mitchCL-S

Hey guys, my 03 CL-S 6MT won't start. It cranks just fine, nice and strong. This happened yesterday but started about 15 minutes later with no problem. Since then, I have started it several times. Today after work, it just cranks and cranks but won't start.

I will also mention that a few times in the past, if I stalled the car, it would have a hard time restarting. But usually would restart after persistent cranking. And when it would restart, it would run like crap (barely running) for a few seconds and then be fine.

Since it cranks over with plenty of power, I am saying not battery or starter. Since it did the same thing yesterday and eventually started, shouldn't be the timing belt. Should be fuel or spark, I would imagine. I have tried both keys, and going from memory the key light on the dash blinked about five(?) times after taking the key out. I think it would be on for a second or two after putting the key in. I have yet to have someone help me tow the car home so I can't check anything at the moment. I do have manuals but I don't have a ton of time at the moment to leaf through. But I did have time at work to check out these forums for potential answers.

Any help is appreciated.

P.S. Where does a new guy post pictures?

mitchCL-S

Well, I found the relay last night and re-soldered the connections. Time will tell on that one.

BAGII

sounds like a fuel pressure issue. time to get a gauge on there and check it.

JBlueCLS6

iTrader: (2)

Check your crank sensors, there are two of them.

rush

iTrader: (1)

+ 1theres one each side trany and the lower pulley . It's more likely that it's the trany side

mitchCL-S

Okay, I found in my manual on 11-117 and 11-147 how to check and replace the crankshaft position sensor. I will keep that in my back pocket in case re-soldering the relay doesn't work. Can the crankshaft position sensor begin to work intermittently?

After my original post, and more time searching the forum, I am leaning towards the relay. My reasoning for that is in the past, a few times I stalled it and it wouldn't restart right away (it would start after twenty, thirty seconds or cranking) and when it did it ran like crap for the first three or four seconds. Maybe this is because the relay was hot and not turning on the fuel pump right away and it was running like crap briefly because it didn't have enough fuel. More reasoning is because when it wouldn't start at all earlier this week, the inside of the car was hot (even though it was only in the sixties, but it was sunny). I rolled the windows down, went back inside and came back out twenty minutes later and it started. Perhaps rolling the windows down lowered the inside temp enough to let the connections in the relay make a connection. And the following day, a warmer sunny day with the inside of the car getting hot again, I had to leave the car at work. I came back several hours later after the sun was down and it started. And my last bit of reasoning is after I drove it home, I pulled the relay and it was very, very warm. After I re-soldered the connections, I felt the relay after the same drive home from work the next day and it was barely warm. Hopefully that is all my problem was.

BlkBeautyCLS

Mine does the same thing when its really hot outside. Mines an auto. I ain't gotta clue what's wrong with it.

mitchCL-S

Just from searching these forums, the only problem I found with the same symptoms, including when it is really hot inside the car, is the relay. It is under the dash, above the brake pedal. Mine is light gray, and has the numbers 1-3 and 5-8 on it. There is no number 4, and there is no wire going into that slot. It is about 2"x1"x2". The solder has a tenancy to crack. If you take off the cover, you can re-melt the solder points with a soldering iron. This is supposed to take care of the problem. Another symptom is rolling down the windows and leaving it for a while- cooling down the interior of the car in turn cools down the relay and allows it to make a better contact.

BlkBeautyCLS

do you have any pictures of the relay?

CL-Future

I only have this back shot of it that shows the soldering connections. I pulled mine when I started having starting problems but I think mine may be the IACV because it starts but immediately dies.

Yours does in fact sound like the relay if it's starting fine minutes later.



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BlkBeautyCLS

Thanks

coreyjensen83

Mine did the same until i heated up the solder points on the main relay. its worked fine ever since. i could start the car and it would start bogging until i tapped on the main relay then it was normal. or when it was hot it wouldnt start at all, i'd give it a tap and it worked immediately. i was going crazy til i found this site!

coreyjensen83

definitely main relay if its only when its hot outside, i dealt with this for two summers,i just put heat on the solder points and its worked ever since, not one problem.

mitchCL-S

So far, so good. We've had some really hot days without an issue, also I have shut it off an restarted it immediately without an issue. Before I resoldered the connections, it would have a very hard time restarting right away.

Karanx7

iTrader: (2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viIZ8k60awY

For future reference. Apparently, it's a common problem with many Honda cars. Crazy how a tiny few millimeter difference can stop a car from turning on.

markb11

I had the same problem where all of a sudden my acura didn't start. I was odd because in 7 years the cars always started on the first crank. After reading the posts I pulled the fuel or main relay opended it up and cleaned it and now the car starts right up.
Hope this helps

Jason is back

Hey it seems im having the same problem but does anyone have any pics or video to find the main relay, i just cant find it. Same idea that in hot or very humid weather it wont turn over but cranks strong with new battery and starter is fine. i have a buddy that has experience with soldering but i just need to find this piece if anyone has a pic or video where it is i would be grateful.

disgruntlednut

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-cl-problems-fixes-70/fuel-pump-relay-problem-495108/

Check the first post, and posts 45 and 48 on the second page.

brian6speed

iTrader: (5)

I had this issue a few weeks ago. I checked my battery and relay and both seemed fine. Then I thought it might be the immobilizer, so I removed my key from my Acura key fob(had nothing else on keychain) and that fixed the problem.

Jason is back

thanks man but we were able to pull it and found the solder points to look fine

http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/6161/img0208am.jpg

so i got a new one for $40 and it starts right up but i guess the real test is when the heat comes

14thandeuclid

More people should really check the main relay when they start. This was cause of the problem in my Legend and my TL back in the day.

pb06

I'm so pleased to get confirmation of this. I started my own thread about this very issue. i was baffled as to why it only happened when the car had been left out in the sun. Bringing it into my guy asap.

kim50

Mine did the same; it died while driving, it cranked but wouldnt start. I thought it was the fuel pump, so i went out qnd bought a new one. I replaced it. Things semmed to be great. Then the very next day, it ddnt start again...this time i kno for a fact that the fuel pump is NRW. And i couldnt hear the pump priming...so i figured the culprit was the fuel relay. I have replaced it with a brand new one from o reily. It has yet to die on me. I did solder it once b4...but id rather have a new one...than to have one that works intermittently..(im not a pro at soldering)...

entropeter

i will chime in here.
re-soldering the fuel pump relay worked for me.
but i gotta tell ya, even with a high powered magnifying glass,
i was barely able to distinguish the compromised joints on the board.
and it wasn't on the bigger points, os was 2 smaller ones, that i think actually power the electromagnet, for the relay.
i waited a few month before posting, to be confident of the fix.
refer to https://acurazine.com/forums/problem...-495108/page2/
for more details

DJF

Another late chime-in:
My '02 CL after 149K miles finally needed the relay replaced. Symptoms were it was taking a couple of cranks to start, sometimes the car would start then die, start and run like crap for a minute (similar to when one ignition coil went out), and then would crank but not start. The dealer replaced the relay but did a full diagnosis checking fuel pump, fuel pressure, valve timing, crank sensors, etc. my car stars and interestingly runs much stronger than it has been lately.

Jason Holt

I have a question Where is that particular relay located? As I too am having that exact same problem