Ok so I am scared crapp-less right now because I definitely think I fucked up the motor right now. So here's what happened. Lemme know what you think could be the problem.

So I was driving home from work tonight, and got on the onramp to merge onto the highway, I was going around maybe 60-75 and was in 4th gear. I merged into the lane and shifted to what I thought was 5th, but definitely was 3rd. The rev's jumped kind of high, and then i threw the clutch back in and the revs fell to idle (approx 1000). As soon as it happened the speedometer needle fell to zero and began bouncing from 0-5. I changed gears from 3rd to 5th, and let off the clutch, the revs returned to about 3500-4000 and everything sounded normal. After about a minute, the speedometer needle returned to about 70 mph. I drove it for about 5-10 minutes listening to everthing and everything sounded fine. I decided to get off on the closest exit which didn't happen to be for another 2 miles, and came to a stop at a stoplight. At the time, the lights on the gauge cluster began flickering ever so slightly... barely enough for me to even think of it. I pulled over to a coffee shop right through the stoplight and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Went back to it, and started her up, and she started just fine. Now i start driving it home, and notice that the speedometer needle is bouncing again from 0-5, and not increasing at all when im driving. I manage to get her home, and pull into the parking spot and notice the lights are flickering bad now. Not just the lights on the gauge cluster now, but the headlights and corners, the gauge lights, and the dome light also. I turn the car off, and let it sit for a minute. I go to turn her on again, and now it will not turn over at all. As soon as I turn the key, everything just gos black.

I am scared *&%+less right now and just want to ball. WTF did I do to my car? Any help would be appreciated. Please don't flame me, I did not waste my time typing this just to see people tell me what a dumbass I am.

 

Sounds like it may just be a problem with a ground wire falling orr or some other alternator/charging problem.

If you'd bent valves or the like you wouldn't necessarily have the flickering electrical problems you've mentioned.
The other thing that came to mind (about the tach) might be some problem with the secondary O2 sensor wires shorting out (possibly as a result of the exhaust moving around a lot during your aborted downshift).

Best of luck with it.

 

.....sounds like bent valves causing erratic/ lopey/ low idle, causing poor output to alternator, causing less than ideal voltage to accessories and lights.

I wouldn't drive the vehicle until I could do a compression and leakdown test.

Also do a valve lash adjustment to see if the valves are indeed still there and haven't dropped the heads off into the cylinders.....

 

It could be something as simple as a thrown alternator belt, if you are lucky.

 

Yeah I checked the VAFC, and after it happened the max rpm's was only at 7500, so the rpm's never really exceeded what the drivetrain could normally handle. Anyone else know of anything it could be?

 

Maybe the Spark Plugs went bad...check those out too...

 

maybe an alternator or a ground...? vss sensor for the speedo problem?

65-70 shifting into third gear is no problem, its beena couple weeks since i drove with the b18c5 tranny but dont yuo shift out of third at like 85-90 when redlining it ?

there should definitley not be anything with your motor unless it is a LS

 

60 in forth and I go to third all the time.

 

So last night when I went to start it up after I returned home, she wouldnt start at all... It wouldnt even turn over. I would turn the key and it would make a sound like it was about to turn over, then everything would go black. I went out and did a general inspection this morning, and all the belts are still connected and nothing looked out of place so I decided to try and start it again, and she started without a problem. And she sounds the same as she did before anything happened. I have not taken her out for a drive yet, but I am assuming that as soon as the motor warms up and its been driven for a minute, im thinking it is going to start doing the whole lights going crazy, not turning back on thing. Everything near the alternator looks the same as it always has. I havent checked the plugs yet, because a friend took my spark plug socket, so that will be checked later today. Man i was so scared last night I couldn't sleep at all. Is it possible to bend or break a valve or valvespring or rockerarm or something by letting the motor jump too quickly to 7500 rpms?

 

You might want to check the main relay. It's a common honda problem and happens sparatically (sp). This could be the cause of the starting normal and then later that day not starting at all. As far as the RPM and possible mis shift I highly doubt it cause all the time if I need to get around someone I'll go from 4th to 3 and actually chirp tires a lil. I don't think you messed anything up with that. It does sound like you have an electrical problem with the tach. Good luck with the problem.


Modified by 01PY0559 at 6:26 AM 6/22/2005

 

Sounds like the speed sensor engine harness plug could be corroded as well. My itr engine did the same thing a while ago when the harness plug corroded. First the speed meter would bounce from zero to random numbers, then it got to the point where it would just rest on zero and not show any speed reading. I sodered a new plug onto the harness and pluged the speed sensor back up (on the back of the tranny) and all is fine now

But everything was crazy when it was not working cause vtec, and some other things were not working because the car would think its sitting at a stand still while your moving, nomatter how fast.

And this just suddenly happened, I didn't really do anything to cause it to go bad, but check it. Unplug it and see if you see a white crusty substance on the connectors on the harness side of the speed sensor plug.

 

So I just went out there and started her up again for a minute, and the lights on the gauge cluster began flickering again. So something is definitely messed up. What could it be? would a problem with a bent valve or broken valvespring cause the lights to flicker when the car is started? I feel like crap right now because I did something so stupid.

 

same thing has happend to me a week ago.
I pushed the car through second and third gears and at like 7500 RPM on third my check engine went on.
then the same flickering of lights and so on.
I checked the voltage of the alternator and it was showing low voltages.
It has to be between 12.5 to 14.5 volts but it was about 9 volts.

also the speedometer went crazy too. so the next day I took the alternator out and got it to the rebuilt shop as the brand new would cost me like $350 CND
. Costed me $CND100.

the light show craziness is cured now but the Speedometer problem still presisted.

Do not worry about your engine.

check the alternator reading by getting the voltage reading from alt. or even your battery plugs when engine is running.

I haven't had time to chek my Speed sensor yet but I will tomorrow.
Let me know of any progress

good luck

 

my problem is fixed

my tranny ground wire was corroded.I chnged it.

reseted the ecu again and its cured.

good luck