elletrain82

so I'm having various problems with my 2003 Accord. I have a flashing check engine light, a brake light that stays on permanently and the TCS and exclamation point next to it are on too. With all these lights in car was running fine. Then I was having issues when driving at highway speed that the RPM's would go way up and then when I come to a complete stop and went to go again the car would barely move. Did that several times last summer and then stopped for 9 months and is now starting to do it again. Car does run slightly rough as well. I had the brakes completely replaced and brake light is still on. The dealership told me that the master cylinder sensor is bad and I need a new master cylinder. Will this fix the brake problem? I also need a o2 sensor..will this stop the CEL flashing? Any thoughts on any of the above would be greatly appreciated.

BLKFLSH

The rpms going up sounds like a slipping transmission (not good at all). Has the fluid ever been changed (might be too late for that)? From what I've heard, the brake fluid level sensor gets stuck. You might be able to tap on the master cylinder (with a small hammer) to get it unstuck. Otherwise, you'll probably have to replace the MC to get the light off. I have no idea about the O2 sensor causing the CEL.

elletrain82

thanks BLKFLSH! The transmission was actually recalled on my car before I purchased it used in 2007, which I found out a few years after I bought it. Honda wasn't replacing the transmission just putting in "oil jet kits" to fix the problem. I have read on numerous other forums about total transmission failure in many 2003 Accords. I have not changed the fluid in it since I have owned it.

BLKFLSH

I've had mine since new. The "jet kit" is also installed on my transmission. All the stories about failures have me drain and filling 3 quarts of transmission fluid every 15k miles, to keep the fluid as clean as possible. I now have 88.5k miles, and hope the transmission lasts till I decide to sell it.

justinsbg

Very smart man @BLKFLSH. I'm a Honda/Acura service tech at an independant shop and we replace at least 1 transmission a week. The sad part is, Honda doesn't recommend changing the trans fluid until 100k!! I change mine every 10k. You might need the 02 sensor but it shouldn't cause the MIL to blink. The MIL blinking means that you have a potentially cat converter damaging mis-fire. How many miles are on your car? What codes are stored in your computer for the MIL (check engine light)? Try taking the screen/filter out of your master and cleaning it out with some brake clean. A lot of times when people don't change their brake fluid on a regular basis the fluid gets mucky and thick. If that sounds similar to your case then you should have your brake fluid flushed. Let me know about the questions I asked.

elletrain82

the car has 143,500 miles on it. I actually don't know what codes are stored on it. The dealership did mention that it was most likely a mis-fire. If it's a mis-fire do some of the coils just need replaced? thanks for your help

justinsbg

The coils don't need replacing unless one of them has failed, and when that happens you will know it. One cylinder will be "dead". Spark plugs on that vehicle are due for replacement every 105k. Replace those if you haven't yet. What happens when people don't change their plugs is the coils get overworked. As the plug gap expands the coils have to work harder to jump it, eventually overworking and overheating the coils. If you have mis-fire codes I would definitely start with plug replacement. I see mis-fire codes related to worn out spark plugs on these cars all the time. Hope that helps.

elletrain82

I actually had the plugs replaced about 20k miles ago

Tech5

brake switch

justinsbg

If the car is running rough at idle try unplugging each coil individually to see if the roughness gets any worse. If the car does not run any rougher when unplugging a coil pack then you can be safe to assume that the coil pack is not producing spark and needs replacement.

elletrain82

thanks justinsbg will try that and let you know what happens.

Kev2010

you'll probably have to replace the MC to get the light off.