Questions and Answers

Accord Starting Problems Q. Dear Mr. Ciulla, My name is Laura and I am from Ewing, NJ. I have a 1990 Honda Accord EX which I think is a great car, but lately have I been experiencing problems with it. When I go to start the car it won't start. The "sport" light flashes and the "check engine" light stays on.

The car first sounds like it is going to start but it won't turn over. My father seems to think that it is because of the computer chip, my boyfriend seems to think I need a new battery and new cables for the battery, and my mechanic doesn't seem to have any idea as to why my car is giving me such problems. I have noticed that it only seems to do this when it is hot outside, and it also seems that the engine gets extremely hot but the temperature indicator stays pretty much in the middle like it always is. Any advice will be well appreciated.

Thank you very much,
Laura

A. The best place to start is to extract the codes stored in the computer. You can extract the fault codes as follows:

1. Turn the ignition on.
2. Pull down the passenger side carpet from under the dashboard to access the ECU.
3. Observe the LED on top of the ECU.
4. The LED indicates a fault code by the blinking frequency. The LED can indicate multiple fault codes by blinking separate codes one after another.
   • Fault codes 1 through 9 are indicated by individual short blinks.
   • Fault codes 10 through 43 are indicated by a series of long and short blinks. One long blink equals ten short blinks.
   • Add the long and short blinks together to determine the fault code.
5. By connecting the two terminals of the check connector (located on passenger side under dashboard) with a jumper wire, the "CHECK" engine light will flash the same fault code(s) as the ECU LED. Don't forget to remove the jumper wire when you are done extracting the fault code(s).
6. Note the fault code(s).

You can find out what the codes mean in my Trouble Shooting Section. Also, my article on Honda Main Relays may be of interest to your mechanic.

Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA

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