Hi Forum Members,

I have a 1989 honda accord LX. After filling gas yesterday the car stopped running. I left the gas station and waited for the light. after crossing the light the car started to sputter and then stalled.

Now it wont start .... The engine turns over but wont start.

Any ideas on what the problem could be or how to troubleshoot the problem? my first instinct says no fuel to the engine . fuel pump?

Can someone please help .....

thanks

 

buy a haynes repair manual, that will show you how to troubleshoot alot of stuff that could be causing your problem, also is the car putting out any codes? if so post the codes cuz that will help to narrow down the possible causes and allow you to target specific components for troubleshooting. i believe autozone and advanced auto parts do freecode testing if you can somehow get the car there.

also, have you kept up with routine maintenance items that need to be replaced/checked over time?(i.e. timing belt, distributor cap and rotar, spark plugs and so on) if not this would be a good place to start.

and how many miles are on your car?

 

Oh my gosh a carb,,,,,,you need to find an old grey haired geezer to help you. LOL

Remove the breather, plug the vacum lines on the passengerside of the carb, the one on the drivers side is a vent don't worry about it.
Spray some carb cleaner into the carb while someone cranks the engine to see if it will try to run.
There is a sight glass on the drivers side of the carb, fuel level should be visible.
If not, you need to go listen thru the gas cap for fuel pump running the first few seconds when the key is turned on.
Should you hear the pump yet still have no fuel, there are 2 fuel filters, one is back by the rear driverside wheel, the other a small 'can' just before the carb in the red fiber gas line.
This is the first step to finding the problem.

 

So I went to the car today, we can not hear the hum of the pump ... opened the truck and listened and heard nothing. stuck my head in the back seat and heard nothing.

So now does that eliminate all other possibilities besides the fuel pump? and if so is the fuel pump easy to replace? I am not too inclined however can figure things out. Does the tank have to come down or can I pull up the back seat to access?

thanks for the help everyone.

cheers,

 

and also opened up the air cleaner cover ... someone cranked and I felt nothing and smelled no gas. Not sure if this means anything but thought I would mention it.

 

I am going to work on the car tomorrow. please chime in with your thoughts please.

thanks
Ronuk

 

Make sure there is power (12v) to the fuel pump electrical connector. If nopower, you could have a relay or fuse issue that is blocking power to the pump. If there is power, then fuel pump is bad.

Drain/siphon fuel to as near empty as possible. I suspectyou'll have to drop the fuel tank to access. Carefully support car on jack stands for access to fuel tank.

A repair manual will be helpful.

good luck

 

Do i have to drop the tank to test the fuel pump relay? I check the fuse 15a for the fuel pump but it's not blown.

 

That's why you need a manual. I don't know where the relay is located, but manual will tell. Relay should be either in underhood fuse box or under the dash somewhere, not in the fuel tank. Have you checked for power at the rear connector? No point in worrying about relay, if you have power at the rear fuel pump electrical connector.

good luck

 

the spoonhonda link in the Online Manuals thread in the DIY section has a shop manual for a 86-89 accord. There is a fuel cutoff relay in the engine bay fuse box that you can jump.

I think (am not sure though) that fuel relay should send power through the connector at the fuel sending unit. Look at page 11-72 through 78. On pg 78, the third wire (color not labeled) should get power when trying to crank the engine. You would not have to drop the tank to access the sending unit. If you determine that you have to replace the fuel pump, You will have to drop the tank to replace it.