1989 Honda Prelude starting problem?

Question

I have a 1989 Honda prelude automatic 2.0 si i have been having starting problems my car will start then when i go into a store and come back out it wont turn on i have to sit in the car for up to a half hour til it will turn on at times it wont even turn on when it hasn't been turned on in a while i heard it may something called the main relay switch what is that and were is it at in my car? How much does it cost and is it something i have to take in for someone to put in or can i do it and how long does it take can you also tell me what it looks like so i know what i am looking for? When calling for the part what is the correct term is in Main relay switch? do you happen to know how much it cost? i want to thank you for you help

Also when i know that my car wont start its when i see that the check engine light is on and it wont go off till it goes off i know my car will turn on

Answer 1

The main relay is located under the dash near your left knee, attached to the fuse box. This is common with third gens, I know because I have two of them, a 90 and a 91.

If you have used a soldering iron you can fix it yourself. Just make sure that you have solder and the soldering iron because once this is out you wont be able to start your car at all.

All you do is:

Remove the 2 10mm bolts that hold the fuse box. Once that is down you will see a black box with a connector. Disconnect it and take out the box.

"Remove the plastic cover from the relay.You'll see the printed circuit board and all the solder points. Add a little solder to each making sure you melt the old solder."

Put everything back and you're good!
If you want to just buy one and avoid the hassle here's the part number:

1989-1991 Prelude 2.0Si, Si - 39400-SF1-013 RELAY ASSY., MAIN (RZ-0081) (4P) (MITSUBA)

Here is a website specifically for 3g preludes.

www.Preludepower.com
www.prelude3g.com

the latter is where you can find fixes for common problems. Very informative. It also has pictures for the procedure I just described.

Good luck! Preludes FTW!

Answer 2

when you go to a dealer, (and go to a dealer, not a parts store) ask for a main fuel cutoff relay. whomever makes them for honda made them bad for awhile and they tend to heat up and blow internally. this also happens in hotter weather, though it can happen anytime. just a flaw in that honda. it's under the dash near where your left knee would be when driving. PART # should be 39400-sf1-013. should be about $62.