John Acura

Hi All,

Just wanted to make this posting in case anyone runs into this problem. I have a 2002 Acura RL with 200k miles, properly maintained, still running strong, and the other day I started it but it died right away late at night. I tried to start it again but all I had was a crank, the car simply wouldn't turn on. It was really weird, this never happened to me before.

Early tl;dr - it was the fuel pump

I thought it was a dead battery, but that wasn't it. I still had voltage and even had a truck hooked up to the battery. Still nothing. Checked the fuse boxes near the engine and near the driver side, all fuses were good. The next day I bought a brand new main relay from AutoZone for about 70 bucks and replaced it, car still would only crank. I never knew that fuel pumps make a noise when you turn the key to the ON position, so I never paid attention to my Acura's sound. It was hard to tell what to listen for, but I can definitely say I heard nothing "prime" when the key was turned.

At this point I was lost. Could it be the fuel pump, the spark plugs, the timing belt? I did a lot of research and it came down to one these things (or if the situation was really bad, maybe all of them.....). My hunch at this point told me (and hoped) it was the fuel pump. If it was a timing belt I would think I would have seen, smelled, or heard signs for miles before it eventually broke. I also would have considered just buying a new car, because a timing belt job is expensive and labor intensive. I also hate the idea of someone tearing the engine apart and putting it back together.

I eventually towed it to a mechanic and he did the starter fluid test, the car started for a few seconds then turned off. At that point we were both convinced it was the fuel pump, and I bought one from AutoZone for 80 bucks. The mechanic replaced it for an hours worth of labor, and the car started fine! The fuel pump was located in the trunk infront of the spare tire (you have to unclip the carpeting in the trunk, then you should see a panel. Unscrew the panel and the fuel pump assembly will be under that. Oddly enough, I also noticed that my car's shocks/struts feel a lot better now. Not sure how these relate to the fuel pump, but just a small observation I made....

I was really happy it was the fuel pump and not the timing belt. Based on my experience, if your car randomly dies and only cranks but doesn't start, start with the fuses, then the main relay, then the fuel pump. If it is none of these, then unfortunately it is probably the timing belt.

Thanks,

J