TehMascot

First off let me start by saying that i've been a long time lurker and rarely ever post up new threads here, but I enjoy reading and can appreciate the knowledge that some of the more veteran posters here offer.

Having that said, here is my dilemma.

(Backstory First)

Last year I bought a 1997 Acura 2.2 CL Premium (all black leather interior, 5spd, power seats) from a co-worker. He had owned it for 2 year prior to me buying it and it had high mileage. He bought the car at 124k and in 2 years his commute from Winchester VA to DC and back made him rack up a shitton of miles in a relatively short amount of time. I wasn't too worried about it since it was all highway mileage, so paying 2500.00 for a car that has 209,000 miles wasn't a huge concern to me (especially since its a Acura). I drove this car with no problem and was slowly but surely replacing all the major parts on the car that needed replacing (tires, clutch, intake, brakes, etc..) life was good.. until my employer changed my working arrangements and my commute now consists of driving from Fairfax VA to Owings Mills MD and back daily. This is what I believe lead to the death of my car.

On April 4th, I drove up to Timonium MD from Fairfax to attend a Beer, Bourbon and BBQ festival with my GF and her best friend. I drove up there fine, but when I tried to leave, the car started up like it normally does, and I drove off. I got about 50 feet before the car sputtered out and stalled on me. The car cranks, but won't turn over.. figured maybe the battery died or something so I tried getting a jumpstart.. still nothing. One guy who helped me in the parking lot pulled a plug wire and tested for spark, and that was the problem, the distributor had died on me with no warning. To make a long story short, I got the car towed from Timonium MD to Falls Church VA where it currently sits. I replaced the plugs, the wires, the battery and the distributor. I now get spark, and the car started up and ran for a second.. but then it sputtered out and died again, and now all it will do is crank and not start up.

After scratching my head for a few weeks and scouring the internet for any/all answers I think i've singled out the problem (main fuel relay, or fuel pump). But I can't be too sure...I'm getting weary of spending so much time/money/effort on a car (read: Motor, 2.2L F-Series Single Slammer) that may or may not be worth it. This is where the crossroad comes into play.

I'm not sure as to what to do at this point..

do I:

1. Fix the Relay, pray to god that it'll work and continue driving the fucker until the wheels fall off?
2. Leave it broken, buy a Newer F22, re-build it and swap it in.
3. Leave it broken, but a Newer H22, re-build and swap it in.
4. Sell the non-running car complete on CL/VA/H-T/wherever for 1000.00 as-is
5. Donate to charity and take the tax write off?

Notes of Importance:

- I don't have a garage to work in.
- I have never re-built a motor, but I have participated in a few swaps.
- Funds are semi limited so it'll probably take a while to gather all the parts I need for a swap/rebuild


Having that said.. if you were in my shoes.. I'd probably ask you why the hell you were wearing my goddamn shoes :P .... then I'd ask what you all would do?

WALL-E

Swap it. You obviously have spent money on up-keep and maintenance so far. With a new motor, it will be a much more reliable car.

J. O. BUDS

which does NOTHING for his fuel issue...

change the relay and check for fuel pressure. if you dont have any fuel pressure then you know its your pump. im guessing hondas use in tank pumps, so if you have to get somebody else to do it id say youre gonna be out another $500.

thats still cheaper than a new engine and especially a new car.

TehMascot

you think a stock to stock F->F swap would be wiser? or should I attempt to hack together a H swap?

by what i've seen, the pump is under the rear seats.. at least they are in the civic.. not so sure about the CL. What sucks about this situation is that I know Honda Civic's like the back of my hand, but this is my first Acura, my First accord body, and my first F-series motor.. it's practically the same but almost completely different.

nomurstock

I had the same issue and it ended up been my main relay. In a vehicle that old the solder points in the relays tend to break. Pop your relay open and check your solder points and if you are good at soldering you can re-solder the points yourself. I did it and it and saved me some money. Good luck.

R. Danneskjöld

I say just take it in and get it fixed.

Atlantis

Main relay 50-60 at the dealership. one plug under the dash. I just had that problem on an f23, it was the main relay and a combination with an ignition switch.

TehMascot

I would... if the car would run on its own power.

Thanks for that advice.

Soldering is part of my daily activities so I'd say im pretty experienced with it.. I'll give it a shot.

I asked the same question on Honda-tech and people also recommended changing the fuel filter as well.. so i guess this weekend i'm going to put in a new main fuel relay, a new fuel filter and possibly a new ignition switch..

quick question though.. how would I diagnose a bad ignition switch? because the car DID start up once when I replaced the distributor so I'm thinking that the ignition might be ok.

TehMascot

oh and one more thing.. if I haven't implied it already.. I appreciate everyone's help so far. Once i get this car up, running and reliable again.. yall will probably see it in the FS section :P