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your Honda won't start or it randomly
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dies while driving no warning just
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silence nine times out of 10 especially
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with older Hondas it's the
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P.G.M f i main relay acting up hey folks
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I'm Tom and you're watching Car Justify
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i've been turning wrenches for over 20
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years and this one's a classic Honda
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problem that still trips up a lot of
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folks so here's the deal that P.G.M
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f do I relay stands for programmed fuel
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injection is basically the middleman
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between your ignition switch and your
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fuel pump when it fails your engine gets
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no fuel and bam no start now the most
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common symptom is your car cranks but
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doesn't fire up especially after it's
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been sitting in the heat heat causes the
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solder joints inside the relay to expand
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and crack over time when that happens
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the circuit inside breaks and the fuel
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pump doesn't get the message to kick on
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you might also notice your engine
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cutting off while you're driving then
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magically starting again later like
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nothing happened that's another classic
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sign the relays going out it's
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unpredictable and frustrating but the
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fix is actually pretty
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simple first don't panic this is a
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beginnerfriendly repair if you're
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comfortable with basic tools you'll
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usually find the relay under the dash to
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the left of the steering column tucked
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up in the fuse box area it's a small
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gray or black box marked main relay you
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can swap it out in under 30 minutes just
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unplug the old one plug in the new one
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and you're good to go if you're not sure
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it's the relay here's a tip turn your
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key to the on position and listen for a
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click followed by a short hum no sound
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another way to check is with an OBD
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scanner on board diagnostics but
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honestly with this specific issue you
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might not get a code at all that's why
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this one throws folks off feels
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electrical but it doesn't always show up
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digitally if you're handy with a
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soldering iron you can even crack open
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the old relay and resolder the joints
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yourself but a new relay is usually
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cheap 20 to 30 bucks and a lot less
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so if your Honda's playing dead or
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randomly cutting off like it's haunted
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P.G.M f do I relay first it's often the
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culprit and fixing it might save you
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from chasing down way more expensive
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parts that's it for today quick and
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simple fix that can save you a tow truck
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call if this helped you out go ahead and
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hit that like button and subscribe for
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more real world car fixes no fluff catch
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you next time on Car Justify
