I have a 1992 Honda Accord LX Sedan, 120K. I am going to write my problem in detail because after spending nearly 500 dollars and visiting 4 mechanics including Honda dealership my problem is still unsolved for 3 months. About 3 months ago, it started dying on me while I was driving. It would die on a signal when I am idling, or it would die when I am doing doing 40 on a busy road. When it dies, it feels as if I have run out of gas. The engine starts to choke and if i press the gas pedel deep it would continue running, but would eventually die. When it dies, it would restart once or twice and then it would not even start, though it cranks pretty well. Leave it sitting for couple of days and it might restart again.

But the most irritating part is that the problem is not repeatable in a garage. Many a times mechanics would keep it running for long times at garage and the problem would not occur. They return the car to me and within 2-5 weeks I am stranded on the road. Parts that have been (unnecessarily) repaired/replaced include battery, engine gasket, rotor/distributor cap, ignition switch, main switch relay, spark plug caps and wires and some repair work on distributor wiring.

I also got the vehicle towed to a honda dealership and worked upon immediately when it dies and does not start. It did not start in the garage for 2 hours while the mechanics tried to figure out why. It eventually started and they still have no clue as to what is wrong.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.......to say the least.

 

ur saying it only starts when it is cooled?

 

maybe a clog somewhere in your fuel system?

 

With all honesty, i don't think you will find any usefull information about your problem in particular. The only thing people here can do is yell out some components you might look at. But if a tech was able to troubleshoot your car while it was experiencing the problem, and was not able to figure it out, that means that it is probably a component that will be very difficult to isolate.

fs

 

No, not necessarily. I have had car sit in a parking lot for more than a dar/overnight and it would still not start in the morning. Also it died on me when I took it out in the morning. So I dont see any weather related pattern either.

 

Got the same car, same year and had very similar problem with it about 2 years ago. It would die for no reason, some times start rigth away, or not. Finally towed to the local dealer where it started - of course.

Left the car with them for two days and they finally iscolated the problem. It was a faulty ignitor which was intermitantly failing. Two years later and still running like a top.

Hope this helps

 

Hmmm..that is very interesting, bacause on my last visit to the Honda dealer, he said that their next best guess is a faulty ignitor. And you say that it was in fact the problem in your car.

Does anyone else feel that faulty ignitor is a highy probable cause of my problem. I will then give it a shot..

And bushrat...thanks for sharing this info

 

Ignitors are known to go bad in the early accords. They will short out VERY intermittenly. I would say replace it and drive it, keep an eye on the car. you said that if you give it more gas it will stay running. Do you just slam the gas pedal to the floor or slowly push it down? The reason I ask is because on a few occations I've seen the TP sensor go bad.

 

When it begins to die/choke I slam the pedal all the way for a second or two to keep it running. Note that I can do this only 2 to 3 times after which no matter how hard i slam the gas pedal it will die.

 

Have any one ever checked the cam/crank keyways. that is the next step

 

did you have any faulrt codes.

 

I had a somewhat similar problem where my car would die, but never going 40 mph. Most of the time it was going under 10 mph, like in a shopping center or I couldn't start it, felt like it wasn't turning over.

I had the ignition switch and main switch relay replaced,



... but it looks as if you already tried that. :/

 

Dude, if it's not the ignitor...

If you can afford it....

I would take it to the next nearest Honda dealer and trade it in.

What is your car worth blue book? I guess maybe 2000. How much have you spent on it so far? How much time has been lost? How much inconvenience have you had?

What if it dies on the freeway?

I am sure you have thought about this. It's not a decision I can make for you. But, if it can't be fixed and your personal safety is at risk...it's time to trade in and trade up!

 

IMO it sounds like a short...the only thing I can suggest is start at your battery and look for faulty wiring etc. But as stated above if 4 mechanics couldn't find it; the chances of you finding it are somewhat slim.

I wish you luck

 

Im new to honda tech, but I think I might know what your problem is, I have a 1992 accord DX and i had the same exact problems you are having and I did find the problem, it is an ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE that goes inside your distributor, I have replaced mine probably once or twice a year since it first started and every time it's about to start acting up (the module is going out again) my RPM's would start jumping around at high RPM's then a few weeks later it would go out again, NAPA even gave me free replacements for a while because their warrantied. Their about 80 bucks. Just take off the distributor cap and rotor and there will be wires plugged into it you just take off the wires and take out the screws and it just slips right out. I hope this helps.

 

In all probability you have a bad ignitor or a bad coil. Either one will cause the problem you are describing.
Although you can isolate which one is bad, my recommendation would be to replace both and have a little peace of mind. One of these components going bad usually puts a strain on the other one.

 

Im a newbie here -but not to cars. Going off the symptoms you mentioned I would start with the ignitor if not then I would check your fuel pump. Im not sure if you had it checked (fuel pump) but when they go bad -they seem to freeze up and work when ever they feel like it regardless of weather or operating temperatures. From the details you gave -it seems the same symptoms my cousin had with his accord and it was the pump. This would be easy to check if you can get someone to check it when this happen.......good luck