Honda - Accord :: 1997 - Extreme Overheating / Engine Seemed To Pulse With Loss Of Power
Jun 28, 2012
97 Accord Lx - 215k miles - 4 cyl. - regular maintenance. It's been my daily driver for over 5 years and been running perfectly.
Yesterday I drove the 35 miles from work back to my town but before going home stopped to visit someone for about an hour. When I came out to leave I noticed a larger than normal amount of fluid in the drive. I just thought it was condensation from the AC and that it was more because it was extremely hot yesterday (100+).
When I got within 2 miles of the house the 1st thing was that the AC was not blowing as cold. I turned it off. Then the engine seemed to "pulse" with loss of power, and the temperature gauge was maxed out. As I pulled into the driveway the engine light and oil pressure light came on.
After it cooled down I checked and the coolant was a little low, so I topped it off. The oil was really low and I added three quarts to bring it to full.
This morning I started it up and let it idle while I finished getting ready (5-10 minutes) and the temp gauge was about 1/3rd of the way up (where it normally is). It sounded, felt, and drove as normal but after a mile or so the gauge was climbing extremely fast so I turned around and took it back home.
What it might be? Water pump?
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I have a 1998 Accord, 4-cylinder VTEC standard transmission, 226,000 miles. Last fall I first experienced a problem with the car where within 5-10 minutes of starting the engine and driving, the engine seems to lose power/fuel and RPMs act as if they'll drop low enough for the engine to stall. If I take my foot off the accelerator, and reapply, the engine seems to gain power again.
Also, if I open the accelerator to full while the problem is occurring, it can occasionally "push through" and gain power again. Similar things will happen while stopped. In neutral, RPMs fall low and suddenly jump back up and then settle into normal idle. The problem never persists longer than 10 minutes within starting the car.
I took my car into a local shop that came recommended by a friend. They investigated a "check engine" light that didn't explain the problem and were never able to recreate the condition themselves. They replaced a few parts but lost the work order so I don't even know what they changed, but the problem seemed to have solved itself for a while. Recently it started up again and I would love to sort it out.
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Out of nowhere my check engine light came on bought some oil thought it was low, and i just recently got an oil change. Checked my sparks and it was okay. Couple hours later my car began over heating With engine light still on, and my temperature gauges increased knew something was wrong, filled it with anti freeze to cool it down, continued driving and the issue continued. Bought me a knew sensor, I noticed it worked but did not fix the issue, my car continues to over heat, couple days later without driving it, this morning on my way to work it was really cold so my car did not overheat, but my check engine light began blinking and my vehicle began rattling from my house all the way to work, for about 9 miles. Whats wrong with it? Is it safe to drive back home after work.??
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My latest car, 93 Honda Accord, has been my most unreliable car so far but I bought it earlier this year for $800 and it has <75,000 miles on it so I keep fixing it. Last night, after filling up about 30 miles before, I noticed the RPM's shoot down to nothing but then immediately go right back up again. I drove for a couple more miles on the freeway and then it happened again but the RPM did not return to its previous level. Erma (the car) lost power and gradually I steered it off the road as it slowed down. I waited awhile and kept trying to start it up. She sounded peppy (no clicking, squealing or straining) and the lights stayed on but it just wouldn't start. Eventually she started again, after about 15 minutes, and drove home with no problems. I live 45 minutes outside of town (where I work and go to graduate school - poor student card) so I am hoping for some guidance for things to try to make sure it doesnt strand me again, especially more permanently. Seems electrical? I recently, in the last 8 months, replaced the starter and the electric ignition assembly, as well as the brake master cylinder.
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OK, the wife had this car lose power on the interstate (only 5 mph) -- said she heard a lot of noise (no good description) and smelled rubber burning. Towed to Honda dealer -- found nothing wrong even after putting 44 miles on it to try to get it hot. My co-worker said she had a similar problem with a Civic --they found nothing on the computer -- happened again, she limped in a 5 mph and they could hear it was the alternator. Alternatively, web research has shown a LOT of problems with the 2004 V6 transmission.
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My 2005 Honda Accord randomly loses all power during city driving (25 MPH or less and sometimes while approaching a stop). The dashboard, radio, etc. go black, engine stops, and power steering and locks go out. The first couple times, it restarted immediately and drove fine. The past couple times, it did not restart right away.
After waiting a bit and taking the key out of the ignition, we were able to turn on the interior lights, A/C, and radio, and then the car started fine. The car was involved in a frontal collision a few weeks prior to all of this starting. The driver's headlight was damaged, and at least one fuse had to be replaced. We have taken it to the dealer several times. They ran diagnostic tests and drove it around, trying to duplicate the problem -- without success.
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'92 Honda Accord
My car was getting 28/29 mpg when the water pump went. Afterward the work was done the mileage dropped to ~21 mpg. Going back to the place that did the work is not an option. A few months after the work I decided to do a tuneup to fix the mileage. A guy from the parts store came out to show me how to deal with the spark plugs and told me I needed a new valve cover gasket. When I went back to the place that did the work, they agreed I needed a new gasket and would do it for the full price. They also agreed that they had just replaced it when they did the original work. Even I know gaskets don't fail that quickly. So they did a foul job originally. What could they have done to kill the mileage?
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2005 Honda Accord. I have been experiencing a loss of electricity to my dashboard - the radio cuts out, tach and speedometer needles drop, sometimes warning lights come on. I don't think I have experience a loss of power with this but when it happens, it lasts less than a second.
I can go days of driving without issue. Then, in one drive it may happen four or five times. I hate the idea of taking it into the dealer on an intermittent electrical issue. That could be a real bank drain.
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just picked up this 99 Jetta with about 150,000 miles and while driving all of a sudden i had extreme power loss, shaking and shuddering, and the engine light came on. My code reader found multiple random misfires cylinder 1 and 4 codes P0300, P0301, and P0304.
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I have been having a problem with my Honda overheating while the A/C is on, this is the thing though on any day when the weather is 85 or lower I can run my A/c all day no problem. But when it is 90 degrees out side my engine starts to over heat while the A/C is on, how ever as soon as I turn the A/c off temperature needle goes back down even in 90 degree weather.....
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My 1999 Accord V6 with 180k miles has started overheating. The fans will not run unless the A/C is on. I replaced the coolant temp switch A, because the fan came on when I jumpered the pins of the fan connector. The fan will not come on, even when the temp gauge goes all the way to the top. Jumper the pins or turn on the climate control, the fans kick on, and the temp drops. Tested the old temp switch in boiling water and it tested fine. Tried spreading the pins on the temp sensor in case the connection was just bad and that did nothing.
Otherwise, the system seems to work fine. Top coolant hose gets hot first, then bottom gets hot after 10 minutes. The heat works, and I didn't see any signs of exterior leaks. What else might keep the cooling fans from coming on?
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Well, I was sitting in the drive-thru today and my car started overheating. On the way home the oil light started flickering, so I put in some oil I had as soon as I got home. When I got home I checked my oil and it was half-way between the bottom of the dipstick and add mark. Really low.
I added a half a quart when I got home and drove it. The temp gauge was getting up there 3/4 the way to the red zone, but the oil light didn't come on. I drove it to a meeting, afterwards I added a quart of oil to the engine and drove it home and it started overheating and the oil light was flickering again. No white smoke, so it's not burning it. It's got to be leaking from somewhere, right? to lose that much oil?
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I recently purchased a 2007 Honda Fit and everything is good except for one thing. The headlights, interior dome light, and one light on the climate control dashboard pulse when the engine is on. The brightness pulses to be exact, and it becomes more intense at higher speeds, and when the car is in gear and not in neutral (this is a manual stick). It is not noticeable during the day, but a pain at night.
I took it in to get looked at and two different mechanics (including a Honda dealership) said they cannot figure out what is wrong with it. They tested the battery, alternator and voltage regulator, and they all tested fine. The guy at the Honda dealership played with the wire to the battery and it got a little bit better. They said replacing the alternator (which seems to be fine) is the only fix they can think of ($650).
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Alright, car's overheating, but generally not at under ~55mph or so. When I hit the highway and accelerate, the thermostat climbs and hovers 3/4s of the way to red. But only sometimes. Sometimes, often when I'm going down a hill, it will swings down to normal. Once it's gotten hot, if I take it off the highway and am idling or driving in the 15-40mph range, the temp gauge will spike. But only sometimes. Sometimes I'll hear the fans kick in while it's idling/overheating. The temperature will go back to normal, and then rise again and stay there or spike (seemingly randomly). It's never reached all the way to the red, but it toes the line. And I take the darn thing into the shop and it refuses to overheat.
I've taken the radiator reservoir out and there seems to be green fluid (antifreeze/coolant?) in the water (have flushed it repeatedly)...and over the course of several weeks, the water level itself will go down. Both fans and the thermostat have been replaced in the last 6 months. Additionally, the timing belt and serpentine belt have been replaced within 5 months, as have affected pistons.((S/N--RPMs are really....low? ~2500 @ 75mph? but don't seem to correlate w/temperature. would they effect it?)
I took it into my shop and they said "we ran all the tests and couldn't find anything wrong." Cool? I'm at a loss..
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When it is cold outside and I want to turn my heat on in my car, it takes a loooong while for heat to be produced. I have to have the car moving at a high rate of speed before any heat is made. Even when it is turned all the way to the hottest setting it just spits out cold air. Here is the real problem. If I have the temperature on the heat and the car is idle, the temperature gauge on the instrument panel starts to move around to the RED side(meaning the engine is hot, right?)
As long as the car is moving the gauge will stay in the BLUE(engine is cool, right?) As soon as I stop the car at a red light or sit in traffic(which is usually the case) sure enough the little temperature needle begins to make its way to the RED side. As soon as I move again, it normals again. I have taken this to several mechanics and they have said that they do not know what is wrong and they think that it may just be a faulty temp gauge(this does not seem right) I do not really know if the car is in fact overheating when the gauge starts its travels or if the car is fine and I just have something that is faulty.
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After a trip of about an hour to the Fryeburg Fair yesterday I noticed my temperature gauge needle was going way up. I was able to park my car and went to the fair for about 4-5 hours. Before we left I checked the coolant level as the car had cooled off enough to take the cap off. The coolant right to the top and was green. I checked my oil level and that was fine. On the way home my son suggested that I turn the heat on. I did so and the temp gauge went down to normal and stayed that way all the way back home to Lewiston, Maine. I'm thinking it might be the thermostat but thought I would for any other possible reasons my car is doing this. The car has about 216,000 miles and I did have the thermostat replaced a couple of years ago.....???
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My car is a 99 honda accord v6 EX (coupe)It started overheating about 2-3months ago. I was driving along and the needle on the gauge was completely on hot. I was able to make it home. Ive basically been driving it this whole time with the defrost on 80 and on full blast. Which keeps it around the halfway mark between hot and cold. I had a friend change my thermostat .. didn't fix it. Still overheats. But after he did that it seems to get hotter faster now. When I am at a stoplight it gets as hot as the gauge will let it go, then when I start driving again it cools down a little.
Now, after he changed the thermostat the car has been driving really rough. When I slow down to stop, it'll jerk a couple lightly then stop. When I accelerate from a stopped position it'll jerk a little then go. And when it shifts gears(its an automatic) it jerks very noticeably. So now im freaking out worrying my transmission is going too. So I guess what I am wanting to know is ... wtf is wrong with it??? Water pump? Ive been told if I change the water pump I need to have them change the timing belt too .. yes?
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I had my car battery replaced about three months ago and when it was replaced they put those little anti-corrosion felt pads at the base of the terminals as well as anti-corrosion grease. My positive terminal would never maintain a secure connection so I removed the felt pad and replaced the terminal connection. Now my only problem is whenever it is very cold outside and I try to start the car, I lose power instantly as soon as the starter is about to engage. I always have to twist the positive terminal back and forth a couple times, listening to the crunching sound of the anti-corrosion grease, and power is restored.
Is there any brand of grease I can use that won't cause this issue? Yes, I have removed the terminal, cleaned out the old grease and replaced with another pouch of the cheap stuff at the autozone counter and that didn't work. There is no corrosion buildup on the terminals but I've consistently had the problem for the past few months.
I know Honda had a recall on ignition switched a while ago, and they replaced mine, but I'm not sure if there is any direct connection since my daily fix involves me manipulating the battery terminal to get the car started. 2003 Accord EX ...
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The other night I passed a car overheating (Subaru) and checked my temp gauge and saw my needle was gradually climbing towards the half mark. This is not normal for my 96 Honda Accord. No lights coming on, so I blasted the heater and needle immediately returned to it's normal position. Filled the coolant, it was low, but the problem remains if the heater isn't turned on to at least 3. This doesn't seem extreme enough to be the thermostat. Could my fan be out?
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So recently my car has been starting to over heat. not to the extreme but the temp needle is going past the middle. only happens when stuck in traffic but as soon as I start going it goes back down.
As far as iv noticed only thing getting me puzzled is my fans are not running when running and starting to overheat. they run when I shut the car off though. The radiator is less then a year old. fresh oil change and the coolant is fine
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When I was driving my car the engine was running fine, but all of a sudden there would be no power to the wheels as I was driving. I tried shifting the car down into lower gears, but the car still was just coming to a stop even though I was revving the engine. I was able to limp home because I could turn the car off for about 30 seconds, and when I would start it back up the engine and transmission would work fine together for a few blocks and then I would have the same problem. I did check my transmission fluid, which was low (at the lower dot when hot). Could this problem be fixed by simply changing and filling the transmission fluid? Or do you think it is something else? My car is an automatic with about 114,000 miles. At about 98,000 miles I had a full tune-up and my timing belt was replaced.
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