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The vehicle stalls and then starts. It only happens when idling and there are no codes when it happens. In fact, the check engine light doesn’t even come on!
I’ve watched several videos and still not sure what the problem might be. I have actually had the car looked at by 2 master and one super mechanic (a “HONDA” super mechanic, to be exact – I thought surely he would know what the heck the problem was). The car throws no code so no one has been able to diagnose it and because it is intermitant, it’s been difficulty to diagnose, to say the least. We purchased the car from a mechanic, so I’d like to think that he went through it to make sure everything was mechanically sound.
The car comes back to us next week – I’m hoping with the additional time they will find the issue but at this point I’m not optimistic. Initially I thought maybe it was the distributor, but the more I watch and read, I’m thinking it might be the ignition switch. We already bought a new key (the original key was lose in the ignition) I did ask the dealership to check out the distributor but they basically said that didn’t fall within their $130 diagnostic. So, when the car comes home, what are some sure fire ways to check to see if the ignition switch is the problem? This is my daughter’s car and I want her to feel safe (and I want to know she is safe). Suggestions? Ideas? Anything we should be looking at that might be overlooked in a shop?.
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Ignition switch is a very common problem with Honda of that vintage. Here’s how to diagnose a bad ignition switch:
As Civvy said, it’s so common in Hondas and Acuras–and there were recalls during some years.
Input the VIN at http://owners.honda.com/service-maintenance/recalls to see if there are any on her car.Intermittent problems are as difficult for mechanics to troubleshoot as they are for owners to deal with.
It probably never failed while they were testing it.Excellent article linked below.
The key point is,” don’t quit if the first test doesn’t reveal a problem You may have to repeat the test 10 to 15 times before you see excessive voltage drop across an intermittently failing switch . ”
In your daughter’s car, it seems like the RUN circuit is dropping out from time to time.I’ve checked for the recall and there is none; I contacted the mechanic I purchased the car from and asked about the ignition switch and if he replaced it; he countered with: there are other issues that can cause the stall/start. But I continue to believe it’s the ignition. We even bought new keys but it still stalled/started. The dealership was actually able to recreate it once on a drive, but haven’t been able to recreate it since, likely because they are letting it idle in the shop, hoping something will happen. Plus, with it being intermittent, I get that it’s harder to diagnose but I don’t get the feeling they are really trying that hard either. I’m hoping to pick the car up this evening and will be giving it the test Eric shows in his video.
There’s no need to wring your hands about this. The next time the symptom manifests itself, do the diagnostic procedure in Eric’s video.
Hey Civvy – the issue probably wouldn’t be of such concern except for the fact that my 16 year old is the driver of the car. She’s been held up by the stall/start issue several times and it kind of freaks her out. We will, of course, continue to try to find the problem, as it is yet unresolved. For now, she will drive my car if she is leaving the city limits.
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