gymm
23-09-2013, 11:24 PM
My Beat was reluctant to start the other week and I suspected the ECU, but it was suggested to me it could be the fuel pump relay (Thanks to Steve_M and Tado). It was as Steve said if the engine light goes out and you hear the click it means the relay had primed the pump and it will fire up. If no click but the light goes out it won't have primed the fuel pump so it will turn over but won't fire (might burn residual fuel left for a split second). It did exactly that so I ordered a new one which had to come from Japan. It was estimating 4 weeks but came in less than 2. My Honda mechanic mate came over tonight to fit it. The picture sequence on here helped. My mate said Civic and Accord relays were the same but the fixing bracket on the Beat's was different and he could only see that when he took the old one off. He said Honda keep them fairly standard spec across their range. The old one had been fairly settled recently and apparently heat could cause soldering to break and contact lost until it cooled, making it work again. Must have been cool weather recently then! Alarmingly the old one rattled a bit inside..... He removed the passenger seat, some trim, had to remove the gear knob and tunnel cover...... all in less than a minute I reckon. He said cars of this era could be stripped in very little time unlike 2013 ones which may be able to self-diagnose faults but considerable effort needed to extricate the offending component. I asked him about the ECU and if it could cause problems of a similar nature. Not really. He said they are designed to keep a (Honda) going if faulty so as to get you home rather than totally fail. Sort of 'limp home mode'. He said you'd certainly know it was a problem but it 'should' be able to keep it going. Note 'should', not definitely will! Worth knowing..... The new relay was fitted in seconds and I watched carefully... I am an expert watcher lol. Fired up instantly when tested. Oh I love this car! My Beat is in really good condition for 22 years old. Rock solid underneath when we had it on the ramp. My mate said he could think of many other well known manufacturers whose 22 year old models wouldn't be in as good condition. Actually I can't think of any I'd want anyway lol :rolleyes:. The Beat is unique. If it's going to be dry tomorrow I'll be giving it a run...... Can't wait!