why would a 2000 Honda Accord crank but not start sometimes?

190

Asked by Steve5899 Dec 14, 2015 at 05:49 PM about the 2000 Honda Accord Coupe EX V6

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get some help with a 2000 Honda Accord V6 EX
Coupe

I change the oil regularly in this car and I replaced the battery in August 2014.
I’d never had a problem with this car until back in June 2015 on a very hot day
when I went to start it and the engine would not start. It was cranking and
cranking and the starter was smooth, there were no knocks or anything out of
the ordinary, the car just wouldn’t start. I started checking various things on
the car, not really knowing what to do. After around 30 minutes I tried to start
the car and it started up and ran completely fine. I didn’t change anything or
mess with anything on the car. It just started.

This happened around twice a month until September and then I didn’t have
the problem for a couple of months. It’s now December 2015, and the problem
has returned. But now it is more common and happens almost every time I try
to start the engine. But so far, it always starts if I wait 30 minutes or maybe a
bit longer.


Important info:

I work from home and drive this car twice a week at the most. It sits for days at
a time without being started. But this has been the case for the past 4 years
and this probelm didn’t start happening until June 2015.

There is no movement on the tachometer when the car cranks but won’t start.

The green key light doesn’t constantly blink when they key is turned. It blinks a
few times then stops blinking.

The check engine light isn’t on and there are no other lights on.

When the car runs, it runs smoothly and I’ve never had a problem with it
cutting off or acting strange.

Once the car starts and I drive it for even around 5 minutes, I can turn it off and
then start it again immediately without a problem. I’ve never tried to start the
car, then immediatley turn it off, then start it again so I don’t know if it would
start in that situation.

It’s been kind of warm for this time of year where I live (North Carolina). It’s
been around 70 degrees outside this week.

I removed the cover over the fuel pump in the trunk. I don’t think there’s any
sound coming from the fuel pump when I turn the key on. I can’t hear it
priming (if that’s the correct term). But when I let the car sit for 30 minutes and
turn the key to on, I can’t hear anything then either, and the car still starts right
up.

I took the car to a garage, but the car was starting then. I let it sit there for
around two hours maybe three and went back, but the car started right up, so
the mechanic told me he couldn’t do anything if the car was starting. I mean
he said he would try some stuff, but he seemed kind of stumped himself. I
didn’t want to start paying him money to just “try some stuff.” But I might have
to do that.

Anyone have any advice? I really appreciate you taking the time to read this.
Thanks.

15 Answers

13,095

Just as Js08016 says, or possibly even a clogged filter sock on the end of the fuel pump, but if you are going to change the pump, get a new filter for it as well. The job is easy enough to do your self through the back seat or the trunk, which could save you a lot of $$. I own this same car and found it to be quite temper mental, especially with the voltage and the fuel & certain parts of the emissions system. There is a service bulletin about an EGV valve and air passage service & repair that involves buying a kit, that has a new EGR valve and a steel sleeve. You remove the EGR valve, upper & lower intake manifolds. Then the air passage needs to be drilled out with a 10MM bit and then tap the new sleeve into the hole. This was developed because the air passages were found to be too small on these engines and the carbon builds up bad and causes a lot of problems with starting and running, and these problems do not always trip the Engine Maint. lights.

11 people found this helpful.
190

If anyone else is having this problem, I changed the pgm-fi main relay a few days ago. My car hasn’t had a problem starting since. If my car starts acting up again with the same problem, I’ll be sure to come here and update, but I’m pretty sure the problem has been solved.

12 people found this helpful.
13,095

Great tip! Here are some links about that problem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVxOQTSPyGY https://www.google.com/search?q=pgm- fi+main+relay&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUK Ewjhu5L20OrJAhXDWCYKHSH- DEoQsAQIJg&biw=1024&bih=719#imgrc=_ http://honda-tech.com/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/pgm-fi- relay-bad-2544200/

11 people found this helpful.
60

Steve, did you ever have more issues after replacing the relay? I've had the same issue for the last 6 months. No real cause except it tends to do it more often when I try to start the car in the middle of the day. Its lime its not getting a signal to send fuel to the engine

6 people found this helpful.
80

I have this same problem. My 2000 Honda Accord V6 ex only has 84 thousand original miles. I bought this car from relatives in DE. The car is immaculate and has been taken very good care of. I was looking at the maintenance paperwork and saw that this problem had occurred around the 30 thousand mile mark, but was never diagnosed. I have cleaned the EGR valve, run several bottles of Sea Foam through the system. This seems to only happen when there is a huge swing in temps. Today is Febuary 9th and it was in the lower 40s yesterday, this am it was 29. By afternoon it was almost 60 and sure enough it started. I would drive the car smooth as can be. Stop for about 15 min or so come back out start the car, it would crank, but would not run. It is like it is starved of fuel. If I hold the gas down enough to keep it running it will finally keep running. It has given me an engine light in the past with all 6 cylinders misfireing. Today it done the same thing. This is the second time in about 2 weeks it has acted up before that it was over a year.

8 people found this helpful.
190

Update - 02/2018 - My car hasn't had this problem again since I changed the pgm-fi main relay.

7 people found this helpful.
50

I had that same problem and found the the coil fuse had burn marks on it ! Even Honda didnt know what was the problem ! It's a 15 amp fuse on the driver side fuse box ! I replaced it and have had no more problems with it !

5 people found this helpful.
10

I have a 2000 Honda Accord V6 I just bought about 2 months ago. It has 160k but the owner keep it in immaculate condition but it is 18 years old. Anyway about 2 days ago my maintenance light started flashing when I start up the car then goes off which I thought ok it’s probably time for an oil change. Then today I drove home from work and stopped at the store when I came back out I started the car but it died. So I tried a couple more times did the same thing. My first thought was fuel pump but now after reading all these things I am not sure. The other thing that I have seen in the last couple of days is the green key light has been on for a few seconds too. I guess I just need to go get it diagnosed

1 people found this helpful.
20

What is the main reaspn a honda.accofff would miss fire on all 6 cyclinders

2 people found this helpful.
30

tj...did you find out what your problem was...my car is doing the same thing

1 people found this helpful.
90

My car is a 2000 honda accord v6. i drove it out from Indiana to utah with no problems, then when trying to pull out of my uncles house the car died. now i can crank it, but nothing starts. so far ive checked the spark-plugs, checked the air sock,checked the valves and replaced the Main Relay. so far nothing has worked and my car has not been able to start. also when you turn the key, several red lights on the dash board will not go away including the brake light, battery light, and all of the open door lights, in the past that has always been a sign of a bad alternator connection, but it seems pretty clear that the alternator is working fine. it has 280 thousand miles on it, does anyone have any suggestions for what else to check?

9 people found this helpful.
20

Hi I have a 2000 honda accord it creak but when I cut it off it want creak back up can somebody help me I put new starter on it and I got distribution

1 people found this helpful.
20

Ended up replacing the head, and valves. ... wasnt real cheap, but I love this car. After this .. purchased another to have for parts ...... worth the investment.

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