hey guys, I just recently noticed that when i try to start my prelude in the morning, or anytime it has been sitting for a while, It takes longer. It cranks and turns over just fine, it sounds perfectly fine, but just takes a lot longer and a lot more cranking to get started, how can i fix this do you think?
I have been driveing my 92 while the 5th gen is at the body shop and it is doing the same thing. It takes about 6-10 sec of cranking then it fires up and stumbles for 3-4 sec then runs perfect and starts the first turn over the rest of the day. Its not my starter as the engine cranks over normally not slow like its gonna die soon. Hmmm i am interested in what you find, i would fix mine but its on its way to getting parted out and then the junk yard in a few months. It did sit untouched for about 2 months before this started happening.
__________________
1988 Prelude S - victim of an 80mph backflip
1991 Prelude Si - sold
1989 Accord DX - impounded
1998 Prelude SH - totaled on 3/29/12
2006 CRF150F - sold
2006 YZ250F - sold
Anyway to test this theory without buying a new battery oh wise one? If i hook jumper cables up before starting it tomarrow would it fire the first crank if this were the problem? I will drive the wifes jeep till my car is done before i throw money at the Si guessing at stuff.
If it has to do with gas in the tank, all I can think is that you're not letting the fuel pump prime itself and establish fuel pressure before starting. This will be most pronounced in the morning, when its likely that there's little to no fuel in the rail before you start it up.
For those that don't know, when you turn the key to ignition 2, the fuel pump will cut around for around 2 seconds to ensure that the rail has operating fuel pressure, and can be heard as a slight hum. It's a good idea to pause at ignition 2 for these 2 seconds until the hum stops before cranking the car. I don't know if you're really hurting anything by not waiting, but if you do the car will start up faster and smoother, and waiting 2 seconds is a pretty easy habit to make.
A battery on its way out would definitely take longer to start, and a cold engine is harder to start than a warm one. But the issue would not be more pronounced based on how much gas was in the tank.
__________________
-Andrew-
'01 Premium White Pearl Type SH-Type-S swap, ATTS Baby!!!
Yes i have waited several seconds and minutes before starting, even did the key back and forth a few times so the pump would prime the rail good. My gas is on the 1/4 range, going to go fill it up to see what happens.
If it has to do with gas in the tank, all I can think is that you're not letting the fuel pump prime itself and establish fuel pressure before starting. This will be most pronounced in the morning, when its likely that there's little to no fuel in the rail before you start it up.
Ya, I should have stated that I'm now aware of this and typically allow 2 seconds or so for the fuel pump to do it's thing. However, on a full tank it can start right away without the 2 second pause. So I'm thinking somehow the low fuel in the tank allows the pressure to go down over time. One other thing I noticed is that if I park the car in such a way where the rear is higher then the front, it can worse. That would obviously alter how the fuel lays in the tank in relation to the pump. Isn't the fuel system supposed to maintain pressure in the lines for more then just a few hours, or is this all by design?
I don't know if the fuel system has an anti-drainback valve. I wouldn't think so, however, or the 2 second priming would not be necessary. I must say I honestly don't know what your next step would be.
This is a stretch, but its cheap and easy enough to do. Change your fuel pump filter sock, not the fuel filter itself, but the pump filter sock. Again, this is quite a stretch, but if its a bit clogged, it may take longer to raise the fuel pressure, and the greater weight and vapor pressure of a full tank is overcoming that somewhat, but when fuel is low, its not. Again, thats quite a bit of a stretch, but replacing that sock is very easy and only costs a few bucks, so its worth a shot.
__________________
-Andrew-
'01 Premium White Pearl Type SH-Type-S swap, ATTS Baby!!!
Fixed mine! A stupid temp sensor had a broken wire, rewired it and shazam not even half a crank and fired right up after sitting almost two days. It was the one below the coil next to the sensor with one wire going to it. It has a grey cap not the green one, i had to take my distributor off the get to it. Who knew a damn temp sensor could cause such a problem.
To test if my fuel pump was priming or not i diconnected the line from the fuel rail and put it in a cup then turned the car to on. You should end up with about a half a cup of fuel in the container you use thats what i had. So after that i started looking at my distributor and thats when i noticed the broken wire on the temp sensor. Took her for a drive and still fired up cold and no more blinking d4 light. The 92 Si rides again! Now i don't have to look *** in my wifes jeep while waiting on the 5th gen.
thats exciting to hear, i cleaned the egr valve, and cleaned the iac valve, checked all of my vaccum lines, and hooked everything back up, drives beatifully now
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
Linear Mode
