My Honda wont turn on after I drive it for a while?

FCORTES.626

MEMBER
1996 HONDA ACCORD
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
154,000 MILES

Ok so my honda wont turn on after I drive it for a while. It wont crank the engine. I could hear the fuel pump when I turn the key to the II position. I already resoldered the main relay, recently replaced the starter before the problem started, battery is good, spark plugs and cables good. I was wondering if the ECT (engine coolant temperature) sensor had anything to do with this. I took it out today and when I look for it online at the auto parts stores they looked different. The ones online had a longer tip and the one in my car had a way shorter tip but it didnt seem as if it was broken off. I aso saw some of them said sensor and others switch. Whats the difference? If that isnt the problem then what could it be?

2 Replies

F4I_GUY

MECHANIC
3,302 POSTS

Check to see if the starter solenoid is getting it's signal voltage when you crank the key. If it is, you either have low voltage at the main power wire, weak ground system or the starter has failed.

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Tuesday, October 12th, 2010 AT 5:59 PM

FCORTES.626

MEMBER
3 POSTS

It is. This only happens when I drive it to like school or to the store. The other day I took it to school. It worked fine when I left my house. When I got to school I parked it and I tried turning it back on and after several tries it didnt work. I think I migh havesmelled fuel. When I got out of school witch was like 4 hours later it started fine. The first time it happened to me was at the store. It also happened to my dad once and I think it started but with jumper cables. I cheked on the technical service bulletin on mitchell on demand and it said:

"wrong ect voltage may cause hot no-start. On all models with PGM-FI, the wrong ECT (engine coolant temperature) sensor voltage may cause an intermittent hot no-start without the MIL Coming on. To confirm the problem when the engine wont start check ECT sensor voltage; if its more than 1 V, replace the sensor. At normal coolant temperature, the ECT sensor voltage should be between 0.5 and 0.7 V. If the ECT Sensor sends a cold engine signal (more than 1 volt) to the ECM/PCM at normal coolant temperature, the air/fuel mixture will be too rich, and the engine may not start."