I am having a problem that I hope someone can help me with.

1992 Honda Accord
165,000 miles
Purchased used 2 months ago
Runs perfectly no problems .... until;

A week ago (yes it is getting hotter in Texas) it started to just cut off going down the road. The gages never change, no lights dim, there is only a short hesitation just before it cuts off. All this week I could just pull over and start it again. From there it would go 2 miles or 20 with no problem then the next day - same thing. Yesterday it stopped and would not start for about an hour, same thing today. I let it run in the driveway for about 2 hours and it never quit.

I have replaced the distributer (with Control module) the coil, the plug wires. I also replaced the gas filter thinking.. just maybe....but no. I put the old parts back in after it did not fix the issue.

It seemed to me to be ignition, if it was gas I would have expected some spitting and/or sputtering. A

Any suggestions? Need more details?

 

1. Do a used oil analysis and post it on bobistheoilguy.

2. Go to an accord forum and they will tell you exact problem. I had a random problem like that on my truck, mechanics had no clue, but UOA and forum fixed it.

3. There is also an x-factor if you have a auto-trans.

I have a hard time believing a 1992 accord has 165,000... Ex post facto, but I'd be curious to see if the car was ever in houston on the autocheck.

 

Im not sure what the oil check is but I have drained and changed. It looked old but no water or fragments. It is a manual trans. The check of the car showed local owners. But I know what you mean about the houston possibility. I see no signs of flood damage/rust ect...

Thanks again.

 

The UOA tells you about your engine wear and if you have coolant in it. Its a biggie that can be done for $20.

 

I will look into that. I have two old cars a Honda and an Acura. Thanks.

I just replaced the master (Main) relay. I ran the car in the garage for over an hour and it never died. I will do the road test tomorrow.

Best Regards - CMT

 

i dont know if an engine oil analysis would do you any good actually. if the engine was poorly worn/damaged, you'd probably be feeling and hearing things consistently. your fuel economy would probably suck balls as well.

how much gas do you have in the tank when this happens? is it low? i had a 94 accord bought used that started having some problems with the fuel pump or something in the fuel system if i remember correctly. i know they're different generation accords but i'm just throwing out a guess in case they're similar in some ways. when the fuel level was low, the engine would shudder when braking or heading downhill with about a 1/4 tank or less. then you'd have to get off the incline, back to flat ground to start it up again. and if the tank was low you'd have to brake very early and gently to keep it from choking.

 

It does not seem to be related to the fuel level. The first time it happened a week ago, I was at about 1/4 so I thought maybe it was the gas too low and filled up. It happened a couple more times after that. Yeserday it was full. Good thought though because I have seen several posts the level can cause this - as does picking up water in the tank. It really does run perfect before it cuts off. The mpg is between 24 - 27 in the City. That is why I love this thing. With the price of gas, the savings (versus other cars) makes it worth trying to sove this problem.

Thanks... I will post the results from today's garage and road tests.

 

next time it dies, get someone to crank it and someone to bang on the fuel tank. It might be a fuel pump issue. Also, check to see if you've got spark. Keep a screwdriver in the car. When it dies, run out, open the hood and pull 1 spark plug wire. Put the screw driver into the wire and put the screwdriver to ground. Get someone to crank it. see if you've got spark. Do test separately

 

I will keep the tools in the car. I did hold the plug wire near the cap/plug hole and it did not appear to have spark. But if this happens again, I'll do this test.

Thanks

 

I let it run for an hour, sit for half an hour. Drove for less than two miles and it stopped. It started right away, did not do it again all the way home. Took it out again, about two miles away, did it again but it starts right back up. I am suspecting fuel pump now. The problem with trouble shooting the issue is that it does not stay dead - it starts and runs. Then dies. When attempting to check it, everything works. The tank does not look hard to drop so I may do that to see what I find.

 

I feel certain it's the Ignition Switch. It was previously recalled on certain '99 models and I've seen this issue several times before on Accords.
It also may cause a OBD code "Ignition Module Output Malfunction" which is a red flag to replace it.

Good luck.

 

I have tried it all now:

Distributer (w/control mod)
Distributer cap
Wires (including the coil)
Fuel pump
Fuel filter
Main switch
Ignition assembly
Pushing/pulling and checking wires

No luck. Never gave up on one before but this one has me too frustrated to keep going. I dropped it off at the dealer.

Today someone told me about two differant ground wire issues. One near the power steering pump and one that runs from the fuel pump to ground.

I will let the dealer ckeck it - tell me it will cost a hugh amount of money and I will just get another car.

If this turns differant that that, I'll let you know.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions and thoughts. Mine is just an odd thing.

 

IT WAS THE DISTRIBUTER SHAFT.

SOLUTION:
Well one trip to the HONDA dealer (great service) for an estimate on the problem. I feel better - at first they did not know what was happening. On the second day - they said it was the Distributier shaft. The distributer I replaced did not fix it - it ws after market. $450 dollars seem a lot. My thoughts .... that is only what would be one or two monthly car payments. Cheap... and it runs great.

They explained that the problem was the car would jump time when the shaft would (for a split second) pop out of the slot in the portion that connects to the timing gear. That kind of makes sense because of the slight jerk it would make before shutting down. Then is would catch back in the slot when I cranked it up. I guess that was it... 70 miles so far no more issue.

If the problem comes back - I'll post again - if not, I'll check back once i a while to chewck for others that should check for a simular issue. This only the second time in 20 years I have taken a car ro a dealer for repairs. I swore never again about 10 years ago - next time, I'll rethink that before pulling my hair out.

 

hahah, congratulations on getting it fixed!

 

This website popped up when searching for some help with my '92 Accord...I am having the exact same problem listed in this thread - does that mean the only thing is could be is the distributor shaft, or is it possible i need to do the "process of elimination" as well to make sure it isn't something else? HELP!!!!!