niemand1

Hey all.

I have a 2000 Honda Accord. The following problem has been happening on and off for five years, and the other day just got worse:

A couple times a year I would start my car. The engine would start but would idle too low and quickly die. If I put some gas on and drove for a bit (without coming to a stop) the problem would go away and the car would start and drive fine. Maybe it would happen one more time that day, but then it wouldn't happen for another six months.

The other day the problem was happening and I was near my mechanic so I took it in. While he was taking a look at it (and revving the engine) the check engine light came on. Codes showed 4 cylinders misfiring and p1298, something wrong with the electronic load detector. Instead of going away, the problem remained this time, and I left the car there as it wasn't drivable.

He think I need to have the ELD (& fuse box) replaced. From reading around online, I think there might be some other, cheaper things to check first. It sounds like the problem could be caused by a short or bad ground somewhere. I also need to check if fuse 15 is blown.

Any thoughts on the probable cause? The fact that the problem was intermittent for so long makes me think its a bad connection somewhere, rather than a blown ELD (or maybe the ELD is finally blown now).

Another detail:

Occasionally, while driving at night, I notice that my lights flicker a little, or dim for a second when I turn the radio on.

Thank you for your help!

Helldawg

There is a test procedure for ELD that takes about 30-45 minutes to do. I had it printed out by a mechanic with a computerized service manual for Honda. The ELD can be bought online now on Amazon. Amazon.com: Genuine Honda 38255-S5A-003 Electronic Load Detector Unit: Automotive it costs about $25