My 1999 Accord recently (< 6 months ago) developed a problem in which the car shuts off while the clutch is depressed. The engine doesn't sputter or anything -- it just shuts off. It doesn't happen every time (and of course it never happens when I have a mechanic look at it...) Life gets very exciting when I coast into a turn and lose power steering and brakes... Any suggestions?

 

can you give any more details?

maybe you can narrow down a specific event other than just the clutch being pushed in. I know it's difficult to quantify something like this.

have you done any upgrades or had any work done to the car around when you first noticed this? anything, no matter how unrelated it may seem could be important.

my first thought is something electrical. like the clutch position sensor. but I'm not sure why that would shut the car off. unless it was shorting out with another wire somewhere under the dash.


Or.....

you know there is an ignition recall on 97 -99 accords. write down your VIN and call the local honda dealer. they should be able to look up if your car is affected or not. if thats the problem then its a free fix.

I've got the same car. So I'm REALLY interested in how this turns out!!


[Modified by jweller, 2:20 PM 8/9/2002]

 

That's bizarre. Is the car still under warranty?

 

Thanks for the tips. In fact, the local dealer replaced the recalled ignition component just yesterday and I was hoping that would fix the problem, but it didn't. You say there's a clutch position sensor? I wonder if that might be the problem. The clutch has always squeaked a bit -- maybe it has been rubbing against a cable which has finally worn through? I'll look into that...

That's pretty much it for the details. It seems to happen when the engine is cold, but the engine is almost always cold because I live in a small town and most trips are less than a couple of miles. When I drive farther than that, I'm usually on a highway and I just leave it in 5th gear...

I haven't had any work done on the car except for routine maintenance. I'll look into the electrical short suggestion and let you know if that's it. Thanks, again.

 

Yeah, the car's under warranty for two more weeks or 600 more miles, whichever comes first!!!


[Modified by cwoolsey, 3:01 PM 8/9/2002]

 

Take it back to the dealer and have them fix it under warranty.

Yes, your clutch will squeak, as it's a common problem in Hondas. The clutch spring will make funny noises when it's not lubed up properly. I suggest to go to your local CVS and pick up a tube of KY.

 

I have the same car. By design, the 99 Accord will not start WITHOUT having the clutch depressed. I assume there is a switch that senses the clutch petal position. Maybe the switch that senses this, is malfunctioning? or not aligned properly. Find it and put a ohm meter on it.

 

yeah....gotta be something wrong with the clutch switch

 

the clutch switch only disconnects the starter. if the swith was bad it would not allow you to spin the motor over via the starter, however if you were to have the key on and spin the motor by hand {without the clutch depressed} it would start. assuming of course you could spin it fast enough by hand {hypothetical example}

if it was electrical i would imagine the problem would happen everytime, and would cause issues while driving.

from what ive seen..... something you may look at it a phenominon called "crank walk" basically when you push the clutch pedal that pressure is exerted to the end of the crank. now either the crank will press against the "thrust bearings" stop moving and allow you to disengage the clutch. OR if those fore mentioned bearings are excessively worn the crank will keep traveling towards the front {timing belt} of the motor until a portion of the crank comes in contact with the block. this could stall the motor. it also indictive of very bad things going on inside your motor.

if you would like info on checking crank end play to determine if thats the problem email me and ill tell you how.

if this is the problem the motor is fucked.....so hope it isnt. the car would also exhibit some issues with clutch disengagement {lack there of} and the timing belt will look like it is trying to walk off the gear{s}