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Car won't start...

anyone ever heard of frying the main relay? Maybe I fried my new one. I didn't disconnect battery when I put it in. I just unplugged it and then plugged new one in. I don't have time or (money) to pay for someone to overcharge me to diagnose the nsx (we all know as soon as I say its nsx mechanics will triple fee).
 
taking car to junkyard today. What a piece of $&#$. I know its fuel pump issue but its not stupid relay! Screw you NSX!
 
I know what ur saying. I dont know if this will help but b4 i bought my car it sat on a charger for about 2 months. The firdt couple weeks it took forever to start. I drove it more and problem is grtting better and now longest start has been like 2 seconds since i put fuel injector cleaner. Maybe hardley driving it is effecting your injectors. If it sits forever and u barely drive it maybe your injectors are dirty. Just my 2 cents
 
You said there's a click. Is it the sound of a relay closing, or does the engine actually turn over?

If it's just a relay click, then your ignition system is being given power and not doing anything with it. Bad connection, maybe. You have rats where you live, by any chance? They chew wires.
 
You said there's a click. Is it the sound of a relay closing, or does the engine actually turn over?

If it's just a relay click, then your ignition system is being given power and not doing anything with it. Bad connection, maybe. You have rats where you live, by any chance? They chew wires.

engine try to turn over. I don't have rats and seems like I am getting power to pump, I am just not sure if there is a clog somewhere or I have no spark...

As for previous poster, did check all the fuses 4 times and did check both negative and positive wires just to make sure they are not loose. I don't think this is power issue. Seems either fuel or spark issue..
 
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engine try to turn over. I don't have rats and seems like I am getting power to pump, I am just not sure if there is a clog somewhere or I have no spark...

As for previous poster, did check all the fuses 4 times and did check both negative and positive wires just to make sure they are not loose. I don't think this is power issue. Seems either fuel or spark issue..

Not sure if you were referring to me as the previous poster. I understand both wires are not loose but did you remove the ground from the battery to reset the alarm? If the alarm is indeed responsible for cutting off the fuel pump/ignition this may reset the alarm.

Also, where are you located? Maybe a fellow prime member can help out and/or pull the ignitor out of their car.

Jeff
 
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Not sure if you were referring to me as the previous poster. I understand both wires are not loose but did you remove the ground from the battery to reset the alarm? If the alarm is indeed responsible for cutting off the fuel pump/ignition this may reset the alarm.

Also, where are you located? Maybe a fellow prime member can help out and/or pull the ignitor out of their car.

Jeff

Hi Jeff, I am in La Crescenta,CA (above Glendale/Burbank). That would be great if someone can help but not sure its possibility.



I also tried the following things. 1. The check engine light does not come on when I try to start it. It comes on when in position #2 but when I tried to crack it there is no CEL. I did disconnect the harness from ignitor to see what would happen and the CEL stayed so this tells me there is no CEL.

Also I tested inputs to igniter and they are all within specs.

Last but not least, someone told me to remove the service bolt from fuel filter and try to crank engine to see if fuel will spill. THERE WAS NO FUEL SPILLING that I could tell. That means fuel pump is not working, correct? Someone please correct me if I am wrong. If that is the case, ignitor is not my issue and seems to point to fuel pump.

Anyone? Larry? Someone? Anyone?
 
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In Larry's earlier post he mentioned listening for the fuel pump when you first turn the key to "On". Turn off the AC and the radio to be sure. You should hear a very light humming sound coming from the tank for 2-4 seconds. As you're not getting fuel out of the filter, and as I believe you've indicated no sounds other than clicking, I would guess that the pump is not getting power (or the pump is bad, but that is less common).

The '91 service manual is here. Look at pages 11-8 and 11-98 thru 11-107.

Since you've already replaced the main relay, I would assume it's good for now. That leaves the pump, the pump relay, and the ignition switch.

You can troubleshoot the pump by giving it 12V through the resistor.

You can troubleshoot the pump relay like any simple relay. Give power to the terminals and check resistance to see if the switch closes.

If both of these check out, then it's down to the ignition switch.

None of this takes into consideration the alarm, as I have no idea how to go about troubleshooting that without tracing every wire between the pump and the ignition.
 
In Larry's earlier post he mentioned listening for the fuel pump when you first turn the key to "On". Turn off the AC and the radio to be sure. You should hear a very light humming sound coming from the tank for 2-4 seconds. As you're not getting fuel out of the filter, and as I believe you've indicated no sounds other than clicking, I would guess that the pump is not getting power (or the pump is bad, but that is less common).

The '91 service manual is here. Look at pages 11-8 and 11-98 thru 11-107.

Since you've already replaced the main relay, I would assume it's good for now. That leaves the pump, the pump relay, and the ignition switch.

You can troubleshoot the pump by giving it 12V through the resistor.

You can troubleshoot the pump relay like any simple relay. Give power to the terminals and check resistance to see if the switch closes.

If both of these check out, then it's down to the ignition switch.

None of this takes into consideration the alarm, as I have no idea how to go about troubleshooting that without tracing every wire between the pump and the ignition.

Thank you for your input! I noticed everyong keeps saying ignition switch but I don't understand how ignition switch can have something to do with it since I am getting power to starter and all other parts of the car and the "wiggle" test doesn't cause the light to flicker.
 
Last night while attending or local monthly NSX meeting at South Coast Acura, Costa Mesa, CA, my NSX wouldn't start. It cranked fine, just wouldn't fire. I had no ECL issues. Have full tank of gas, drive car at least every other week, recently changed fuel filter and spart plugs. In general, car is in tip-top shape ('91 with 98K miles).

I tried to jump start it, but that did not help. None of us could hear the fuel pump run, so maybe that is either the cause or contributing factor. All fuses looked OK. The bad news is, I had to leave my NSX at the dealership in the rain. The good news is, it became disabled at the dealership- convenient to say the least.

From reading this post and related ones, the consensus seems to be one of the following:

• Bad iginitor (black rectangular box that sits near the throttle body)

• Faulty fuel pump

• Faulty fuel pump relay

• Faulty ignition switch

Once the problem is found (hopefully), I will post the fix. :cool:
 
Last night while attending or local monthly NSX meeting at South Coast Acura, Costa Mesa, CA, my NSX wouldn't start. It cranked fine, just wouldn't fire. I had no ECL issues. Have full tank of gas, drive car at least every other week, recently changed fuel filter and spart plugs. In general, car is in tip-top shape ('91 with 98K miles).

I tried to jump start it, but that did not help. None of us could hear the fuel pump run, so maybe that is either the cause or contributing factor. All fuses looked OK. The bad news is, I had to leave my NSX at the dealership in the rain. The good news is, it became disabled at the dealership- convenient to say the least.

From reading this post and related ones, the consensus seems to be one of the following:

• Bad iginitor (black rectangular box that sits near the throttle body)

• Faulty fuel pump

• Faulty fuel pump relay

• Faulty ignition switch

Once the problem is found (hopefully), I will post the fix. :cool:


The problem was a faulty main relay (one mounted next to ECU). So, although my wallet is $300 lighter, the problem was solved and not too expensive to fix.
 
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