1986 Honda accord pgm-fi light is on. starts up fine when cool. drive for a hour it will not restart, must wait 20mins to start. starter spins over fine. temp guage looks on the cool side. replaced the main relay no luck.

I would definitely start with a pgm-fi relay they are prone to failure.
they are however tucked way up under the dash

rotary air control valve

pedal pressure? the throttle sticks< OPEN?
ive never ever seen a post ever for pedal pressure,
what does that mean? im clueless here, and sounds very scary.
to any mech. after all, throttle valves failures, can be man killers.
so.....???
when failed does the engine crank over full speed with the starter?
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr fail to start.
that normal sound of a good starter, yes?

is this an intermittent problem only?

NO start, ? (cranks robustly)
no, lets start at step one.
1: check all fuses. in both fuse boxes.
2: are the Headlamps working at full brightness.
3: does all the normal dash cluster lamps glow , key on.
Charge, Brake , Check engine lamp> all glow, if not, stop.
4: spark got spark at all cylinders, (a test)
my guess is engine is flooding, (smells) and is due to
lost spark.
ever do the 60k mile tuneup this decade?


this very old car has relic, warnings, back then.
non standard.

the PGM-FI is early name for CEL, check engine
on this engine you must find the ECU (PGM-FI box)
and see the LEDs on the side.
they can be made to blink secret codes. errrors
these errors will be key to diagnosis, i bet.

here is the clue
http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-c9084_ds477362

the cars FSM book covers how to diagnose no starts
or no cranks.

there is a fuel injection module under the dash.if you,remove the module and check the circuit board it will have broken solders in it. our shop has fixed alot of those..a hayne smanual will show you how to take it out....sorry i do not reply.

check the main fuel relay. it should click when the PGM-FI light does. if you don't hear the click it is not suppling power to several systems that make the car start and run.

Where is the main relay
located on the Accord? Why doesn't my Honda or Acura start sometimes? The main relay is famous for stranding people for a few minutes usually in a parking lot in hot weather. The problem is so common that it's been coined the "petrol station fuel relay" from fuel station attendants. The technical name for the main relay is PGM-EFI Main Relay Assembly. PGM stands for programmed, EFI stands for Electronic Fuel Injection

ok is agood idea, but what if it still comes on so you better contact electrician before you do that.thak you

scan it first

Check the main relay-PGM-FI Main Relay, called a fuel injector relay(a gray little box with a plug at the end). To make sure it is a bad relay, do this: Turn the key to II, listen for a humming sound from behind you. It is a fuel pump working. You should hear a click under the dash after it. It is a main relay click . If you do not hear a click, you car will not start. If you do hear a click, you car will start.
Fix is to take the relay out, resolder the joints and put it back in. Go on www. MarkLamond.co.uk and http://techauto.awardspace.com both sites will show you how to resolder the main relay and where it is located if it is the PGM-FI Main relay.

First have a qualified Technician find out what code is stored in the PGM FI system.