[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Now, what are the symptoms of a petrol engine not having compression?
What are the chances of the engine losing compression four days after a glitch-free 50km trip to Mumbai?
Is the diagnosis correct?
If yes, what are the damages I am looking at?

I would say it is extremely rare for an engine to lose compression overnight to the point where that would be the cause for not starting. Easy enough to check, do a compression check. Simple check, take out the spark plug, put a compression meter on, crank and check the readings.

I suspect something else. Preferably hook it up to an OBD reader to see if there are any fault codes. Or start with the real basics
- ensure properly charged battery
- ensure spark plugs are actually sparking
- ensure fuel gets to the injectors.

If that all checks out ok, I would check the crank shaft sensor. You need to check the Honda specific forums to find where it is. If you google for Honda Accord not starting you will find a lot of posts with various pointers, seems certain Accord have a long history of electrical problems with fuel relais but also ignition switch and some other parts.

Good luck
Jeroen

[honeybee]

Hmmm unfortunately none of the tests can be carried out on the spot and the only option would be to tow the car to a Honda service centres. Today being Sunday they may not even be open.

[honeybee]

Have called up Honda roadside assistance, the guy took down my details and said I shall get a call from one of the service centres in another 10 minutes.

[hellmet]

Not sure if this works on cars, but a simple compression test for a motorcycle is to remove the spark plug, put your thumb on the plug hole and crank. If you dont feel any pressure when doing so, it could be a compression issue. When cranking, you should feel sufficient pressure kick back. Better would be to buy a compression tester if the car is out of warranty and you have DIY intentions.

[honeybee]

No DIY intentions on the engine matters, shall place my faith in a Honda Service Centre and see what they come up with.

The Roadside assistance will be sending a flatbed to take the car to Hallmark Honda, Wagle Estate, Thane.

Towing charges Rs. 4500.

[khoj]

In case you are so inclined I could point out a couple of guys in Thane who routinely look after similar vehicles. These guys run their own garages but nothing like the H.A.S.S. kind of setup.

Originally Posted by honeybee

No DIY intentions on the engine matters, shall place my faith in a Honda Service Centre and see what they come up with.

The Roadside assistance will be sending a flatbed to take the car to Hallmark Honda, Wagle Estate, Thane.

Towing charges Rs. 4500.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by khoj

In case you are so inclined I could point out a couple of guys in Thane who routinely look after similar vehicles. These guys run their own garages but nothing like the H.A.S.S. kind of setup.

That would be great. Do they have expertise in the Accords or the Honda vehicles? Do they have the necessary equipment and knowledge to diagnose or troubleshoot such problems? Then I would definitely be interested.

[theMAG]

Check if the coil packs are OK - they can die without prior warning. The car will appear to have lost cylinders if the coil pack has well, packed up.

If you also happen to get a Check Engine warning, get the car necessarily diagnosed at a tech savvy garage that has/knows how to use an OBD scanner to diagnose/fix any error codes being generated by the ECU.

[bravismah]

Check if any of the ignition coil is gone. If so then the car will vibrate very hard due to misfiring of plug sequence. Normally only one coil would have gone bad which is also rare.

[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by honeybee

Last week my Accord wouldn't start. On turning the ignition the engine seemed to crank, but didn't start. Also the car vibrated a lot as if someone was shaking it violently.

@Honeybee

It seems very unlikely that the engine will lose compression overnight.
Pls. avoid going to HASS for a 13 year old car and paying close to Rs. 5K just as towing.

You could get the car moving well within the 5K you will end up paying just for towing.

Contact Mark Premji on Old Agra Road. They have a decent garage with the required personnel.
Additionally, you can contact him on 022-6510-8000.
You can refer my name if need be- (Arnab Chakrabarti, Wagon R). PM me if you need more details.

@ Mods: I am not related to Mark in any way and just wanted to help out a fellow Bhpian. No ulterior motives here

This looks like a case of ignition coil going kaput. Had this problem with my Ikon and a simple Rs. 1.2 K fix ensured that the car was up and running.
Try to source the Taiwan coils against the cheaper Chinese counterparts.

If you can get the OEM, that would be the best bet.

[khoj]

arnabchak has already provided the information. There are a couple of other guys too but their set ups are poorer than Mark's.

Originally Posted by honeybee

That would be great. Do they have expertise in the Accords or the Honda vehicles? Do they have the necessary equipment and knowledge to diagnose or troubleshoot such problems? Then I would definitely be interested.

[honeybee]

Hey guys, thanks for all the help! Unfortunately the die has been cast, so right now I amgping to wait and watch how this unfolds. Needless to say moving the car out in its present condition means paying for towing charges again.

The car was towed to Hallmark Honda at Wagle Estate, Thane on a flatbed last evening. A service advisor called me today and told me the fuel in the car was bad. He quoted 7k all in all for a new fuel filter, removing the fuel tank, empty it, clean it, refill it, clean the fuel lines, injectors and spark plugs.

The filter will take a week to arrive as they don't have the part in stock.

Yes, does seem costly, but looking at the brighter side, getting this all done should give a few trouble free years. Also the car is securely parked for a couple of weeks!

Buying a used car with a low mileage should now be accompanied with the cleaning of the fuel system too.

PS: There was no check engine light when this trouble started.

[honeybee]

An update received from the workshop: After putting in a new fuel filter and cleaning the fuel injectors and tank (not necessarily in that order), the car ia now good. I also asked the guys to look at one or two other minor issues. I shall get the car on Monday. Will post update later on the work.

[hrbheda]

Originally Posted by RSR

Do keep us updated.

I gave the car to the HASS on Tuesday. I was with him the whole day when they opened up the instrument cluster and related parts.

Removed all connectors and used some contact cleaner on everything. Even checked the wiring loom using a multimeter. Everything was okay.

Got the car back the next day since I didn't wait for them to re fit everything.
I told him let me check if this has worked before proceeding to re-program the keys.

One thing I noticed - not once did the problem occur at their premises.

Let's hope this did the trick.!!

[stable rock]

Originally Posted by hrbheda

I gave the car to the HASS on Tuesday. I was with him the whole day when they opened up the instrument cluster and related parts.

Removed all connectors and used some contact cleaner on everything. Even checked the wiring loom using a multimeter. Everything was okay.

Got the car back the next day since I didn't wait for them to re fit everything.
I told him let me check if this has worked before proceeding to re-program the keys.

One thing I noticed - not once did the problem occur at their premises.

Let's hope this did the trick.!!

Hi, Is the issue sorted now? My Elantra have a similar issue and it is in the HASS now? For the same issue i had replaced the Smartra last year but of no use. Please update