jlacoy82

Well, Ive been on call the past week for work, and I for the most part drive my service van (ITS SO SWEET!! not), and the weather here for the past few weeks has been below 10 degrees, getting as cold as -15 to -20. Ive only driven my car a few times (4-5) in the past 2 weeks. Oil was changed about 3 weeks ago, only put about 400 miles on the car since the last change.

I drive my car to work in the morning ( about -13 out @ 7am ) and park it. I get back to my car to drive home around 6:30pm, its about 1-2 degrees out. I start the car, and the motor is like jumping, running really rough and acting as if its going to die. It does this for about 10 seconds, then the CEL pops on. I then drove about 75 miles round trip to my g/fs house, seeing as after it warmed up the car ran seemingly fine, EXCEPT:

I had a squeeling belt intermittenly. It would just start to squeel (it sounded EXACTLY like a tea kettle boiling, that high pitched noise) and then if I gave it gas and got it up another 3-400 RPMS it would stop. Also on the way to her house I tried using the cruise control, and it starting making a clicking noise from drivers side engine bay directly in front of the steering wheel area, it had the rythym and sound of like a turn flasher relay clicking on and off. Then when I shut the CC off, it seemed as though the throttle was stuck down mildly. Also after I threw the CEL I shut the car down and checked the oil, the level was fine, but a few inches above the dipstick it was all this white frothy **** like a milkshake, it was very fine, but still very noticeable. Also opened up the oil fill on the head to make sure oil was circulating to the head and smelled and it had a fairly strong aerosol odor, thats the best I can describe it, kind of a tangy hairspray'ish smell.

I just checked the "random misfire" threads and I have a new cap and rotor right next to me that Ive had to put on for a few weeks, and running down to Autozone to get new plugs, even tho all the plugs are a nice brown color, wont hurt to get new ones.

Car is a 98 EX with stock d16y8 just with new NGK plug wires (blue) and AEM SRI, thats about it. Car ran fine after the rough start, was kind of nervous and never took it above 4-4500 rpms, but seemed like it had NO power whatsoever once I started getting that high, not at all normal unfortunately.

Any input is appreciated, I'm gonna go swap out all that **** and clear the code and see how she runs!

Andres-eh2

My belt also started squeeling with the cold weather. I thinks its the alternator belt which could be causing you to feel a power loss. I was also getting random CEL and since i sprayed the belt with lubricant its been good. But i had the same exact problem as you.

unbelievableEG

maybe your plug is going bad or the wires?

wong

I had the same problem with my car it's a 93 EG, but after I cleared the CEL car drove normal and didn't seem to have any problems since.

Maginnovision

I had a squealing belt, was the alternator belt

I moved my alternator back a bit, to tighten the belt, and that fixed it, also made the car run noticably better. I wouldn't recommend moving your alternator, but you might want to replace the belt.

snatch

I had this same issue about 4 weeks ago. Except mine wasn't quite as severe, but I did have the random misfire cylinder #1 CEL. I had my timing advanced 2 degrees just a few days before, so I wasn't sure if that had something to do with it. I have since reset the light, and retarded the timing back 1 degree, and since then it's been ok. I have not replaced the cap and rotor though, but I need to. Wanna send me yours?

jlacoy82

I just replaced the plugs, cap and rotor. Fired right up on the first key. Car only has 55k on it, so I thought it was strange. I have some belt dressing I'm gonna put on, only problem is the damn stuff is frozen cause it was out in the garage. I cleared the light, and have only had the chance to let the car idle in the driveway since I'm on call for oil service and keep getting called out (goddamn mother....) . But so far so good. I'm hoping the squeeling belt was unrelated. I'm rebuilding a head now and that will be going on in a few months, I may just replace all the belts when I do that since I'll already be doing the waterpump/timing belt/head removal.

Wish me luck! I think the stuck CC might have just been a frozen vacuum line or something, just seemed strange, I'm going to attribute most of this to the fact the car hasnt been driven much in the past 2 weeks and its been cold as ****. Maybe CEL really means CAR ENVY LIGHT!? Since I havent driven it.

Some white silicone grease on the belts doesnt sound like a bad idea either, I've never trusted that damn belt dressing. Thanks guys, should be good for now (I hope).

My first Honda CEL. <3


And now..............off to another no heat call. I didnt even have time to get home and get done warming something in the microwave before the damned beeper went off again.

jlacoy82

Bump cause winter sucks!

I'd just like to get an idea of WHY not so much how to fix it now, seeing as I already did the plug, wires, cap and rotor and the code didnt get thrown again.