goobernoodles

Ugh... I just made a short trip to the bank two blocks away, and the CEL started flashing at the first stop light. Between my foot and the noise of the engine, something feels wrong. It feels like the car is loping a bit, though the RPM's are remaining right at around 1k at idle. RPM's don't seem to fluctuate even though the feel and sound indicate something else. The car feels weaker than normal once moving, but honestly, I'm not sure if it was just me being gentle on the car or what. I turned around and went home and the car is off. Oil level is fine.

Any ideas...?

redbull-1

A flashing CEL usually is something that can be very serious or lead to serious damage as oppose to a CEL that is steady and not flashing.

You should get it checked ASAP without driving it much, if at all. Try to find someone with a code scanner to read the Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC).

goobernoodles

Yeah, I'm going to get it towed Monday morning to a local father and son garage. Honda wants $80 just to run the code scanner...

goobernoodles

Could a bad O2 sensor cause these issues...?

redbull-1

An oxygen sensor failure will usually not cause the flashing CEL, as it wouldn't be something that causes the ECU to warn of something to get checked immediately.

You may be having a misfire or something which can have different causes, such as a stuck EGR valve causing random misfires, etc. However, without the codes, it is more guessing.

goobernoodles

Turns out my #5 cylinder was misfiring due to a bad ignition coil. Plugs were replaced while they were at it and they cleaned the induction system while they were in there. About $300.

Guess I could have done the work, but it sucks working on your car when it NEEDS to be worked on. Suppose it could have been worse.

Apparently Honda recommends all ignition coils be replaced if one fails. Any real validity to this recommendation? My car just rolled 90k within the past month, btw.

redbull-1

I would replace only the bad coil pack. If another one went bad, you could replace that yourself when it occurs. I recommend buying a code reader, as it pays for itself by you being able to read it ASAP when a problem occurs. Code readers can be as cheap as $39. Some code scanners do more by being able to read live data, and costs more. Check out Walmart, Kragen, etc. Sometimes even Costco has them.

redbull-1

For about $300, you got a fair price.

One Honda coil retails for $70.25
Honda spark plugs for your car retails for $18.35 each x 6 = around $110
Sales tax depending on where you live, estimated at $11
Total in parts and sales tax around $191
Diagnostic, induction cleaning, labor around $109 total (1 - 2 hours labor time).

Not bad actually, even if they are not using Honda OEM parts.

goobernoodles

Total with tax came out to a little over $400. But considering they got it in and out in a day, I'm pretty content with the price tag. I think I'll invest in a code reader as you suggested.