QuickSand

Nothing more scary than stalling middle of the fwy and hoping the big rigs miss ya each time!

Thank you Mad Med!

With your help I am now getting started on this fix!
Though Honda OEM price was cheaper, I don't trust to buy their failing product.
I paid a little more for a Duralast.
Is there any particular aftermarket brand you guys prefer?

QuickSand

And Just like it's done, time to take it for a spin!

jimb98honda

Good job! ! ! The photobucket link didn't give me a photo like I expected. Only a smiley face which was OK. Enjoy your ride ! I'm amazed at how many people this thread has helped.


Jim

tj111

Thanks for taking the time to post and with pics
I just ordered my part
Nothing worst then an intermittent problem.

tonyasleep

Hey Mad Med,

many thanks for your excellent post

I've had this intermittent fault for 4/5 months now on my 1998 Accord Coupe. It's quite scary when doing 80mph down the motorway and your engine stalls

I have the new part on order from my local dealer and with the aid of your post will soon be happily motoring again on the other side of the pond!

Many thanks from the UK

Tony

Zumo

This helped me out. Just had the same problem with my 1995 Odyssey. $53 bucks later and the Good Times van is fixed.

tonyasleep

Hi Folks,

I have changed the ignition switch and still get the random stalling.

Another symptom I get is not being able to start the car for a couple of minutes after stalling and have noticed on another thread for an earlier model (93) that this is caused by a faulty igniter (ignition control module).

Do you think this would have any bearing on my 98 model??

Thanks in advance

Tony

Snow_death

Guys,
I have a problem that is a mix of the two. What's throwing me is someone said they replaced the Starter, and some replaced the ignition switch.

Problem:
About three weeks ago I was driving and it died when I let off the gas three times in the same day. It would re-crank on the first try. Then a few days later it did it again, but unlike you guys I was letting off the gas, stopping a red light. The problem has not showed its self again. But about a month later it started not wanting to crank. I will turn the key and wait about 3 seconds and it would start up just fine. When I did turn the key you could hear the Solenoid "click", then you wait about three seconds and it cranks. Now this week it will Click, sit there and you turn the key jiggle it and little and turn it again and wait a few seconds and it cranks (some times it takes up to 6 times)... Please help me, any advise would be much appreciated!

Type of Car:
1999 Honda Accord LX

engineer2010

hey bro,huge thanks for posting this, it took me 20 minutes to do this, because, i could not reach the third screw, i broke the cover near the switch, thats why i did it quick, thanks again for this really good post of yours!!!

lildragon45

Great post!!! Thank you to the author!!!

I had this intermittent problem with my 98 Accord Sedan 4cyl 240,000 mi for the past 6 months. It started getting very dangerous when stalling on the freeway. Also very annoying when just cruising through mall parking lots and stalling in front of everyone. Anyways it got worse on a hot day and couldn't even start my car. I pulled one off a 99 accord in the salvage yard for $30 bucks but guaranteed to work. Also gave me knowledge of taking one off. So putting the new one on took about 30 min. Tested driving at fast and slow speeds and all is working fine.

So I took apart the old one (same one they replaced during the recall) and all the solder looked bad and old also the internal metal was dark brown color.

I'm just so happy there was this great tutorial to help with the install.

tekneecal

Thanks again to the creator of this thread. I just finished installing the switch and it works perfectly. The bad news: while I was removing the old switch, I accidentally pulled a wire loose from directly behind the steering wheel... followed the wire to see what it was...take a guess? Airbag!!! Oh sh**! I just continued and saved the repair of that wire until the end. Well, the wire broke right at the small connector at the bottom of the steering wheel and looks like the steering wheel needs to come off to get to it. I unplugged the yellow wire and now my SRS light stays on. Is this a easy fix? Should I just get one of those aftermarket steering wheels now that my airbag is disconnected? That would be a good enough *excuse* for me to upgrade my steering wheel! What do you guys think? Thanks again for the ignition repair pics and instructions. Peace.

vwvan

Mad Medicine -

This was a great post. The photography and description were complete and useful. I was able to repair my Honda this afternoon and you definitely saved me some hassle. Wanted to thank you for that. Getting to the screws that hold the ignition switch in place was tight quarters, so patience and the right tools helped.

Thanks again,
- Van
wdv.com

boost and bass

is this the symtoms that this fixes, it is exactly what my car does lately
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWP-DcQJRbk

Mad Medicine

I can't say for sure. It *looks* like it might be an ignition switch problem, but that's not what was happening to my car. I would start the car fine, go driving as one would normally do, and then in the middle of a drive the ignition switch connection would break and shut everything off. It was very scary the first few times it happened, but I quickly got used to it.

At one point I managed to test the problem by turning it on and then jiggling the key in the ignition (without turning the key to the off position). The same connection break would happen, causing the car to shut off.

Thankfully the car has been running like a champ ever since I replaced the switch.

dwatkins

MM

Great post. I have had this problem for some time and have found nothing up until now to solve the problem. I did discover that you can move the key forward a slight bit as if you are going to the start position and the engine will continue to run. Temporary fix and only gets worse. Replaced the ignition pigtail in about 30 mins. Also, the screw at the back can be removed and replaced without breaking the cover with a 90 degree phillips ratchet. Pic attached.
Thanks
DW

Joscuba

I am having the same problem on my 98 accord sedan 5 speed. On my 2001 civic when you do ""almost"" anything, they tell you to disconnect the battery then disconnect the yellow airbag connectors, but I hear you guys to "just be carefull" around the yellow wires. Even though I can't find anything about disconnecting the airbag connectors on the 98 accord, do you think it would be safe to do so?? Do any of you have any experience doing this on this car? Better safe than sorry I guess.

ThanXXX

Darcy_Irwin

Hi everyone,

I have a question. Does anyone know when replacing the whole ignition switch of a 98 accord DX 4cyl (5 speed standard) if we have to re-program the board? I have the same ignition problem and the guys from the garage told me that it comes from the chip recognition (chip on the key), so the problem might be at the contact with the key. Anyone? Please help!

Many thanks

Darcy_Irwin

PS: When I mean whole ignition switch, I'm talking about changing the key lock, wires and keys as well.

Oh and nice post, the instructions are nicely explained!

Mad Medicine

Hey Darcy,

Well if you're having the same problem as I was, have you tried replacing just the part I detailed in this procedure, not the whole enchilada? I would do that first before messing with the whole assembly (lock, keys, etc.).

I don't know the answer to your question specifically, but I can speculate. From what I recall during my repair, there was nothing that would kill the engine once the ignition switch (that I replaced) was turned to ON. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I used a flat-head screwdriver to just turn the switch, bypassing the whole lock and key, while testing the new unit. So, I would think that the contact between key chip and lock would only need to be momentary, while you're starting the engine. As soon as the engine's running, there should be no additional input from the key's chip, and it shouldn't be able to kill the engine if the contact is lost.

Mind you, this is just my speculation. I cannot guarantee I'm 100% correct, as I'm not a mechanic -- just a guy who likes to fiddle with stuff.

Mad Medicine

I know it's been a while since your post, but I figured I'd reply.

I'd take OEM Honda parts any day over aftermarket, even for the "failing" ignition switch. The first one lasted 120K miles, so it wasn't *that* bad. I recently went through a whole sequence of repairs on my Accord, and every aftermarket part that I bought for the car ended up being returned. Not because it wouldn't work, but because I compared it to OEM and found it to be vastly inferior. A background in manufacturing engineering doesn't help the cause, either. I'm a biased bitch when it comes to quality, especially since I was doing my own labor for these repairs.

And I can think of worse things to have happened on the freeway. I'll call your failing ignition switch and raise you three mysteriously-sheared studs on the front-right tire, in the middle of butt-**** nowhere, with no hardware store or Honda dealer within 120 miles.

I ended up spending the night and having a traveling tractor mechanic help me replace the three broken studs, while my future mother-in-law drove with her new husband (it was their honeymoon, and we were returning from their wedding) to get us the three studs my wheel sorely needed...

:-)

frostwhite99

Awesome post!! Fixed mine today after the Jack@#%es at my local Honda dealership quoted my gf 275 bucks to fix it. You would think they would replace a part that they fixed under the recall a year ago. I ended up going with the Duralast with a lifetime warranty for 50 bucks!! Couldnt hve done it without your writeup

Elkhunter

Awesome post mad medicine!!! Saved me $200 at the dealer to fix this. Pictures were perfect. I was able to lay on my back and see the mystery screw to remove. No way I would have known it was there without this

Thanks again

rasta420high

very nice

sastanley

MM, Just performed this 'fix' on my daughter's '98 Accord. Great write up...never would have seen the screw hiding under the radio, and also holding the black cover in the back of the steering column...I ended up breaking the cover because I got tired of sitting on my head fighting the damn screw.

Thanks again, the key is the switch is replaced!

mattb025

Amazing write up. Self diagnosed the problem and knocked it out. Thanks for the thread!
I did break the cover, it was tough getting to the top screw on the ignition switch and that other screw holding the cover was impossible to find. Hope i'm ok without the cover.