95 honda only starts after 30 second key on wait...help

Asked by protheos Apr 10, 2016 at 12:32 AM about the 1995 Honda Accord

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My 95 Honda accord 4 cy. vtech, will turn over but not will start, you can try unlimited times and it just cranks, but no fire or start.... UNLESS I wait about 30 seconds first.  In this time what happens is, for 15 seconds the usual dash lights are on, including check engine light, at 16 seconds the D4 green transmission light starts to flash rapidly.  At 30 seconds the main relay can be heard to finally click in, and the fuel pump whirs and primes the fuel system for 1.5 seconds and immediately the check engine light turns off, the D4 light turns off,  and the fuel pump also stops whirring.  AT this point, at any time from here on out, (until you turn the car off again) you can turn the key the rest of the way to start, and the engine cranks over and now immediately starts right up!
Sometimes all the above happens just as described, but the D4 transmission position light does not start to flash.  Everything else happens the same way and timing and after 30 seconds the car will start.  NOTES:   a. The obd trouble codes do not flash any codes when the jumper is put in place to read the codes.   b. I have removed and checked the main relay, looked ok, and just in case I re-soldered all connections on the main relay board.   c.the car drives and shifts fine.  d. The time frames are exactly the same every time.  Electronically perfectly the same, like the computer finally decides, OK go ahead and work now. Or like the car is attempting by some programmed response to say that something is wrong and needs attention.  
Thank you...I hope someone knows what causes this, please advise.

2 Answers

13,285

What you describe sounds like the fuel relay is going to take a complete crap on you soon. I have no first hand experience with them personally. only know from what I have found online . I also saw something about there being 2 relays there in the same location and it could be one or the other or even both going bad. I guess they are possibly wired in series so that one relies on readings or current from the other, before allowing the power to get to the fuel pump to power it up. I wish I could tell you more exact info on this but I can't. It does sound kind of like a leaking fuel injector(s) and that it can't start due to low fuel pressure when first attempting to start, based on your saying that if you turn the key on and wait for 30 seconds, the cycle starts and then the problem is non existent, but the fact that if you do wait for a minute or 2/3 a minute before starting the crank process, leads us back to the relays again. Would appreciate it if you find or confirm the problem and post the results back here though.

3 people found this helpful.

i have the same problem i have replaced everything along whit two fuel relays two fuel pumps ,new ground cable,new ignition switch,new battery, new ignition coil but i haven't replaced th3 computer i have read tgat when is going bad it does that i have a 1996 honda accord

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