Dangerous Problem

[Robin]

Hey guys i really need advice on a problem that is potentially very dangerous.

My lovely beat is having a bit of a problem at the moment and i cant work out what its related to.

Here is what happens. My car is fitted with a Centurion Carguard Imobiliser, and it seemed to be ok but i was pulling away from the traffic lights and it cut out. I tried to restart it and all the electrics were on but all it did was turn over and it refused to fire up. The only way i could get it to start was to remove the key and the fob that activates the imobiliser, let the imob re-arm then disarm it and it will be fine. I spoke to the guy who fitted the imob and he said it wasnt the imob but possibly a circuit heating up and by waiting for the imob to re-arm the circuit is given time to cool down?
Any ideas??

[Midship]

Sounds like the same thing that happened to mine.. once the car was warm the main relay got warm and sometimes the car would cut out and wouldnt start again for a min or two.

I thinks its a common beat problem, i know of a few beats that needed a main relay replacement.

Maybe this could be the problem and the immobiliser is working fine as that chap said. If you need any advice on how to fit one or the part number just ask

HTH;)

[Robin]

I need all the advice i can get please.
Part numbers and how to fix it.
i am a complete novice and have no idea what to do.
is it expensive?
Thanks so much for your help.

[adrianp]

Hi Robin,

I'll agree with John on this one, it sounds like the fuel pump relay is on it's way out... Though it doesn't usually cut out once working, it normally just doesn't re-start if hot...

Mine will do this every now and again during the summer but luckily hasn't done it lately (have I spoke too soon???)

The relay is situated just above the ECU which is behind the document box, behind the passenger seat.

Unfortunately you have to dismantle quite a bit of trim to get to it but once apart is quite easy to do.

Either John or Steve M will be able to give you part numbers and approx prices, Steve (working in a dealership) could probably get you one if needed.

Hope this helps

Adrian.
:bounce:

[Adam]

Here is what they are talking about.

[Dave]

Hi Robin,

I second everything mentioned here - it really is worth replacing the relay if thats what it turns out to be.

I was quite worried before I replaced mine as I know very little about cars (computers is another matter :rolleyes: ).

As Adrian mentioned there is some trim to remove to get behind the passenger seat document box, but once thats out of the way the relay is straight in front of you. A 2 second job to pop out - really.

Give it a go - seriously it is not hard to do!

If you need any help / advice let us know.

Best of luck.

Regards,
Dave

[Robin]

I really appreciate the help all you guys give. Its nice to have a car that has a real community behind it.

I am getting the fuel pump relay tomorrow so if someone could post instructions on how to remove the trim and all that sort of stuff i waould really be greatful.

Once again thanks for everything

:p

[adrianp]

Hi Robin,

How much did your relay cost you???

Since mine does it now and again, I really ought to think about getting one.

Adrian.

[Robin]

Hi Adrian,
the relay was £43. Does your's do it all the time? its just that mine hasnt done it for the last 2 days and i was just wondering if that was normal or if we had mis-diagnosed the problem?:confused:

[Midship]

Mine was only an intermitting problem, it would give me trouble then be ok for a while then do the same thing again.

Normally when you start your car you should hear the fuel pump for a sec and then the orange engine management light should go off. The next time your car wont restart listen and see if you car hear the fuel pump for a couple of seconds when you turn the ignition on, if you cant hear the fuel pump kick in its almost certainly your main relay causing the problem. That’s how I made sure it was my main relay that was gone before I went out and bought me a new one

I believe it’s the solder inside the relay that gets too hot. I gave my old one to Adam (he’s a wizard with electronics) he’s going to fix it and put it in his beat. If he has any luck fixing my old one maybe we could eventually get an exchange going for people in the site with the same problem-just a thought

HTH

[Adam]

I did do it JohnD and it is working fine now. Althou I found that by buying a new one your not really fixing the problem as the fault is with the design. So I drilled lots of vents into the cover so it doesnt heat up as much now.

[Midship]

Hi Robin

Has your Beat acted up since? I had my main relay out earlier. If you want to change it heres how to go about doing it...

1. Unscrew the four screws holding the tape holder/sub and remove it
2 there’s one screw holding the panel beside the driver’s seat and one on the passenger side (the panel the seat belt goes through) the panel should then clip out.
3. Unscrew the four screws that the hood cover clip on to and remove the panel
4. Finally unscrew the four screws holding the compartment behind the passenger seat.
5. Pull the carpet back and the main relay is the grey thing in front of you. Simply click out the old one and pop in a new one.

If you need pictures on how to do it.. Give me a shout and ill take a few.
:D

[Robin]

Hi John I would love some pictures if its not too much trouble. I am a bit of a novice at this. All the help I get is greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Robin

[Midship]

Here you go robin hope this is some help
:D

[Midship]

pic one

Unscrew these four screws

[Midship]

Pic two
undo this screw and clip out this panel on both sides

[Midship]

pic three

[Midship]

pic four

Undo the four screws holding on the compartment behind the passenger seat. pull down the carpet and theres the main relay

[Midship]

I drilled holes in mine to stop the build up of heat inside melting the solder. Good idea Adam!!

[Robin]

Cheers for that John.
Ill let you kow how it goes when Honda eventually get the part in
;)

[Robin]

Ok i took the relay out of the car, took it apart, showed it to a tech guy i work with and we both decided that the solder joints looked absolutely sound so we didnt resolder them. i then drilled lots of holes in the cover and put it back in.

I drove it home, turned it off and then tried to restart it and the same thing happened....it started up and then died.

One thing i did notice was that when i turned the electrics on i heard the fuel pump work i then turned the car on, it started, died and then when i tried again to restart it the fuel pump wouldnt kick in.

Do i need a new fuel pump relay or is there maybe something wrong with the ECU?

Please help im pulling my hair out over this one.
Cheers
Robin
:help: :confused: :help:

[Steve_M]

You heard the fuel pump prime the system, but when you went to start it it does not mean that the pump continued to run, thats why it runs for a few seconds as it uses the fuel pressure then stalls, and as you say when you tried to restart it you did not hear the fuel pump.

Just put a new relay on it, its worth the £50 to save you the hassle.

Just because the soldered joints look ok, it does not mean that the contacts in the actual relay are ok, i never thought that the prob was 100% soldered joints anyway, not in my experiance of the Fuel pump relay problem.

HTH

[Adam]

I agree,

They could look fine but they might not be. Its called "dry joints". Just go once over with a soldering iron.

[Midship]

Hi Robin

My solder looked fine and exactly the same thing was happening, the holes drilled in the cover wont fix the problem but might give the new one a longer life.

Pop in the new one then see

[Robin]

Thanks guys i will do. Honda have finally got a delivery date for the part. I ordered it about a month ago and they think it will be in on the 26th of April. Do u think drilling holes in the new cover is worth it or shall i not bother?

[Adam]

I was just looking around and I came across this article bout the relay heat problems.

http://techauto.tripod.com/heat.htm

http://techauto.tripod.com/mainrelaysolder.htm

[Robin]

I got my new main relay and i fitted it on saturday.
I am very pleased to say that it is now perfect and works every time i turn the key.
I cant tell you how nice it is to not have to orry about being syuck in traffic any more.
I got a few mods planned for my beat and ill let you know as each one takes place
Cheers
Robin