streaky

Well my experience of the main relay fault previously was the not starting when hot symptom (I.E. start the car cold, fine. Drive to destination, stop car, restart car - no go.) I'd not come across any interference on the fuel pump before before but going to be investing in a spare relay now just in case!

WE HAVE IGNITION! Seems to have solved it - hopefully for good this time. I'm going to get another "just in case" as no telling how good a soldering job we've done. Thanks for the help chap

Thanks NIK. OK got the relay, was just under the fuse box as you said. No obvious signs of wear or issues with the solder connects on the back but its being resoldered as we speak... Shame no one nearby I can try swapping with! I should add that since the issues last week BOTH keys have successfully been used in the car. I am going to try euro's for a main relay tomorrow but doubt they will stock one.

Neither key working now. I did think it may be immobilizer related last week after swapping keys solved the problem. Couple of friends in the know suggest it might be the main PGM-FI relay - which also crossed my mind especially with the heat we've been having lately. My haynes manual isn't much helpa s it seems to be mainly integra/crv based. Can anyone tell me where to find it please?

HI Boys and girls, I need some help I am afraid as we have a perplexing issue. Car in question is a 1999 MC2 Aerodeck VTi We had a starting issue approximately 5 weeks ago - car would try to turn over but wouldn't fire. Even a push start was no good (but had fuel as could smell it coming from the exhaust.) After some simple tests we decided it was ignition related as the spark seemed very weak. I replaced the dizzy cap, rotor arm and ignition coil as leads all seemed OK and the plugs only about a year old. Put her back together, started first time. Now last week we went to start it and it wouldn't fire - similar symptoms. Car would turn over but not ignite. We figured maybe the coil was a duff one (Euro's finest) so swapped it under warranty, inspected everything and all looked well, spark was strong but STILL not starting. Then we realised the fuel pump wasn't priming when turning the ignition on. We investigated further, checked fuses etc and the fuel cut-off switch hidden behind the dash. Everything seemed to be in order. At least we confirmed the ignition was not at fault and it was a lack of fuel causing the issue. We got to the point of removing the cover form the fuel pump to test some voltages - we had voltage on the connector but not at the top of the pump. Just about to order a new fuel pump when I thought "lets just try the spare key" and lo and behold we started first time! Car has been running fine all week until today - we now seem to have the same issue. Fuel pump is not priming upon ignition "on" and as such not starting. I have a new pump on order but wondered if anyone else had any suggestions!? I don't really want to have to remove the pump if i can avoid it! Any help graciously received.

Having looked at your plans... i'd honestly say just buy a rough VTi and use this for parts. It WILL be cheaper and a lot less hassle! Still nice to be keen - best of luck

Thanks chap -I certainly hope so! Once its on the exterior is done bar some wind deflectors, give my bank balance a chance to recover too!

Brakes on! Handbrake is seemingly knackered on one side so looks like its's going to be a new caliper in the not too distant future. Honda rear calipers are truely awful, all 6 of my Civic's have suffered the same fate! Still got the fronts to do and some caliper paint to apply but that can wait for another day. Been a busy weekend! Rear ARB droplinks arrived so I just need to get round to refurbing and fitting that, then the VTI-S kit is next on the to do list (just need to find someone who will paint them for beer money! )

And finally a package arrived this morning... could be more updates on the cards soon

So a little update! As you may have read elsewhere I had an exhaust fail in true Honda style and snap behind the backbox. The boggo system is rubbish anyway and pattern parts are usually made of chocolate, so I decided it was time to upgrade. As there are very few "off the shelf" options for the Aerodeck - I decided to visit LongLife in Basingstoke for a stainless custom catback. As the VTi is my baby-chariot both noise and subtlety were an issue. Matt, the chief fitter, was very accommodating and I have to say his works top notch. Very happy and now I have a 2" internal stainless system, mated to the original CAT. I chose 2" over 2.25" primarily for noise reduction but the car still opens up very nicely and the subtle "Spoon" style tip is quite understated to. Anyway, some poor quality pics form the phone will have to do until she's clean again as it's embarrassingly dirty!

Only gone and bit the bullet... Very happy, I highly recommend them!

A Swiss-cheesed OEM box with a K&N filter... strange as the last owner was an old giffer! At some point it will get changed.

Got under the car today - snapped at the back of the box. Common fault, certainly seen it on a few of my other Hondas over the years. Obviously no way to repair so it will be a replacement... looks like i'm just awaiting longlife to quote me (hopefully happy) and will go from there!

so ..... I have got the opportunity to purchase a ukdm dc2 b pipe, my current powerflow is loud, not really loud but can be a bit numbing on the old ear drums on long distances but does sound in vtec!! what i want to know is, is the DC2 b pipe noisy? i'll be keeping my custom Longlife back box which was built to mild sport spec. cheers Interesting - as I am just waiting for Longlife to call me back to confirm prices on a catback and just the backbox. How do you find their build quality? Never been a fan of custom exhausts really - but they seem to have a better reputation than most and Basingstokes only a few miles down the road.

Thanks guys. So the box and connecting pipe are the same, just the rear tip (as in after the box and backwards) towards the rear end is extended? Thats what I got from a quick look, but only got my piddly phone screen to look at atm!

Thanks for your input chaps. Somethings obviously gone as it's got worse in the last 24 hours. Need to get underneath and check it out. Looks like i will be restricted on budget though, but the above info has all been very helpful! Out of interest, any idea whats needed to make an MB6 backbox fit an MC2? I'm sure i can bribe one of our engineers with some beer money if it just a case of lengthening some pipe. Cheers

Thanks noodels. So just to clarify... an itr (uk) b-pipe is a straight swap for the OEM MC2 b-pipe? I guess as the UK teg uses a smaller bore than the jap, it also mounts up to the MC2 cat without messing around? Final question, are the hangers in the right place, or am I just hoping? If that all goes on no fuss, I could look at a custom backbox if necessary as noise is a concern now i'm old and have a baby to ferry around!

Well on the way to work this morning I noticed the all too familiar sound of a blowing exhaust! Seems my "to do" list is getting longer and longer and my wallet is getting emptier and emptier! Whilst it may just need some gum or a temporary repair I do like to keep my eyes peeled for a bargain. So my question (I searched but didn't have much luck) is what fits the MC2 off the shelf? I know manifolds are interchangeable between the various B18 engines but I'm talking mid-pipe and backbox. EG/DC/EK were all pretty much the same but knowing my luck the MC will be radically different. I would at some point like a subtle aftermarket one if i need to replace anything - so like to keep my options open if I can find what fits. Without actually looking to confirm... I guess an MB6 and MC2 mid pipe is the same but the MC2 backbox is longer? I know SuperSprint do a system for the MC2 but i'm not paying new prices, the exhaust would be worth more than the car!

That's very tastefully done, if only they all came like that!

Little update. Was in desperate need for some new boots so picked these up - some recently refurbed OEM Speedlines with decent tyres for a very good price Still smaller than I would like but 4x114 seems to be the most awkward size to find decent second hand wheels in! I WILL get round to doing the VTI-S kit soon, I promise. But looks like going to need to replace all 4 brakes first.

Blimey - been a while since an update. Still not got around ot painting the VTI-S kit or spoiler or even the grill! Moneys tight and I can't justify the cash right now, although I am tempted to get my rattlecans out and see how good a finish I can get myself.... I need to get in the garage and pull my finger out to sort out the rest of my bits! Anyway - a minor update. Headlight bulb went last week and I finally decided I should overhaul my headlights (another job i've been putting off!) No "in progress" shots I am afraid but a couple of comparison shots. Old on the car and new about to go on. New one in - still needs a polish though. Both in, need to adjust the bumper bar on the passenger side very slightly as the clearance is a bit off but you get the idea. For those interested, after removing the screws and using the oven to soften the sealant I pulled apart a pair of OEM headlights. I de-tangoed them by dismantling the headlight, removing the "orange" filter over the indicator and using silvertec indicators in place of the old plain ones. (Silver bulbs, flash orange) I painted the housing in gloss black - 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of colour - came out quite well but feasably you could paint them any colour. I then cleaned everything and reassembled (with help of the oven again) and then ran a fine bead of clear sealant around the joins just to help ensure the condensation doesn't get in. I also replaced all the bulbs whilst I was at it for new LED sidelights, silvatec indicators and Nightbreaker main beams. Updates the front end quite nicely IMO! I'll be updating again when I get around to cleaning and painting the other parts currently gathering dust!

The not starting whilst warm / will restart when cold is a typical sign of the main relay problem. Honda-Tech did have a guide written up somewhere, but its not hard to do. My advice - follow the above. Once finished, put a decent amount of fuel in, go for a blat up the local A roads for 20 minutes. My old EG was always a bit lumpy after sitting for a while in the cold, quick run used to sort it

Update... TIMPSONS are most definitely the place to go for replacement MB/MC keys. As "CrazyRob9999" pointed out £25 cut and coded. Thanks for the help chaps - hopefully this helps someone else out in the future

Edit - found this set of blanks on Ebay - not paying that much!!!! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-Accord- ... 589581b1c8

Hi all, not really a specific forum for this but it's about as close as I can get! My Aerodeck (Vti) came with 2 honda keys and the all important red key. However, Mrs Streaky managed to somehow bend our "main" key in the drivers lock! We managed to have a local fella get it flat again but obviously this will have put fatigue on the metal. Now somehow, Mrs Streaky managed to since lose the spare key! Meaning we have a only ONE weakened key and a potential timebomb on our hands with a car that we might not be able to get into or start! Having trawled the local cobblers/key cutters they have all said they cannot get hold of the suitable blank to get a new key cut. I don't see why they couldn't literally just do a "blank" key so at least we can open the doors with it, even if it will not start the car. Now the main issue with a replacement key is the transponder, which I imagine is linked to the ECU in order to prevent the car being started without the key. I don;t knwo for sure but I don't think it is linked to the central locking. The best of the local key cutters has said he can do me a copy IF i can provide him with the correct Honda spare. So I guess my question is... has anyone got any blanks or can they point me in the right direction? I'm in the process of being made redundant so not paying the £100+ Honda will charge us for a new one! Thanks in advance.