Q: 03 Honda Accord EX which starts, shakes, then dies, yet when restarted cranks up just fine and runs. Ideas??

asked by on May 30, 2017

My 2003 Honda Accord EX V6 AT that for the past 3 weeks when started, regardless of hot or cold, will have to turn over for longer than normal. When finally started tho it will shake, rather badly, then die. However, when I attempt to restart it immediately following this it will start right up and run fine. I have been throwing a code for a few months now referencing my catalytic converter and how there is excessive carbon build up within it. I don't know if that matters, but thought I would inform you. Any potential ideas, theories or causes you can think of?

My car has 160000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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My first guess is that you may have a leaking fuel injector. When an injector is leaking from the tip, there is no visible sign. When you shut off the engine, the tip of the injector will drip into the intake manifold and the fuel will puddle in the bottom. When you re-start the car, it will immediately flood the engine and cause it to behave badly until the accumulated fuel is burned off. In your case it chokes off completely. When you re-start, most of the accumulated fuel is burned off so the engine lights right up. Often an injector that leaks in this way will not effect the way the car runs once it gets going. The test for this starts with checking the "rest" fuel pressure when the engine is off to see how fast it leaks down. Now there are some other possibilities, like a vacuum leak or a bad sensor in the system, and you can have these checked out at your convenience by contacting Your Mechanic. They can send a technician to your home or office to check out your Honda and advise you about what should be the solution.

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