bluelamb

So the past month my 2000 Accord EX V6 146k mi has been having troubles starting up. It cranks fine but once it starts, it may immediately die (sputters until it is off).

If I put my foot on the gas while starting it, I can keep it alive but I have to test to see if it will die by taking my foot off. If it starts to sputter, I press down on the gas again until it "warms up?". I'm not exactly sure why this works. Once it's stable and idles at 800 I can drive off.

Once it's started, it seems to idle just fine at 790-800RPM and I can drive around town with seemingly no issues.

Most the time the car starts right up but occasionally the issue pops up. For example, I drove 20 mins into town, turned off the car and did my thing. Came back and the car was only cranking - no start. Eventually it started but began to sputter. Had to give it gas.

Here's the code from DTC search


From my research, I think it's the IAC Valve, Spark plugs (some people reported oil leaking on to them), or the ignition switch.

I'm hoping to start trouble shooting today but if you guys have more ideas, I'd appreciate your help.

clint1981

I've had the same issue with my 2000 Honda Accord EX V6. I've replaced quite a number of parts on the car, including the IAC valve, spark plugs and the ignition switch. The ignition switch was actually what I replaced last (March 18, 2016).

I called a Honda dealership nearby and told them the symptoms my car is having. They suggested to me that I replace the ignition switch (which again, I have), the camshaft position sensor and crankshaft position sensor. When it came to the camshaft and crankshaft sensors they didn't say to replace both but instead told me it could be one of the two causing the issue.
So with the camshaft sensor, if you have a mechanic put this in, looks to be a 30-45 minute job. Its fairly cheap on Amazon, $30-$35 (w/ Amazon Prime).
The crankshaft sensor however looks to be at least a 3.5 hour job, its behind the timing belt, and the cost of the part is $68 on up (again, on Amazon).

I'll be traveling tomorrow with the car so I'll find out if the ignition switch did the trick or not. I'm kind of expecting it won't, but here's hoping.

The last time my car acted up was a few weeks ago. I had traveled about 250 miles, turned the car off, visited a store and came back out after about 25 minutes and the car was having a hard time and was sputtering, rpm's dropping and, just like you, I had to press in on the gas pedal to keep the car running.
I then drove to a nearby gas station to fill up and when I went to re-start the car it would crank but the engine would not start. I sat there for 20-25 minutes and then tried to start the car and it started but I had to once again press in on the gas pedal to keep it alive. I then parked it nearby in a parking lot, popped the hood and let the car sit for an hour. After that hour I started the car and it worked fine, as if there wasn't an issue just one hour earlier.
Keep in mind, and I'm sure your car is the exact same, when I start my car for the first time for the day it starts with no problem. And traveling around town it works fine. Its only when its a warm day, maybe 60 degrees plus, and I've drove maybe 50 plus miles is when its starts with its problems.

If you search for camshaft or crankshaft, I believe its both that is talks about this, you'll see that the symptoms for a bad camshaft or crankshaft sounds an awful lot like what our cars are doing. And one of the culprits for these parts going bad is heat. So just like any other part on a car these particular parts go bad after a while because of heat.
So if your wondering why I popped my hood up and let the heat escape the engine you now know why.

Any ways, I'll report back after I've taken my trip, which will also be a long drive. Its going to be in the mid to lower 40's so it may not actually act up this time. But if it starts acting up I'll know the ignition switch did not fix the problem.

clint1981

Forgot to add that during the winter months the car normally runs just fine. The months of November and December of last year I drove my car quite a lot and sometimes over 500 miles in one day and no issues.
So the fact that is was cold out and heat was not an issue only adds to my argument that this issue is heat related.

Let me know your thoughts and if you've thought of either the camshaft or crankshaft.

holmesnmanny

The first thing I would check is that the engine coolant temperature sensor is within spec. It should test for 2000 ohms when the car is cold and around 200 ohms across the two pins of the sensor when the car is warmed up. It's possible the egr ports are clogged. I would do that second if the ect sensor checks out ok. If it still does it after cleaning the ports then I would clean out the crank sensor if it's dirty but you could just replace it if you want or if it's not dirty.

poorman212

Next, read about the the heat soak issues the early 6th gen v6's had/have. To me this sounds like your issues......drive the car until it is normal temp. Shut it off for about ~20 minutes and the issue shows up when you try to re-start the car.