1992 Honda Prelude 1992 Honda Prelude dies out when driving

Tiny
JET1000
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  • 1992 HONDA PRELUDE
1992 Honda Prelude 4 cyl Manual 150000 miles

My son's 1992 honda prelude has been dying out when he drives it. We changed the thermostat hoping that would solve the problem, but still dying. Also it tends to kick when it is in a high gear and have to down shift to correct the problem. Any suggestions?

thank you
Tuesday, August 12th, 2008 AT 7:49 PM

8 Replies

Tiny
KHLOW2008
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Hi jet1000,

I am having difficulty understanding your question, any possibility of making it easier for me?

Engine stall while driving or when slowing down?

Easy to restart?

What kick are you refering to?
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Saturday, August 16th, 2008 AT 12:40 PM
Tiny
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It seems that the car just loses power, when driving, at any speed, not just when slowing down, then it dies out. As for the kicking, it just feels jumpy when almost like it's sputtering out, then he'll downshift and it usually solves that problem. It seems to be more jumpy in 4th and 5th gear. It has actually only died out once since we replaced the thermostat. It almost seems like it may be a problem with his fuel injection.
Any advice you could give would be deeply appreciated.

Thank you,
jeannie
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Sunday, August 17th, 2008 AT 6:46 PM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
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Hi jeannie,

Your description is similar to fuel starvation and was it easy to restert?

I would suggest the following.

1. Check the main relay.
2. Check fuel filter.
3. Check fuel pump and regulator.
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Monday, August 18th, 2008 AT 8:14 AM
Tiny
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Most of the time it will start right back up, however sometimes it will not start after it has been turned off until we let it sit for a while. I will have him check out the things you suggested and hopefully we can solve his problem.
Thanks for your help, if there is anything else you can suggest I would appreciate it.
Thank you so much,
jeannie
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Thursday, August 21st, 2008 AT 12:13 AM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
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Hi jeannie,

Based on the additional info, I am quite confident the culprit is the main relay.

Take it out and resolder the circuit board in the relay and all should be well.
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Thursday, August 21st, 2008 AT 7:40 AM
Tiny
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Well we replaced the main relay, and the fuel filter, put in a new radiator, thermostat, spark plugs and wires and car is still acting up. It also seems that the car is now burning a lot of oil. Any other suggestions? Could it be his fuel pump? A different relay? We are at our wits end with this car problem.
Thanks
Jeannie
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Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 AT 11:23 AM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
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Hi Jeannie,

When the engine stalled, were the dashlights showing?

When trying to restart, did the Check Engine Lamp goes off after 2 seconds?

There are 2 other possibilities that I can think of based on your description of the symptoms and best time to do test is when engine stalled and could not start.

1. Ignition switch. Slowly turn ignition key to RUN ( ON ) and while doing so, watch the dash lights, they should show without flickering. Slowly turn ignition key to START and during this time, dashlights should continue to stay on and not flicker till engine starts. If lights flickers or goes OFF while cranking engine, the ignition switch is bad.

2. Ignition coil. When engine could not start, test for sparks by pulling out a plug wire and attaching a spark plug to its end. Crank the engine with the plug held to the engine. If sparks are dull orange or none available, the ignition coil is bad.

When installing the thermostat, the ECM ground connections at the thermostat housing could be contaminated and when connected, it could be providing insufficient continuity. Remove, clean and retighten the connection to see if it helps.
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Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 AT 12:04 PM
Tiny
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Now that I remember, when he had a diagnostic done on the car it brought up the ignition switch. Thank you for taking time to answer my question, we will definitely try that next.

-Jeannie

After trying all these steps, finally figured out what was the main cause of these problems. The harmonic balance was going out. Son had the harmonic balance replaced, and car is now running like a champ!
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Saturday, February 28th, 2009 AT 11:49 PM

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