I have a 2000 Acura TL that has developed a problem. The car starts and runs fine first thing, but when you turn it off at say a gas station or to run into a store and then try to start it, it won't start until it sits for 5 - 10 minutes. During the time it won't start, it will turn over, but won't fire. Also during that time the gear shift lever will not move even with the key in the on position and foot on the brake. Once it sits 5 - 10 minutes it will fire up and run fine until you turn it off again. It starts every time after sitting over night or sitting in the parking lot at work/school from the time it gets parked it in the morning until I leave for lunch, just not when turning it off and trying to start again within a few minutes. Hope that makes sense.

Does this sound like a main relay problem?

 

 

NO, but it does sound like a worn crank shaft sensor.

 

Common issue with the 2000 TL. Since spring is starting you probably still have winter grade gasoline in the tank. For some reason the winter fuel vaporizes in the fuel rail because the rail isn't a high enough pressure. There is a fix that requires a higher pressure fuel rail but it needs a new ecm calibrated to the higher pressure fuel rail. This only happens when the weather warms up in spring and it's really an issue you run into once a year so I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Thanks for the replies. I went ahead and changed out the main relay Tuesday evening after work and it seems to have solved the problem. Drove it all over yesterday and today and it never failed to start once, where it did it at least a couple of times a day before. Keeping my fingers crossed.