Jstone1983

Hey everyone, I have a 96 Honda accord 4 cylinder non vtech automatic, the car runs great but recently it has begun to stall randomly mostly while cruising. The rpm meter will drop to zero and the engine typically will then sputter and stall, I am then able to put it in neutral and restart it immediately and it will run fine. The idle is fine, it throws no codes and sometimes it will happen 3 times in a day, then not for 2 days straight. Another oddity is that typically when it happens now il just shut the car off and restart it before it has a chance to stall, but occasionally instead of stalling the rpm gauge will kick back in and the car keeps going like nothing happened. Any help would be much appreciated.

poorman212

Check into ign swithc issues, sure sounds like it is going. Also double check that the car got the "free" one fom the dealer (recall).

Edit: then I forgot the relay, check the main relay after testing/checking the switch.

phootbag

Ignition switch.

singlecamsaint

its your ignition switch i just had to replace mine. when it fails it will fail in the on position theres a thread somewhere on it in this section of the forum. mine failed while driving it i had to hold it slightly passed the II position to get it home...mines a 90 model accord ex but i believe the switches are relavtively the same design

MAD_MIKE

phootbag what's the frequency of this failing? Is it common enough or more dependent on how often the switch itself is used/worn? TIA.

phootbag

Ignition switches don't go bad from sitting doing nothing. They have metal contacts inside that scrape against eachother when you turn the key. That action wears out the switch.

Jstone1983

Thank you all very much for your posts, after reading everything I believe I have narrowed down the problem to either the switch as many of you had suggested or possibly my battery cables. I am starting to think the later because I went to leave work yesterday and the car would not start, the starter just went as if I had no spark, I noticed a lot of corrosion on the terminals and that the contact was very loose and could be pulled off easily. I adjusted the contact to the battery and tried to tighten it with pliers, and the car started and then stalled 3 times similar to the way it has been when I was driving. I cleaned the contact and moved it and the car then started right up. I still need to replace the contact but I’m hoping I can leave it at that without spending more money on the switch. I have very limited automotive knowledge, but I thought after starting the power for the car was mostly supplied by the alternator. Could a loose contact cause this type of stalling?

MAD_MIKE

My question was goofy, what I should have asked is "It a design flaw or a wear item?"
Answer, it's a wear item. Thanks.

singlecamsaint

loose engine grounds could cause your battery not to charge