Civic - Honda :: 1989 - Engine Randomly Dies Usually While Driving


Oct 14, 2013

My 1989 Honda Civic engine randomly dies usually while driving. When it dies I hear a relay click sound coming from the area of the glove box. The tachometer and speedometer go immidiately to 0. The dashboard indicator lights all go out. The turn signals windshield wipers and electric windows all quit working, but the emergency flashers, radio, and comfort system blower continue to work. I think the transmission goes immediately into neutral too because deceleration is much slower than it would be if the engine were running and I take my foot off the accelerator. So far I have always been able to restart the engine and continue driving, though it often takes many tries before it will successfully restart and keep running.

In an unsuccessful restart the engine will fire and start to rev up but die again as soon as I release the key from the Start position. Occasionally the engine will spontaneously restart while we are coasting to a stop. We took it on a long trip this summer and it would almost always work fine until we stopped for gas, food or restroom break. After the break it would die one to three times in the first 5 miles and then would work fine until the next break. My mechanic says the computer is not storing any failure codes and he is having a hard time troubleshooting it because the problem only randomly occurs. I'm wondering if the problem might be a flaky electrical connector somewhere.

View 5 Replies

Advertisement

Civic - Honda :: 1989 Hard To Start - Backfiring Through Engine

When engine is cold, my 1989 Honda Civic with 270,000 miles starts fine. I'll drive it about 3-5 miles to run an errand, and shut it off for a few minutes while I'm in the store. When I come out, engine turns over but has trouble starting. It almost seems like it's backfiring through the engine. If I wait about 15-20 minutes, I can usually get it to start by goosing it, but the engine runs rough (intermittently) and sometimes stalls. The problem seems to be related to the engine temperature. Could this be caused by a sticky valve?

View 1 Replies

Saab - 900 :: 1989 - Engine Dies While Driving

My 1985 Saab 900 turbo has been dying while being driven. Suddenly, and usually while the car is relatively hot and in traffic, the engine will die while driving. Usually it will die when at a light stopped but not always. This has never happened before the last week or so, but the car has always had trouble with cold starts and will die while idling when the ignition is first turned. This hasn't been diagnosed. At times a lot of smoke will come from the exhaust, and this has not had a trigger (too much oil, hard driving, etc) but the car did pass smog in California (the strictest state!). Just now, a light I've never seen (and I've had 2 80's Saabs) came on the dash which said EXH, which I read could be regarding the o2 sensor?

View 3 Replies

Civic - Honda :: 1998 - Engine Suddenly Dies

I am at my wits' end with my 98 Honda Civic LX. The problem starts around late summer of last year. It is sporadic, so I didn't quite pay attention until one day the engine died on the highway after I picked up the kids at the school. It didn't make any sound nor giving any warnings, just suddenly died. After that highway episode, it seems like it just taken its own fancy schedule as far as when to die, so to say. In a given day, it could 4 episodes in a day. Then it runs perfectly for some weeks then it starts again and went away again.

It just quietly dies while being driven. I had to turn it completely off, wait for some moment and try to turn it on again. Sometimes it just turns on again without me being frustrated and there were moments when I had to do several attempts. Once I heard clicking sound before the engine died, only once, the rest makes no sound at all. No lights are on.

View 8 Replies

Ford Ranger / B-Series :: 1992 - Engine Dies Randomly While Driving

I have just inherited my recently deceased father's 1992 Ranger with the 2.3 liter engine. He was a Ford Mechanic but got to ill to worry about fixing the Ranger. So, let me begin, the engine dies randomly, (at idle or in gear driving doesn't matter what gear or speed), turning key to off and then to on will allow vehicle to restart every time. No "Check Engine" light has ever lit, I do have an "Antilock" light that comes and goes. The engine codes I keep getting are: 10, 218 and 222.

Code 10 is a computer check code,
Code 218 is "Loss of Ignition Diagnostic Monitor (IDM) signal/left side, and
Code 222 is "Distributorless Ignition System - Loss of right side ignition diagnostic monitor (IDM) signal.

These codes were from my Innova reader. I have read where other similar problems were fixed with a new Crankshaft Position Sensor, replaced mine, no change. Another symptom I just noticed is my temp gauge stays near the cool end when it should be higher.

View 14 Replies

Civic - Honda :: 1989 RPMs Will Never Get Above 2000 In 1st And 2nd Gear

RPM's will not get above 2000, in 1st and 2nd gear. No power....

View 16 Replies

Civic - Honda :: 1989 - Won't Have Power / Drags And Bogs In First And Second Gear

It drags and bogs in first and second gear. No jump to it at all. I've replaced the fuel pump, fuel filter,brakes, brake lines,valve cover gasket, spark plugs, spark plug hoses, exhaust manifold, timings good. What else can it be?

View 8 Replies

Civic - Honda :: 1989 - Stalled But Would Not Restart When Going On Highway At Steady Speed

1.5L with automatic and 90K miles. In December going 60 mph on the highway at steady speed the car stalled, would not restart, towed home, tried new fuel pump relay, made no difference, put old relay in and it started, ran great for 6 months and now after filling up the tank, I hit a bump and went around a corner and it stalled again, same scenario, towed home and it started the next day. Been running fine since. Ground on fuel pump/ bad gas? another relay in the fuel pump circuit?

View 4 Replies

Civic - Honda :: Idling Slowly - Dies At 300 Rpm

Noticed my beater Honda del Sol (177k miles) idling slowly the other day. Normal 45F day, light urban driving. Usually idle is ~800rpm (indicated), was dropping to 600rpm and even 500rpm. Holding her at 1000rpm then releasing the gas pedal yielded ~300rpm and it almost died, followed by ~500rpm. Ran fine at any other speed; it had no hesitation, no noises, and no warning lights.

So my GF said, "you're probably low on oil; my Cooper S did that once". Huh? Why would low oil, other than if it were so low that it starved the engine and caused friction, impact the idle? If anything, I'd think it would idle faster with less fluid to pump, and/or with hotter and hence thinner oil (assuming it'll run hotter if it has less oil, which it didn't appear to be).

Sure enough, I checked and it was about a quart low. I've never had a car that uses oil, plus my cars usually have oil pressure & oil level indicators (i.e. Porsche 944S2). So I've never run those lower than near the bottom of the "normal" range.

Searching "The Google" only provided unsatisfactory answers about metal-to-metal grinding and galling slowing down the engine, which is not what is happening here. There is still oil pressure, the oil light does not come on, and the engine sounds "normal". And adding oil immediately cured the slow idle.

View 6 Replies

Civic - Honda :: 2004 - Starts Then Dies After Being Filled Up

Right after I filled the gas tank, the car will start for a few seconds and shortly die afterwards. Could it possibly be the purge control solenoid? Right now I'm completely lost...

View 3 Replies

Civic - Honda :: A/C Just Turn Off Randomly And Then Come Back On After Few Minutes

I have a 2002 Honda civic, standard, that I bought second hand in March this year which is running great except the A/C all summer would just turn off randomly and then after anywhere from 10min to an hour later come back on. I had it checked out and they said it was a leak, filled it up and put the special dye and it worked great for a month then started again. When they checked it again there were no leaks, so assuming its the compressor. Being near winter I decided to leave it until next year but now I've noticed when I turn the front windshield defroster on and put the temp dial to heat, the A/C light comes on! Every time and it wont turn off. It doesn't matter if I've put it all the way to heat or cold - if its on the windshield or windshield and foot vent the A/C is on. I think I can hear the A/C running too. If I change the dial from the windshield to the feet vents only or whatever the A/C stays on until I push the button to turn it off but it will turn off at this point.

View 7 Replies

Civic - Honda :: Car Stalls / Dies When Tank Is Half And Turning Right

2004 civic ex with over 300,000 miles

For last 5 months or so, I have to keep full tank of gas. If the tank is half, the car starts stalling, and the first sign of it is when I am taking a sharp right turn on highway exit. It's like the engine dies for a second or two and comes back when the right turn is over. If I keep driving and the tanks get lower, it will happen even without the right turn. I just fill up the tank and the problem is fixed.

Check engine light is on sometimes (but not always) with these codes P0171B and P0497, but I am not sure it's related.

There is sometime also a short delay in starting the car, irrelevant if the tank is full, (a second or two of extra cranking) but that might be a different issue too.

View 11 Replies

Civic - Honda :: 1998 - Stalls Occasionally - Motor Dies

This has been a great car, until it developed this weird thing. It will occasionally stall while being driven. no warning, the motor just dies. It is a manual trans. and sometimes will restart if I downshift. I have become adept at slamming on the hazard lights and pulling over.

View 5 Replies

Suburban :: 1991 Randomly Dies While Driving

1991 suburban randomly dies while driving..... I will only have headlights and interior lights.... no other power .....wait 5-10 minutes fires right up.

View 1 Replies

Civic - Honda :: 2010 - Brakes Randomly Squeak / Grumble And Grind

I got my car inspected this summer, and the front brakes were reported as 8 and my rear brakes 6. I got front brakes not too long ago, and my rear brakes are original to the car. Recently, my brakes have very randomly (maybe once per car ride) started making a gentle squeaking or light grinding / grumbling noise when I apply the brakes. It doesn't seem to matter how hard I apply them or at what point during the car ride it is. Now, it will never squeak or grumble/grind at the same time, and the sound is never very loud. It also does not happen when my foot is off the brake or when the brake is released. Only when the brake is applied.

I've had squeaking happen in my previous car's rear brakes when some fluid was leaking, and my rear brakes had to be serviced, however, this sounds like it is coming from the front. I went looking in my owner's manual for a service schedule (for a maintenance code not related to this issue) and noted in very small print underneath the schedule that I should have replaced my brake fluid about a year ago. I don't know whether this could be related, and yes, I am going to get my car checked/serviced soon, but I cannot do it until next week. My questions are what might be causing the noise and also if it could be dangerous. I don't think that my brake pads are worn. The brakes also function very well as far as I can tell. I have no issues stopping. I have 75K miles on my car...

View 10 Replies

Civic - Honda :: 1991 - Idling Roughly / Dies Intermittently While Approaching To Stop

In the Car Talk column on 1/3/2016, it sounds like Lynnette's 1991 Honda Civic wagon was experiencing very similar symptoms to my wife's 2001 Honda Odyssey (189,000 mi) a few months ago. Rough idle, engine almost dies sometimes at stops, groans during acceleration. Additionally, accelerating between 40-60 mph our Honda would feel like it was "loading up," running rich or in the wrong gear climbing hills. I replaced the idle air control valve, which fixed the rough idle but not the other symptoms. Turned out I needed to reset (power cycle) the ECM and go through a curb idle/rev warm-up procedure so it would relearn the throttle position sensor's operating range after replacing the IAC valve. I disconnected the battery, removed and reinserted the hazard fuse, then reconnected the battery. Then from a cold start held the throttle at 3000 rpm until the engine warmed up to normal or the electric fans kicked on. Since then it's back to smooth, strong acceleration we expect from the Honda we love.

View 1 Replies

Stalling - Electrical-wiring :: Honda 2001 Randomly Spits / Sputters And Dies

My Honda has a strange problem that is vexing my mechanic. While I am driving, the engine spits and sputters and sometimes dies. I try to restart and it starts right up but runs rough. Sometimes it takes a while to start back up. If I wait a few minutes, it will start again and drive fine for a while. Then it will do it again. After it is warm or when it is cold at the start, it won't do it.My mechanic cannot get it to do it long enough to diagnose. The computer is not throwing any codes. I believe it is electrical because when it does this, the speedometer goes crazy bouncing up and down. Electrical problem also may explain why the computer is not throwing any codes. I need to narrow it down because my mechanic is reluctant to start trying things as I don't have a lot of money to throw at this.

View 4 Replies

Volvo - S70 :: 2000 - Stalls While Driving And Randomly Dies

My 2000 Volvo S70 just started stalling while driving: it completely dies while in motion. This has happened 4 times in the past week, both times (oddly) in the morning on my way home from the gym. Both times, it's happened we have had very damp weather, and it's the second start-up of the morning. It has happened at slow speeds, and it feels as though it is out of gas, but it is not.

View 1 Replies

Nissan - Pathfinder :: 1998 - Dies Randomly While Driving

My 1998 Nissan Pathfinder dies randomly while driving. There is no consistency to when it dies. I will be driving down the road and then all of a sudden the car will not accelerate and it eventually dies. The other issue is it won't start from time to time. It sounds like it wants to go, but it won't. Eventually it will turn over. It has been to many mechanics. The crank shaft sensor has been replaced and the mass air flow sensor. Neither one of these were the problem. They now think it is the distributor possibly. There are no codes saved. It has been sitting at the shop now for 9 weeks.

View 2 Replies

Civic - Honda :: 1997 - Driver Side Wheel Randomly Grinds When Turning Right

I have a 1997 Honda Civic and just recently, when the car turns right, a grinding sound emanates from the wheel.It sounds like the break pads rubbing up against the disk but this only happens on turns or if I stop, and put the car in reverse briefly.Could this be an issue with the calipers or would this likely be a wore out wheel bearing?I have heard a faint whistle coming from the tire when driving down the freeway but that is also intermittent and I don't hear the occasional whirring sound typical of a worn out bearing.I'll pull the wheel off today and check it out but I thought I'd bring it up and see what the group thinks.

View 12 Replies

Honda - Accord :: 1989 - Stalls After A Few Minutes Of Driving

My 1989 Honda Accord LX, with 135,000 miles on it, stalls after a few minutes of driving. Then, after re-starting, it stalls before I even have a chance to put it into drive. My mechanic replaced an electric base plate gasket in the carburetor but warned me that this repair might not fix the problem. If it didn't, I probably would need to replace the carburetor -- if one could be found for a 1989 model. Well, I still have the problem. My question: Is it worth it to invest $1,500, more or less, for a carburetor for a 22-year-old car? I've been using it strictly as a second car for the last 11 or 12 years. It seems to be in good shape otherwise.

View 2 Replies





Copyrights 2005-15 www.bigresource.org, All rights reserved