Okay so my girlfriends 2001 Acura CL-S had been having frequent issues with the motor dying. Several times it wouldn't start after work (replaced the battery). Then it died on the highway a couple hours from home. Had it towed to a shop and they replaced the alternator (along with motor mounts). Couple months later, back to the issue of not starting. Not sure what fixed it but it eventually started after a few hours. More recently it died on the highway, again about an hour from home. She had it towed to a nearby shop. They could not figure out the problem. Replaced spark plugs, fuel relays, various other fuses, relays, and wiring. Checked battery, alternator, starter....still nothing. After a month total in the shop they finally call back stating he thinks it's the PCM and would need to be towed to the Honda dealership. Could it be the timing belt? Any advice would be great. Thanks

 

I was going to suggest considering the main relay, but it sounds like you already replaced that. What about the ignition switch?

 

No haven't messed with that...that I know of. The shop it ended up at apparently does not know much about Honda/Acura. Took them a month of messing with it to state what seems like a guess that it's the PCM.

 

Yeah make sure the relay is the PGM FI relay that was replaced if not do it... DIY Less than $100.

Another culprit is the ingnition switch (pig tail) $50 or less... DIY too.

Do both for safety. It's to dangerous to drive around like that.

 

FYI

If it turns out to be a pcm the dealer will want $1500-2000 for repair.

You can get a use pcm for $50-$100. Bring the use pcm and all keys to the dealer for pcm install and imobilizer reprogramming. Total will be around $300.

 

With all those repairs and still no progress, I would suspect bad (old, leaky) capacitors in the ECU or PCM.

Edited to add: Ignition coils? Are there any codes? A decent Honda specialist (NOT THE STEALERSHIP) should know...

 

check grounds

 

fuel pressure regulator there were some that had heat soak issues