MorthlandAccord

Hello all,

I recently purchased a 99 Honda accord ex 6cyl from a private party off craigslist for 2200$ with 180k miles on it. I'm beginning to regret my purchase and now seeing why it was so cheap.

Firstly, the check engine light came on the day after I bought it. I didn't think much of it for it could of been anything and I continued to drive it. I was on my way home after about driving it an hour one way and an hour back at highway speed where I was going 75mph+ and the engine randomly started shaking and shuttering. I would decrease speed to below 65 and it would drive fine. going above that speed it would happen again.

So, I took it to my local mechanic who I have dealt with for years and is a reliable, honest, man. First 3 codes were pulled up
P1259- VTEC system failure
p0420- cat efficiency
p0401- egr flow.

They always go the cheapest route first because they don't like to screw their loyal customers over. so they put in 2 quarts of oil and cleared all the codes and said if it comes back on the egr/intake would have to be cleaned/replaced. I drove the car 20 minutes both ways on the highway and pulling back into my exit the light came back on.

So then, I returned and got the egr valve replaced and cleaned for a little less than 400$. they sounded optimistic when I went to pick it up and it got me excited. that is 2 weeks ago this Thursday and two days ago on the way home on the highway the check engine light suddenly cut on and started doing the shuttering thing.

I took it back because they said they fixed it and their policy is they'll look at it again for free and fix the correct problem. The code pulled this time was the p1259 vtec system failure, and after going over ( about 3 hours ) they called me and told me that the engine is just abnormally burning oil and for the mileage the engine probably has to be replaced.

Now, this was heartbreaking as I bought this car on a budget and I need a daily driver for school,work,errands. After careful background analysis this is my question to you, Honda-tech.

Should I,

A. take it to the dealership and pick apart anything that could be wrong in that category for example, Open or short circuit condition, faulty vtec pressure switch, faulty vtec solenoid, leaks due to loose valves, rings, hoses etc., a different grade of oil, pcv valve, anything that might do with over consumption of oil.

B. try and sell it and get as much money for it and call it a wash.

Keep in mind i'm looking to make the car 100% for less than a grand and I highly doubt but am not ruling out the factor of the local mechanic being lazy and not wanting to go through the whole engine to find the problem and just riding me off (but it does not gain him anything and if he could of fixed the problem I would pay him) or the fact that he could of been honest and it is relevant the mileage 180k for this engine and could just be going out.

I also am hesitant to take it to the dealer because I know they'll overcharge me for every little thing and probably charge me 100$ just to roll it into the garage. So please. all opinions are greatly appreciated as I have been doing nothing but researching these problems for the past 4 weeks and I am running out of places to turn.

Sorry about the length and I hope a tech or a moderator of this site sees and reads it because I am in dire need of help.

Sincerely,

-Chris

slowcivic2k

You will need to de-carbon the passages from the intake to the EGR valve pedestal. You should replace the gaskets at the same time. Very common problem and can at a bare minimum be fixed for the cost of a can of intake cleaner once disassembled.

The P0420 is a failed converter, I would reserve judgement until you fix P0401 first. If it persists replace the converter.

The VTEC code could be either mechanical or electronic, and you will need to determine which is the case. Take this with a grain of salt, but when I see this code on the Accords it is usually wiring damage. Every case is different though. I would suggest a base oil pressure test to ensure the engine is safe to use at all.

MAD_MIKE

If the engine is oily, spray it down with simple green and hose off all the oil. Look for fresh oil leaks. On the V6, look at where the oil filter attaches, that is where the VTEC solenoid and VTEC pressure switch are attached. Look for damage or oil leaks. There are O rings that may need to be replaced if leaking.

asoRm

I think those issues are bearable! Just take a deep breath man.

I got ripped off with my car as well, but in the end you have to just deal with your choices.

I feel that if you are able to follow instructions and suggestions then these issues are managable. Do a quick search on Youtube for instructions on how to clear out the EGR ports. The Catalytic converter issue can be a simple fix ( ).

Just breathe, she still runs - it could definitely be a lot worse!

Turbokraft

Did your mechanic imply that 1259 returned due to low oil pressure? Was the oil pressure low due to low oil? It seems the P0401 was resolved by cleaning the egr passages(common), P0420 isn't going away until the cat is replaced, P1259 could be caused by a # of different things from low oil pressure to dirty/defective VTEC solenoid. A visit to the $tealer$hip is a roll of the dice, your current service provider seems very fair why the lack of confidence?

MorthlandAccord

Dear all,

Thank you so much for you insightful feedback in such a prompt manner.

I am about to take it to a friend's garage and we are going to open it up and try to get to the bottom of it.

To clarify somethings~

Slowcivic2k- I believe I did get the EGR intake cleared of carbon residue when I got the new valve a few weeks ago. I have the statement right here and the work done was "removed intake, cleaned EGR ports, replaced plugs and EGR valve. Parts:EGR plug-WB EGR valve and gasket-api intake plenum gasket-WP." let me know if this is what you were talking about if not i'll definitely look to see if there is still carbon residue.

Mad mike- I was thinking it could be busted o rings or something but my loyal local mechanic after taking it back the 3rd time and looking at it for about 3 hours said that the engine was just going. Now, do you think that is something that could be overlooked. this is why i'm hesitant on being optimistic for a small fix but I will find out today in the garage.

Turbokraft- I mentioned all those things to him. when the 1259 was the only one to comeback a few days ago after getting all that egr work and cleaning done, I did extensive research on 1259 and created a list for my mechanic to go over. the list included the solenioid, faulty vtec switch, low engine oil pressure etc. and he just called me back in 3 hours and said that the engine was just rapidly burning oil and would have to be replaced. When I asked, is it really that severe it couldn't be any of the other issues I listed he said " unfortunately I do not believe there is a cheaper fix in this situation" or something like that. Don't get me wrong. I love this garage, it is locally owned, non franchise and the people working there have been working there for years so it's like we are pretty much friends. they have no reason to try and scam a new engine over on me and I think they knew ahead of time I wouldn't be getting the engine replaced when they told me.

Alas, thank you all for the help i'm about to go break into this thing myself with my mechanic friend at his house and try and figure it out. I am a trial member so I think this or the next maybe my last post. but I still appreciate all feedback. I'm definitely taking my laptop with me and opening this thread in the garage.

Thanks again everyone.

MAD_MIKE

Did your mechanic do a compression/leak down check?
Seems odd to call the engine 'bad' without giving you some numbers, or why he thinks it is burning oil.

Is your exhaust smokey, does it have a bluish hue to it?

As for everyone harping on the P0420 code, it was only occurring due to the faulty EGR system.

P0420 is 'catalyst below threshold efficiency' code.
It is not 'Catalytst failure' code.

Faulty EGR, misfire, bad cylinder, faulty injector, etc etc.
Anything that can cause inefficient combustion can cause inefficiency in the catalytic reactions of the catalyst.

slowcivic2k

P0420 will not test with any emissions related DTC set. P0420 is a failed converter catalyst. If you have a bad gas cap and a failed converter, P0420 will not set until the gas cap code (P0440, 442) is fixed.

Anything that creates a DTC as you state will not trigger P0420 because those codes all affect converter efficiency. The fact that P0420 exists is because the engine was in good tune, the converter "failed", and then other problems occurred. There is no other explanation.

P1259 is vague because it does not truly specify a mechanical or electronic problem.

Check the VTEC oil pressure switch.
Check the VTEC oil pressure switch for power and ground circuit.
Check base oil pressure at 3000RPM warm.

A misfire in VTEC will also disable the system, and can be caused by sludge blocking the pin holes. Usually there will be a misfire code along with P1259.