Hello Austin~
I own Honda accord with 165,000 miles, it has always been a good car, but recently it won’t start. It acts like it will turn over, but then loses energy and completely dies. Tried jumping it and it got the energy back, started to turn over, but it just would not “catch” and start. Once the jumper cables were removed, it died completely. Someone told me this could possibly be the fuel pump and that it is located in the gas tank. what is wrong with my car, is it expensive to fix and is the repair worth it? (the car is paid for, I really can’t afford payments on a new car)
Your help is greatly appreciated. Blessings~Vicky
Hi Vicky,
The first problem you might have is a weak battery? I would get the battery “load tested†first to determine if you need to replace it or not. You should not have to jump start the battery to get the engine to spin over…..so fix that problem first. If the engine does not spin over fast enough, or the battery does not have the power to supply the electronics on the engine enough spark…..the engine won’t start.
Once you get a strong battery installed and the engine to spin over normally, and it still won’t start then you can test the rest of the engine components. You have to have a spark, fuel and proper fuel pressure and compression and ignition timing to start a gasoline engine.
Check for a spark at the spark plugs, if no spark check the distributor cap and ignition rotor and see if you have spark coming from the distributor. Honda had problems with these distributors and replaced them under an extended warranty a few years ago for bad “igniters†inside them which would cause a no start complaint.
If you have spark, check to see if you have fuel getting to the engine. Best way to do this is with a manual fuel pressure gauge you can rent from your auto parts store.
Blessings to you,
Austin Davis