No start EX

[trebor1652]

Parked the car last Saturday and it stayed on the drive until Monday mid morning.
Got in the car, pressed the start button and the engine turned over, but no sign of the engine firing. My thought was no spark. Tried again and again no start. Called the local dealer and they recommend I call Honda assist. Twenty minutes later and Mr AA turned up. He asked how what when etc. He sat in the car and kept the start button pressed, the car almost started, second time the car started.
His diagnosis, flooded engine? Why? It had sat there for 36hrs. Anyway it has been ok since.
I will mention it when it goes in for service in October.
By the way, Mr AA said to press the accelerator hard to the floor as it weakens the mixture (if it happens again).
Never in 50 years of motoring have I had a flooded engine.
Good fun these computers that we drive now a days.

Sent from my XT1039 using Tapatalk

[Skyrider]

Take a look at the "Starting issues" thread on page 2

https://clubjazz.org/forum/index.php?topic=8930.0

[andruec]

Mine often seems a bit unhappy during the winter months but I had an instance a month ago where it struggled to start. It's not done it since though :-/

[Skyrider]

The AA guys advice to me was "If you can avoid it do not stop a cold engine". More likely in winter?

[andruec]

The AA guys advice to me was "If you can avoid it do not stop a cold engine". More likely in winter?

Seems unlikely. It gets driven 12 miles then parked in an insulated garage overnight. Then it struggles to start even though I've never seen it show anything lower than 10 degrees. Another 12 mile drive and it gets parked in a car park for eight hours yet starts fine almost all the time even though it's a lot colder and wetter.

I currently suspect condensation. Parked in a garage there's less airflow so a cooling engine will presumably get more condensation on it. Also the two or three times it's struggled a bit in the evening have been relatively warm but misty evenings. Less wind so again, less airflow.

But then there's a courtesy car I borrowed that struggled to start after being parked on my driveway for five hours having been driven 20 miles to my house from the dealer. It remains a mystery :-/

[culzean]

I currently suspect condensation. Parked in a garage there's less airflow so a cooling engine will presumably get more condensation on it. Also the two or three times it's struggled a bit in the evening have been relatively warm but misty evenings. Less wind so again, less airflow.

But then there's a courtesy car I borrowed that struggled to start after being parked on my driveway for five hours having been driven 20 miles to my house from the dealer. It remains a mystery :-/

You must live in the UK equivalent of the 'Bermuda Triangle'

The main thing condensation would affect is the spark, and the coil packs are well sealed and only high voltage is within the pack as the electrical plug on the coil pack only carries 12VDC feed from ECU.

[Jocko]

Unless it's moisture on the plug insulators?

[andruec]

The symptoms are that the engine turns over for couple of seconds and when it eventually starts it then runs at very low RPM for a couple of seconds before rising to normal idle revs. Occasionally it just stalls out on the low RPMs.

A second attempt to start results in a normal 'summer' start - almost immediate ignition and idling.

I've tried switching the ignition on and leaving it for a few seconds to see if the fuel system needed priming but it didn't help.

The dealer couldn't find anything in the diagnostics but admitted that they wouldn't get any error codes unless the engine wouldn't start. All in all the only thing I can say for sure is that it has something to do with winter weather :-/

[Skyrider]

I doubt if ambient temperature is a problem in our mild temperate climate.

https://justinpritchard.ca/honda-making-it-work-in-the-cold/

[andruec]

I doubt if ambient temperature is a problem in our mild temperate climate.

https://justinpritchard.ca/honda-making-it-work-in-the-cold/

Indeed, that's why I suspect something moisture related. I mean there's only really three things that make winter different to summer when starting a car:

* It's often dark (for a commuter).
* It's colder.
* It's damper.

The first seems an unlikely factor. I agree that the second is unlikely (esp. since the car starts fine from the office car park but is unhappy in my relatively warm garage). So that really only leaves water.

I think the Mass Airflow Sensor has been suggested before and makes the most sense but I believe that several of us here have now experienced this so unless Honda bought a job lot of slightly duff sensors that seems unlikely. Although a bad MAS should also impact performance and economy and that appears not to be the case for me.

So as was suggested a few posts back the other common factor appears to be my house with my office car park only rarely being a cause :-/

[Skyrider]

Even if you put the car in your garage wet the engine would be hot and dry.

[andruec]

Even if you put the car in your garage wet the engine would be hot and dry.

Initially yes, but as it cools I assume condensation will form in some places. Maybe.

[culzean]

Even if you put the car in your garage wet the engine would be hot and dry.

Initially yes, but as it cools I assume condensation will form in some places. Maybe.

Due to lack of air flow a garage will trap any moisture that evaporates from the car in the air,  it probably won't take long for the car to cool down to ambient,  and as the ambient drops overnight the cooling air will not be able to hold as much moisture as warm air and the equivalent of dew starts to form which will condense on everything.  You could quickly prove if it is the moisture or not by hiring a de-humidifier (although you can get cheap ones),  a refrigerant one will work down to about 5degC but at lower temperature the dessicant ones work better but cost more to run.  If this works and you think it is worthwhile buying one (can get a decent one for less than £100) a bonus is that as well as drying the air the dehumidifier warm it up (they get heat from the motor and from latent heat of condensing water) so your garage will be both drier and warmer,  and your car will not rust so much.

[Skyrider]

I never put my car into my garage wet, it makes my tools go rusty. I doubt if it does the car any good either.

[Jocko]

Take it you seldom use your garage?