easymac

hey peoples..

for some reason my 00 civic ex just keeps stalling, fairly often while driving, and it is even sometimes tough to start.. changed the plugs, wires, fuel filter; and air filter trying to fix it but still no luck. the distributor was changed before the winter, so its brand new.

any ideas on what else i should check?

thanks.

slowcivic2k

What is you idle speed?

Spec is 1500 fast idle cold
700-750 full hot idle

If your idle is out of spec (in this case too low) your PCV valve could need replacement, throttle body plate cleaned, and IACV cleaned as well.

Any check engine light? Does it misfire? Power loss?

easymac

my idle speed is very low actually, sometimes around 500, or even lower in extreme cases.

i cleaned my IACV, and had no change, although it was terribly filthy.

i can be driving along at normal speeds, and the car will simply stall, then sputter a bit, and come back to life... in the worst cases it starts to smell like rotten eggs, then turns on about 5-10 minutes later with the starter.

the problem also seems to happen most commonly when cruising at lower, but common rpms (around 2000-2500)

it also occasionally has trouble starting.

no check engine light until last night, P0420 was the code, something about an efficiency threshold, but as it happened just after a stall, i figured it was probably due to all the unburned gas floating past the cat or something.

I'll try changing the PCV valve, and looking into cleaning the throttle body plate, and we'll see how it goes.

Thanks for the reply

SilverBulletY8

try checking to make sure your bat cables are secure and not corroded... sometimes a faulty connection can cause what u are talking about...

slowcivic2k

If you still have a catalytic converter, it may be plugging/plugged up. I would advise you to not drive this vehicle unless you have to until you ensure the catalytic converter is in good condition. Driving with a clogged catalyst can catch the entire vehicle on fire. (seen it happen on a 1991 Accord, kid would go WOT and all it would do was idle, turned it off and it caught fire.)

I think the catalyst being plugged is more a concern than the idle, the low idle and stall are symptoms of a plugged catalyst.

easymac

checked the battery cables, and they're clean.

i thought about the cat but wouldnt a plugged cat be more constant of a symptom? plus they seem to be pretty loud in that case. i think it will be time for a new one soon anyway though...

i was also thinking fuel pump. id like to just read the pressure and take it for a quick ride to see if it drops at higher rpms.

the throttle body is clean as a whistle too btw, and if it didnt snow tonight i would have done the pcv... we'll see what tomorrow brings i guess.

slowcivic2k

Not always, it gets more severe as it gets hot. Constant heating and cooling will eventually clog the catalyst completely. They are not loud, many times they are not audible at all. I'm gonna go with a restriction in the exhaust.

easymac

well, after 5000 snow storms, and 30,000 rusted bolts, i've currently got the old cat out.

give it a shake, and it sounds like you're right

let's see how it runs!

(when im done putting the flanges onto the new cat that is...)

i'll let you know

Syndacate

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by slowcivic2k &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If you still have a catalytic converter, it may be plugging/plugged up. I would advise you to not drive this vehicle unless you have to until you ensure the catalytic converter is in good condition. Driving with a clogged catalyst can catch the entire vehicle on fire. (seen it happen on a 1991 Accord, kid would go WOT and all it would do was idle, turned it off and it caught fire.)

I think the catalyst being plugged is more a concern than the idle, the low idle and stall are symptoms of a plugged catalyst.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, I have to agree.

The smell, the sputter, the stalling - all symptoms of a car not breathing due to a clogged cat.

easymac

didn't fix it

although, it is happening much less frequently now, and when it does happen, its much less severe.

i just don't have anymore time to deal with it, i'll be bringing it to the mechanic tomorrow morning.

thanks for the help guys, and i'll be sure to let you know what the problem was, when i find out.