at first i figured it was my distributor because everytime i would hit vtec within a few more blocks of driving the car would just die out on me. So i kept staying out of vtec till i could pinpoint the problem but now even when im going no where near 5 grand the car still will just shut down in the middle of driving. in no particular gear or rpm, when it cuts off the rpms just drop along with the engine temp. gague then both the battery and oil lights come on. If anyone could help me out with this it would be greatly appreciated im caught in a tough place and dont know where else to go from here. Car is a 97 teg with a 2000 motor, ls block bored to 2.0L with a gsr head

 

when u say the gauges drop does the engine actually shut off? Does it cut immed. Or stutter down and die?
got any codes?
have u checked your oil recently?
Check your battery cables and all your power and ground for your ignition system as well as buy a FSM and thank me in the a.m.

 

the rpms and engine temp. guage both drop the engine will continue to run but then shutter down and die as im making it to the shoulder. when i try to start it after it will turn over but just not start. Oil is perfect and battery has been checked, what is an FSM? And thank you so much for you help it is greatly appreciated.

 

check for a bad alternator.check main relay also.

 

Thanks for all the help guys, im new to imports and absolutely love my teg but im somewhat in more unfamiliar territory so anything you guys can offer up as opinions would be appreciated.

 

may b main relay...

 

The car will idle all day with no problems, it will just shutter off when driving

 

Did you buy the car the way it is??? or did you build that swap? Check your 3 main grounds. Also check that your wire harness is secured in the ecu, as if you were not the one that did the swap they probably pinned in vtec to the ecu harness, it may be loose causing the ecu to cut out.

I would focus more of your direction toward the ecu, as it controls what your gauges read.

 

The car ran fine for the previous owner, he had no problems like the ones i have recently had and made a 100 mile trip 2 to 3 times a month. No i did not do the swap im somewhat new to imports but im hoping it could be that wire that could have just come loose. I was planning on getting a distributor tomorrow but will hold off until i make sure that wiring is correct. But, all gauges don't drop when it decides to cut off on me, its just rpms and engine temp, speedometer will gradually come down as i come to a stop. Do you still think i would be looking at an ecu problem? and like i said the car can run idling for hours its just running when it will stop on me. Thank you very much for your advice, much appreciated just get back to me when you can.

 

Open your hood and check there is a ground that runs from the tranny to the frame of the vehicle - make sure that ground is good. Your vehicle gets it's rpms from the VSS, so if that ground is not good, you will have all the issues you are having. Check grounds before tearing apart the harness.

Aswell, many have mentioned the main relay. Since you are new to honda`s, it`s a grey or black box located under the panel below your steering wheel to the left hand side. You will see there is 1 10mm bolt holding it on. Undo that bolt and then use a flat screw driver and push the clip to undo the wiring harness. Take the main relay and open it up and check the solder joints. If they are cracked this could be the cause of all your issues. The main relay is what allows your fuel pump to have power and your ecu.

The main relay fails due to extreme temperatures which the solder that honda used is not designed for. These cracks cause bad connections, and that is why your vehicle will idle fine, but when your driving you have these problems. Just for fun go take your vehicle for a spin and drive on some bumpy roads, see if the problem reoccurs. Turn the heat on the vehicle and get it good and hot inside first.

Let me know..... eventually we will get your car fixed.

 

The engine is grounded to the top cross member and that ground is good, is that the correct ground? and you said from the tranny to the frame what is the other ground that i need to check before heading to the main relay. what is the third ground that you are talking about to the vss? and what is the vss

 

There should be a ground that goes from the top of the tranny to the left side of the frame. The VSS shares that ground. The VSS is the Vehicle Speed Sensor, its on the top of your tranny and tells the computer what your tranny is doing in regards to rotations.

 

also sounds like an IAC. (idle air control)
it on back of intake. c if it b dirty. if it is clean it with intake cleaner and a tooth brush. if it goes away good if it fixes it and comes back. replace IAC.

 

Don't know how thats related.... IAC in no way will cause the guages to stop or the engine to shut off..

Definition of IAC:

(IAC) Used to control idle speed on fuel injection vehicles. A valve that allows air to bypass the throttle plate(s) increasing idle speed. The valve is operated by an electric solenoid or motor. The vehicle computer controls the amount of opening to regulate idle speed for varying conditions such as cold start and air conditioner compressor load.

I am pretty sure he said his vehicle idles fine.

 

ok. u r reading a book. hopefully not chilton. ur IAC can cause wierd problems.

Have Fun.

 

now let me throw a twist in it. what would i do to make the teg quick if i wanted to keep my stock motor NA.

 

Plug in the turbo fuse. Adds about 30hp.

I am not reading out of a book.... If we look at what an IAC does, it really doesn't affect the car dieing while moving. The IAC allows more air into the throttle body at idle if it needs it. This is determined by a voltage reading given by the ecu.

If for some reason the computer was telling the IAC to allow more air in all the time because in fact the IAC was having a problem then he would be experiencing a higher idle, simply for the fact, more air, means ecu adds more fuel, and we increase engine speed to burn the mixture.

If the IAC was closed and not allowing additional air into the throttle body due to the IAC being failed, then he would have a low idle/stall on cold starts or at idle.

From what i read, he is having problems where the car is dieing while driving.

 

Can you cut the car back on when it dies?
Does the Check engine light go off?
Sounds like your distributor.

 

check your distributor internals before you do anything ....i geuss people are forgetting about the most common problem with our motors IGNITION CRAP...check internals of distributor then...start looking at the other stuff

 

i've been having the same problem with my 94 Ls 4dr for the past 2 weeks. today it turned off on me while i was parked at school (first time); where as in the past 2 weeks, it would do it while i was driving (maybe every other day at first but more and more as days passed), but yea ive been having the same problems; driving fine and the next thing i know a check engine light comes on and the temp. gage and rpm gage drop while the MPH dropping according to my speed. Today i decided to change the distributor cap along with the rotor inside. while i was doing this i noticed that the screw that holds the rotor was loose..? I could tell its been replaced before because the person who did it, did a sloppy job of taking off the screw, and obviously a sloppy job of putting it back on. I'm really really really hoping that this was the problem. i'll update tomorrow night and the next day for any changes or luck.

 

nope, not the distributor cap and rotor. its turned off on me 4 times this morning.. onces at a red light and i got it to start after 3 attempts. once in the parking lot and it took me 2 attempts. once while i was leaving pep boys after checking out some LED lights that were way too much.. and once when i got home.

 

More so the ignition coil, the copper wire inside of it. Do you have a friend with a distributor you can try? If that doesn't fix it I would look at ecu/main relay.

 

if it were the main relay/ecu, wouldn't it just completely not work? i again had it turn off on me about 9 times in the past 4 hours. the very last time it turned off; it took about 10 minutes till i could get it to turn back on.,

 

checked the main relay no problems with the soldering, and ecu seems to be fine. i had the loose screw in my distributor as well but that is not my problem as i did the same thing. i have it at a shop specializing in wiring and shorts right now knowing they'll have much better luck figuring out the problem if it is in the wiring somewhere. Im thinking it might have something to do electrical and fuel pressure but not positive with anything seeing as i am new to all this. Let me know how your fix is going and anymore advice you wiser import owners have for me. Thanks again.

 

I replaced both the ignition coil and the ICM and its been running perfect (as can be for a 94 ls) for 3 days straight