Will not start

[Bodhi]

My 1991 will not start:
-It has sat for two months
-battery is fully charged
-full tank of fuel (with stabilizer)
-cranks over strongly
-normal dash light sequence (no check engine light)
-I removed the climate control module and had Brian rebuild it (it works fine)

What are the likely culprits:
Fuel pump relay?

 

[Rope]

Have you tried tapping the main relay while you are turning over the ignition?

 

[Bodhi]

I have not. If the main relay were sticking, would it still crank?
It cranks with no lag or solenoid issues. Is the main relay behind the drivers seat/rear furewall? Thanks for the input and merry Christmas!

 

[docjohn]

main relay controls fuel pump...do you smell gas or hear pump ?

 

[Bodhi]

I will check for fuel pump sound...
Is the main relay on the firewall behind driver's seat?

 

[Rope]

it is in between the seats on the firewall

 

[cmthomson]

There's a good chance this is the classic main FI relay failure. Sometimes it's the relay itself, but most often it is cracking of the solder between the relay and the board it's mounted on. Retouching that solder usually fixes it. There's a detailed thread somewhere around here with instructions and pictures. That said, it's not expensive to just replace the whole module.

 

[torafugu]

+1 on the main relay.

I purchased a new main relay assembly, Mitsuba RZ-0101, Honda part number 39400-SL0-003 for my car several years ago as preventive measure. After a mere 2,300 miles I began experiencing a no start condition that I traced back to my essentially new main relay. Resoldering each connection at the back of the board (about 10 minutes) fixed the issue.

Release the three clips at the top of the uppermost panel at the firewall behind the seats then push/pull it straight up to remove. Main relay is behind passenger seat just to the left of the center speaker. There is a single 10mm bolt and 2 wire harnesses. Use a thin blade screwdriver to remove the board from the plastic shell and resolder. In my experience there was not enough material to simply reheat each joint - I needed to apply new solder.

 

[Hapa88]

+2 Main relay.
As soon as you turn the key from the "accessories" position to the "ignition" position (but not actually cranking it), you should hear the fuel pump prime the lines for about 2 seconds. It sounds like a 2 second buzz or hum from behind your head. If you do not hear that, chances are it's the main relay.

 

[robbiedawg]

+3. this is a good thing to replace on any event,and it's fairly cheap and easy to install,so if that doen't solve this problem,it will avoid other ones down the road.