My car starts, but won't stay started

Asked by Cheryl Apr 19, 2015 at 10:00 PM about the 1998 Honda Accord EX

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 1998 Honda Accord EX. It will start after a few tries, but will not stay started. The distributor cap was changed, spark plugs & wires, but that didn't help. We had a mobile mechanic come out to check it. He said it was getting fuel, so he didn't think it was the fuel pump or filter. But a few times, when he would give it gas, it would have a back fire. Any ideas ??

2 Answers

144,795

Back fire lead,s to timming issue,check the timming on the car,

2 people found this helpful.
13,285

Did the mechanic put a code reader on the car to check for any stored codes? There could be some there even if the check engine light is not turned on. There are so many sensors that factor in to the way a car runs so you need to rule that out. It could be a bad mass airflow sensor or air temperature sensor or something along those lines. KEEP in mind, you are talking about a 17 yr old car here, so along those lines, how many miles on the car? Have you ever had the timing belt replaced? There are specific intervals spec'd out by the manufacturers for the changing of the timing belts. The timing on these are a fan belt type as opposed to a sprocket & chain, so check for stored trouble codes first, then as TST says, check the timing. If it is out, have the belt replaced first, if you still have the same problem, move on to other possibilities.

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