Honda Car Forum

Question:My car is 1996 Honda Accord 4cyl. (F22B2 non-VTEC). When the fuel tank is over half full, the car starts fine. When the fuel tank is less than half full, the car has to crank for about 5 sec or so to get it started. The less the fuel in the tank the longer it requires to crank in order to start the car. Also in cold days it needs several cranks to start too. So the worst situation is when the tank is nearly empty and I try to start the car in winter morning.Hint:1.Clogged Fuel filter2.Leaking Fuel injector3.Spark plugs/ignition wires4.Bad Distributor/Distributor cap5.Bad Fuel/Ignition/Engine Main relay6.Vaccum line leakage7.Faulty fuel pressure regulator8.Faulty fuel pump (not enough fuel for lubricating the pump?)l8.Coolant temperature sensor9.Ground wireSomeone suggested me to take some pics of my engine bay to show how bad the situation is, here they are: http://tinyurl.com/f3ac7I noticed that there are some oil/gas stain on the fuel rail, distrbutor base, engine head but I don't know if this affects anything sine they were there the day I bought this car (157,000miles currently, 136,000miles when I got it) however the low-tank-hard-to-start problem only caught my attention a month ago. Any suggestions are very much appreciated.

I have the same year car.. Try changing the battery and running some stp into your engine

TRY THIS AND SEE IF IT WORKS:1. TURN IGNITION TO ON (DON'T START THE ENGINE)2. WAIT 2 SECONDS3. TURN IT BACK TO OFF4. REPEAT STEP 1 TO 3 2 MORE TIMES5. START THE ENGINE.

Now that you say it i have a 1998 Civic that does the same. Its a mystery to me what causes it and i'd like to find out

Sounds to me like your fuel pump is going bad... All pumps need what is called a net positive suction head which basically means it has to have some fuel pressure on the inlet for it to start pumping fuel. With the fuel tank empty the level of fuel is gone so you have zero net positive suction head. With the tank full, you would have maximum net positive suction head and the pump works great.Until you get another fuel pump installed (typically an inside the tank pump accessed through the left removable panel in the trunk) you should keep your tank no less than half full. The problem will probably worsen though until it fails altogether regardless of tank level.The answer you got telling you to turn the ignition switch on and wait a few seconds is a good one... Turning the switch to the on position energizes the fuel pump. You should be able to hear it if you listen for it. When things are working correctly, it comes on and pressurizes the system until it can't pump anymore, a few seconds worth. When you go to start the car, the fuel system is pressurized and it starts right up.Assuming your pump turns on when the key is turned just to the on position, a failing pump may take longer to pressurize the system so just wait a little until the sound stops. Then try to start the car.Replacing the "in the tank" fuel pump isn't that hard a job... it's just a pain having to work in a cramped space. Also... the access panel is RTV'd to the trunk metal... heating it with a hair drier might soften the RTV a bit making removal easier. Try not to deform the cover. You will have to RTV it back in place when you are done.Good luck!