Hawk2112

I will be driving along normally and without warning the speedo and radio stop working intermittently. If they stay off too long, the trans stops shifting correctly (no speedo = unknown time to shift I assume)
dash lights dim and slowly go dark.
After a few minutes like this the engine runs rougher and rougher, eventually stalling.

Immediate attempt to restart is met with not turning over (as if not in park)

5 mins later it will slowly turn over and then solenoid clicking (like dead battery)

10-20 mins later slow turnover but starts.

Drives normal as long as radio/speedo stay working

all starts since are normal again.

Only seems to happen on drives over a certain time/distance..possible heat induced?

Each time this happens i get random CEL codes.. last time was P0500. today it was P0700 and P0730.

The car did previously have the fuse #15 issue but that has been fixed and the 2 O2 sensor codes have not returned since.

Should I be looking for more shorts or is this something else ??

Thanks in advance for any insight

Former User

Check whether fuse 15 is blown.

http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/tsb/civic/x99-029e.pdf

mk378

This sounds like the alternator is not charging the battery. Parts stop working due to lack of voltage. The radio is usually the first to go, eventually the engine misfires and stalls since the fuel and ignition systems need electricity. Also the car will not crank because the battery is flat.

Make sure you have battery voltage on the small yellow and black wire at the alternator with the key on. This is affected by the fuse 15 problem which may have been worked on before but maybe not properly repaired.

Hawk2112

The fuse 15 problem was fixed properly and fuse 15 is not blown.

I will check the alternator for lose/bad wires but wouldn't that result in a need for a jump rather than sufficient voltage to start returning after a rest.

A Honda friend has suggested the ignition switch could also be causing these issues. Is that a possible cause?

thanks

Former User

A bad alternator or ignition switch would not throw the VSS or transmission codes.

When you turn key from OFF to ON(II) [engine off], does the cluster battery light remain on steady?

Hawk2112

Yes, key on engine off has a steady oil and battery light. SRS turns off after a few seconds as normal.

The problem is the codes are not thrown until after the speedo and radio lose power. The VSS code was thrown because the VSS went offline (0 kph when doing 50+kph) and same with the trans codes only after the speedo went dead and the shifting went out the window.

When the wires were shorting (fuse 15 issue) the speedo woudl randomly show speeds that were not right (ie 160kph while in park) but would never read 0kph.

This is more like the ECU is being shorted... no idiot lights, no speedo, no shifting, rough idle. But the ECU shouldn't be shutting off the radio so I am thinking a more primary power interruption like ignition switch or main relay. Drove the care again today for 30+mins with no issues and then later during a 5 min drive the radio cut out twice but the speedo remained online and so no error codes.

Former User

Note that troubleshooting tests only yield interpretable information when an intermittent problem is happening.

Keep a multimeter in your glovebox. The next time the problem occurs, pull the car to the side of the road, raise the hood, and measure voltage across the two battery posts with the engine idling and all electrical accessories off.

Did you already clean and tighten the battery posts and connectors, as well as the battery ground attached to the chassis?

My guess is that the fuse 15 circuit issue partially/intermittently remains, otherwise the VSS code would not be thrown.

mk378

You could also get a lighter plug and wire it to your voltmeter so you can watch the voltage while driving. It is possible that the alternator is intermittently faulty and simply stops working after a while.

Hawk2112

Will try and post as soon as it happens again

thanks

Hawk2112

Thanks for all the help. It did it again on a busy road. Battery voltage was normal. The car dies to fast to have pulled over and test while running. After 30 mins this time it would start. Got tired of holding my breath when ever I drove her so she is gone to the crushers.

Former User