big-cat

ok I have an ek. swapped in a semi built d16 in it about 4 months ago. Just recently it has been shutting off in traffic. it can happen once in 2days or 4times a day.

I know the battery wires are on tight, no corrosion. I am not running an IACV. and before it shuts off it will do little jumps on the tach and speedo.

any ideas. I havent checked all the ground wires yet but would that be the problem? I know its something electrical

when it shuts off it will start back up within 1 to 4 tries of cranking it over, cranks easy its not the battery or alternator.

timotangvtec

Not too sure what it could be, but I had a focus zx3 back in the day, and would do the same thing in any speed in any temp and out of the blue, after replacing every known thing on the focus, it ended up being the battery terminal itself.. the Post I mean, the positive side post was cracked and lost connection over bumps.. had to replace the battery to fix the problem. In your case it does seem like an electrical issue of course, but check the fuse box under the hood as well and see if anything is blown, or a lose ground perhaps!

Former User

When the engine dies, do the dash warning lights turn ON? If so, the battery and ignition switch are unlikely culprits. Given the odd behavior of the tach when the engine dies, I'd check whether the ICM in the distributor is bad or has loose connections.

kaduku_

also, i would check the main relay... those things go bad all the time and the conections in them randomly loose contact with each other and the car would just die.

i had the same problem 4 times in the past month.

the first time i the car was off and didnt start for 3 hours of cranking (yellow top optima ftw!)

the second was when i finally started it and was going down the road and it died while i was driving. Replacing my Main relay fixed this.

the 3rd was going up and off ramp and it just died at the top, i fried my chipped p28 this time (f*cken bumer!) so i drove it to my buddies house on a p30 i had laying around, droped a b16a the next day (last sunday) and called it a day.

the next time i was going up a hill the next morning for some mcky d's and it died halfway on the hill (i had to drive backwards down this hill avoiding traffic like in the movies. this time the culprit was the internal coil in the distributor which i took off my d16z6 switched it and cars been running like a champ ever since.

Sorry for the novel, i thought i had to be detailed.

big-cat

could a loose ground cause this possibly, tends to shut off when everything is smooth(idleing while sitting, riding on the highway) sitting at traffic). I havent had it turn off when doing a pull or riding over bumpy roads.

no engine lights. when it dies, the dashboard lights do turn on... going to check grounds in a little bit

jooky5

swap = anything could be wrong.
loose wire somewhere..
Don't think we can help you. Hard to troubleshoot something that's been modified.

big-cat

fuel pump relay I think, just need to figure out where it is now. my buddy and I had it started and idleing and it shut off. it will start for a second everytime I crank it but then shut right back off. untill it decides to stay on.

ground wires are good. all wires are good to my knowledge. checked every thing that has been sodered and connections are fine. battery terminals are good. Dizzy is brand new along with the battery.

GoLowDrew

Automatic trans? If so, thermostat ok? That happened to my car before.

Former User

Check the critical ground wire attached to the thermostat housing. It may be loose or corroded.

To pinpoint the problem, listen for whether the fuel pump fails to prime or whether there's no spark at the plugs after the engine stalls.

big-cat

yea definitely fuel pump relay. double checked all grounds and they are all good. its the fuel pump relay 11 years old and I just recently started using a Walboro 255lph so that makes sense to me.

big-cat

Ok so it was not the Main Relay. I replaced it with a new one from Honda last night, drove last night and it was fine. then on my way to class it shut off this morning.

so Main Relay is new along with distributor, fuel pump, battery.

when it randomly shuts off it will start back up for a second and then shut right back off untill it decides to stay on. So it is fuel related some how. does the fuel pump have a ground wire itself?

Former User

I reread this thread, and it seems that this is actually a low idle problem. In addition, you don't have an IACV. Why? This means you must have an IACV CEL code, right? Are any other CEL codes thrown?

I'd start by installing an IACV.

big-cat

alright new symptoms I was driving. Car shut off I watched everything. music kept playing cluster lights did not come on till about 30seconds later. now I am starting to think its a ground wire.

I have ran without an IACV for 2 years now, it would be nice to have one but the car would have started to shut off way before now. My tuner turned the code off for the IACV

any ideas? is there only 2 main ground wires? from the battery to the ground and the valve cover, or am I missing one somewhere?

big-cat

ignition switch or something in the distributor???

I have been researching and thats what it looks like the next possible things are.

does not shut off under a load....