car won't start when it is over 65 outside

I have a 91 Acccord EX 2dr that won't start when it is over 65 degrees
outside. The car only does this when it is hot outside. The car will sit
all night and when i go to start it to commute to work it won't start.
This problem has been on and off for the last three years. When i try to
start it all it will do is act like it isn't getting gas (but it is) and if
I take off the distributer cap the 4 prongs will look like the are fouled
out (oxidized). If I scrape the oxidation off ot the prongs and wait
twenty minutes it starts with no problem, smokes a tiny bit, then takes me
the 140 miles to and from work. I have tried new: wires, plugs, cap, rotor
and it still happens from time to time and every time I take it to the
dealer for diagnostics they say nothing is wrong. Something has to be
wrong if it doesn't start. right??

 

Resolder the main relay. Very common.

 

I have a buddy at work who had the exact same issue with his early 90s
Accord a couple years back and had a $100 part replaced that fixed the
problem. Likely what Steve posted here. I'll check with him tomorrow and
post back.

 

Main relay? enables the fuel pump to keep enough pressure to run the fuel
injection. Has problems with cold solder joints,causes intermittent
operation,heat-related.

http://www.markl.f9.co.uk/howto/electrical/main-relay/main-relay.htm

 

http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/startproblems.html#mainrelay

 

________________________

If you need to use the car tomorrow, before fixing the relay, you can
smack the dash with the switch in position II, and you'll hear the fuel
pump run for four or five seconds . . The car will now start. When the
car is warm, it's the vibration that keeps it going once the engine starts.

'Curly'

 

After you got all the good replies, here's something that made me wonder...

james christoph via CarKB.com wrote:
| I have a 91 Acccord EX 2dr that won't start when it is over 65
| degrees outside. The car only does this when it is hot outside.

Where in the world do you live that 65 degrees (assuming Fahrenheit) is
considered *hot outside*?

 

LOL

65C would be 149F!!! Not even Death Valley is that hot right now!

 

Yep, I asked my buddy today and the main relay issue mentioned by several
people here is exactly what he had fixed a couple years back.

 

Thank you for the info on my problem. I spoke to a Honda tech and he told
me basically the same thing. Oh yeah, in upstate New York 65 is a
beautiful day.

 

Put a new relay in and it could fail in the same way.No way of telling how
old the relay is.
Resolder the one you have,and you save money.

 

Ya, he didn't say whether he had it replaced or repaired, although most
likely replaced taking it to a mechanic. It's been ok for a couple years
now, but your point is well taken.

 

Sometimes the contacts get funky. I resoldered the one in my daughter's '93
Accord and it remained intermittent. A new one fixed the problem.

Mike (been soldering at work for 35 years)

 

But at least you didn't blindly replace the relay.
The cost to resolder is negligible,replace a working relay that wasn't the
problem and you're out $50-100.

 

The cost to resolder is negligible IF you do it yourself. If you're part of
the other 98% of the population who pay someone else to fix their automotive
problems, nothing comes cheap. If you are part of that 98%, you probably
shouldn't be driving a 15 year old vehicle though.

 

Ain't that the trooth.

With an older car, you've got to accept that you'll be doing lots of little
jobs all the time, and raising the hood at least once a week.

You'll be on the constant lookout for sudden increases in oil consumption,
leaks, rattles and other weird noises, rust, failed parts that are not
obvious, all sorts of stuff.

You'll also be comparing the cost of fixing the old car to the cost of
carrying a new one, and you'll be willing to let your neighbors think
you're crazy for spending lots of money keeping an old car in good shape.

You'll allow yourself a budget, say $100 per month (or more), for repairs,
and will not skimp when it comes to fixing things right. And your neighbors
will think you're crazy.

You'll hang on to the old car for lots of personal reasons, none of which
anybody will ever understand, except another nut like yourself (or maybe
your wife).

And you'd be amazed how cheap an old car is to run when you don't try to
cheap out on repairs and maintenance, even if you get somebody else to do
the hard stuff.

An old car is hobby. If you don't want it to be a hobby, stick to somethng
new.

 

Could not have said it better myself...