Hi, I'm new to this forum and look forward to being part of it.

I need some help to solve a problem with my wife’s 1997 Honda CRV.

A few days ago (raining) she made it 5 KMs from home when the battery light and oil pressure light came on. When the lights came on, shes not sure if it stalled but could no longer accelerate and had to pull over (she coasted a few hundred feet while not responding to any throttle command). By the time she came to a stop, shes sure it was not running and it would not start (wouldn’t turn over). I arrived on the scene within 10 minutes and lo and behold, it started so I drove it home (battery and oil lights were off). I checked the voltage on the battery with it running and had more than 14.5 volts.

The next morning the darn thing didn’t start. It turned over and the oil pressure light was on.

The next day (not raining) it started and ran fine.

The next day (raining) it didn't start and hasn't started yet.

Here's what I've checked so far:

Oil level is ok.
Spark plugs are sparking.
Can hear the fuel pump humming for a few seconds when key turned on.
Comression check: #1 = 180 psi, #2 = 179 psi, #3 = 156 psi, #4 = 150 psi.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

well this is the strangest problem.

I decided to put a little gas down each cylinder. I turned it over and it seemed like it wasn't going to start, but after holding the gas pedal to the floor and cranking for almost 10 seconds it began to sputter and eventually started. So it's idling in the driveway now and I don't know what the issue is/was.
As a foot note, the rain has stopped.

Part of me thinks its an electrical issue, but I'm doubtful since I had spark yesterday while it was damp and raining. Part of me thinks it's a a fuel problem, but it should have died after the fuel from what i poured in was used.

I'd like to figure this out as I have very low confidence sending my wife with it since I didn't actually fix any thing yet...

Comments are welcome...

 

It's possible that it could be the Cam position sensor,when one goes it does what you are describing ,shutting off with out warning and then recranking minutes later,eventually it will no longer crank,take it to a dealer.

 

There is no cranking issue, it has always cranked when the key is turned to start. Would the cam position sensor only be at fault if it fails to crank?

 

The CPS usually fails when engine is running but can keep the engine from startin.

 

Status update:
I haven’t had time to see if the spark is blue or yellow (stron or weak), but after all kinds of other trouble shooting and trying to decide what action to take, here’s what happened:
After getting the car started a few days ago and starting and stopping it several times since, last night it started with no issues (weather was clear with no rain).
This morning, 12 hours later without the car having moved, it did not start (but turned over as usual). Guess what? It’s raining out. I now believe the problem is related to the rain/damp weather.
I’m planning to test the ignition coil and replace it if required. And, either way I’ll replace the distributor cap, rotor, wires and plugs.
Any thoughts?

(bucwheat, do you think the CPS can be acting up due to the dampness?)

 

Problem fixed, for anyone interested, here’s what I did to complete my troubleshooting. Got the car running on a dry day and sprayed a little water on the distributor cap. Within a few seconds I saw some arcing from the cap then the car died. Changed the cap and rotor and she’s good to go.

 

That was going to be my next quess,a crack in the distributer cap.Glad you found it.