1999 Honda Accord Engine dies

Tiny
GOTTSM00
  • MEMBER
  • 1999 HONDA ACCORD
  • 4 CYL
  • AWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 191,000 MILES
My engine will stumble and die. It will go for sometimes 2 days working fine and then suddenly stall. Seems to happen most often after driving for 5-10 minutes, shutting off for 10-30 minutes and then upon restarting will die within a minute. Once it dies it tries to start but sounds like ignition timing is off. After cooling for a while (the longer it cools usually means it will run longer) it will restart barely, run for a mile, and die again if it hasn't sat long enough or most times perfectly after completely cooled. It has never died and not restarted after sitting overnight. I have repalced Map sensor, ignition coil, ignition module, dist. Cap, wires, plugs, main fuel relay, and when it dies and won't restart I can hear the fuel pump kick on for it's two second pressurization when I turn key to "run" position. It is showing a code for catalytic convertor but I don't beleive that would cause car to stall out (doesn't run long enough for ccatalytic convertor to get hot and create too much back-pressure) My thoughts are learning towards the non-replacable crankshaft sensor inside the distributor but it's not throwing a code for that?
Monday, May 17th, 2010 AT 10:11 AM

7 Replies

Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Hi gottsm00,

Thank you for the donation.

When engine stalled, did the dash indicator lights come on?

There was a safety recall for the ignition switch which causes the symptoms described.

The other possibility is a failing fuel pump that intermittently fails when heated up.

It could also be due to a bad connection that fails after heating up.

When engine could not be started,
1. Test for sparks at the plugs to confirm if it is a spark ignition fault.
2. Test the fuel pressure to confirm if it is at fault.
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Sunday, February 19th, 2017 AT 2:09 PM
Tiny
GOTTSM00
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  • 4 POSTS
It is not the ign switch (blower motor works and dash lights stay on). And, my question said that the fuel pump is doing it's two second pressurization so that would supply enough fuel for the car to start and run for at least a few seconds. Will the crankshaft sensor in the distrubutor intermitently fail without throwing a code?
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Sunday, February 19th, 2017 AT 2:09 PM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
It is not likely for the cranksensor to intermittently fail without triggering a trouble code.

To confirm, test if sparks are available when engine could not be started.
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Sunday, February 19th, 2017 AT 2:09 PM
Tiny
GOTTSM00
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
It is getting spark although it often seems like temporarily the ignition timing is not set correctly. It tries to fire but doesn't buck/stumble, etc. If the engine does restart it will idle Ok most times but will stumble, shudder, die when attempting to rev. That's what lead me to suspect the distributor crank sensor but I have no experience with that component. Trying to find out if it can momentarily fail and then "reset" when cooled? Or, is that a symptom of a failing fuel pump? I can hear the fuel pump pressurize when listening with the gas cap off. When driving the engine dies so quietly that I sometimes don't notice until I feel the car slowing down.
Thanks!
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Sunday, February 19th, 2017 AT 2:09 PM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
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Under such circumstances, the best way to go about is to retrive the freeze frame data to check the overall system.

You might have a faulty PCM or its wiring. Check the ground circuits to ensure they are clean and secure, especially the one on the intake manifold.
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Sunday, February 19th, 2017 AT 2:09 PM
Tiny
GOTTSM00
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How do I go about rtrieving the freeze frame data? Never heard of that.
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Sunday, February 19th, 2017 AT 2:09 PM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Since no trouble codes are triggered, you might not be able to get the freeze frame data. However if you have a scanner plugged, you might be able to monitor the various sensors to determine if they are working within specs when the engine could not be started.

Replacing parts on a trial and error basis is rather expensive and time consuming. Getting the correct scanner to read the raw data would be the better option.
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Sunday, February 19th, 2017 AT 2:09 PM

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