problem with 1992 honda prelude, hope someone can help.

[roy_lude]

Hi all, my name i Roy, im new to the forum so a big hello to everyone. Someone recommendedthis forum if you can any problems, so i thought i'd give i a try...hope someone can help me.

i've got with my 1992 Honda prelude 2.2vtec (H22A engine). The problem is with starting, when i start the car, sometimes it turns over & does not start (& sounds similar to flooding but its not that) & sometimes it starts fine. The distributer has been replaced as it was deemed to be faulty by the garage. when i got the car back, it was fine for 2 days & now its doing the same thing. I'm not sure if there are temperature sensors elsewhere on the car that could be faulty that are causing the problem & affecting the distributer's performce. Can anyone help me with this problem. Any suggestions would be greaty appreciated. Thanks

[_Al_]

Does it ever cut out when it's running?

[roy_lude]

no, it does not cut out when running, the problem is only when trying to start the car. I've been told today, it could be the PGM-FI relay that is the problem. would you agree with that or is there anything else that you would say is worth investigating? Thanks for your help.

[skinnyboy]

couple of things might be affecting it, injector blockage or short, and the main relay. Dry solder joints cause the main relay to act up due to age. The main relay is located under the dash to the right of the steering wheel, big grey/brown jobbie. Pull that out and bench test it (if you need a how-to, send me an email and i'll send you a copy of the procedure).

[_Al_]

Potentially stupid question here - but you do wait for the 'check engine' light to go out before starting don't you?

I know the old rover 216 honda engines and the 1600 CRX engines used to do this occasionally if you rushed to start it.

A trick that works on sticky relays (at least for the MR2) is to rapidly flick the ignition on and off a few times. It's only a temporary fix though, you'll need to replace it eventually.

[redgriff500]

Main relay

Main Relay

Main Relay

I had the same thing and if you look on the Honda forums it is VERY common, resolder the joints... costs nothing... job done.