unreliable at this point or is it
> likely to keep working if it stays cool?
>
>
sounds like relay. don't monkey about - replace, or if you're cheap,
resolder.

Gordon McGrew wrote:
> My 94 GS-R sat in the parking lot all day in the sun and it was about
> 90 in Chicago today. So the inside was pretty toasty when I got in.
> The engine fired right up and I shifted immediately into reverse.
> Before I could let out the clutch, it died suddenly. Cranked and
> cranked but wouldn't restart. Opened all the windows, sunroof,
> checked the fuses, took a call on my cell phone. Must have been
> opened up for 5 - 10 minutes when I tried it again. It cranked for
> about 5 seconds and suddenly started. Ran fine all the way home with
> the AC on.
>
> Does this sound like a fuel pump relay? (Also called "main" relay?) I
> am thinking the car started with residual pressure and died as soon as
> the pressure dropped. The relay started working after it cooled down
> a little, but it took 5 seconds to pressurize the system before the
> engine started. Has anyone else had this experience?
>
> If it is the relay, is it totally unreliable at this point or is it
> likely to keep working if it stays cool?
-------------------------

I think you've nailed it. Since you've never had trouble with it, it
will last forever if you just resolder it. A new one will have the same
flimsy solder on it that was on the original. Since we're talking about
a '94, you got good life out of it already. :-)

'Curly'

Gordon McGrew wrote:

> If it is the (main) relay, is it totally unreliable at this point or is it
> likely to keep working if it stays cool?

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

It's never totally unreliable, since you can always start a Honda that
has a bad solder joint in the Main Relay by turning the key to position
II, smack the dash on the left side of the steering wheel (North
America), and listen to the fuel pump run for three seconds. Honda will
start and vibration will usually keep the relay 'sparkin' to get you
wherever you need to go.

'Curly'

On Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:31:39 -0600, motsco_ <motsco_@interbaun.com>
wrote:

>Gordon McGrew wrote:
>
>> If it is the (main) relay, is it totally unreliable at this point or is it
>> likely to keep working if it stays cool?
>
>------------------------------------
>
>It's never totally unreliable, since you can always start a Honda that
>has a bad solder joint in the Main Relay by turning the key to position
>II, smack the dash on the left side of the steering wheel (North
>America), and listen to the fuel pump run for three seconds. Honda will
>start and vibration will usually keep the relay 'sparkin' to get you
>wherever you need to go.
>
>'Curly'

Thanks Curly and all who replied.

I am waiting for an opportune time to pull it out and solder it up. I
will probably go ahead and hit all the pins unless there is a reason
not to. Worked fine today but it was cooler.

Gordon McGrew wrote:
> On Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:31:39 -0600, motsco_ <motsco_@interbaun.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Gordon McGrew wrote:
>>
>>> If it is the (main) relay, is it totally unreliable at this point or is it
>>> likely to keep working if it stays cool?
>> ------------------------------------
>>
>> It's never totally unreliable, since you can always start a Honda that
>> has a bad solder joint in the Main Relay by turning the key to position
>> II, smack the dash on the left side of the steering wheel (North
>> America), and listen to the fuel pump run for three seconds. Honda will
>> start and vibration will usually keep the relay 'sparkin' to get you
>> wherever you need to go.
>>
>> 'Curly'
>
> Thanks Curly and all who replied.
>
> I am waiting for an opportune time to pull it out and solder it up.

best results come with de-soldering first. use a good quality higher
wattage soldering tool. some of the terminals you need to solder are
quite big pieces of copper and they'll suck the heat to the point of
uselessness on the usual small stuff. i have a 60W hakko and it's about
right.

> I
> will probably go ahead and hit all the pins unless there is a reason
> not to. Worked fine today but it was cooler.
>