The more information you can provide, the easier it would be for me to understand the actual situation and come to a conclusion. It is good but the only problem is the system, it lumps everything into one big paragraph, making reading difficult. I have to paste the information and reparagraph them to make reading easier.
"... The one time it 'almost-stalled' while driving (pressed gas and I came out of it)a green warning light which was the pictre of a key flashed a few times...
The RPMs immediately dropped to below 0, no dashboard lights came on. It was like the car just died. The strange thing is that the power steering still worked and therefore, I didn't have any problems steering to safety, whereas before when it stalled it was so hard to steer. The car started right back up without any hesitation...
The above symptoms indicates power supply to or from the ignition is the main concern...
1) Ignition switch - the first shop said it was the new version (honda recall - 2003) but as you mentioned, does that mean it's good?...
Ignition switches prior to the recall had a problem of the symptoms indicated, that was the reason which prompted the recall. After 7 years and if under frequent stop/start driving conditions, I would not rule out the possibility of a failing ignition switch. Infact the symptoms do point to that, or the connections between the ignition switch wireharness to the fuse box. Check the connector terminals for signs of overheating and contamination.
...2) Ground Circut Connections at Intake Manifold... If this is the cause, retignthening the connection would solve the problem. Should be a straight forward job...
3)Idle Air Control Valve... This would cause stalling and low idling speed, especially after warming up but it would not be affecting anything if you are driving on the highway as at higher engine rpms, the IAC circuit has been bypassed when throttle is opened. However the******** after regaining power indicates this is not the likely cause...
4) Air Temperature Sensor.... Any fault with the Intake Air Temperature (IAT) would result in difficult starting and stalling after starting and similar to IAC, does not affect stalling at higher engine rpms...
5) Coolant Sensor (is this the same thing as the temp. Sensor?)... There are 2 different sensors, one is the temperature gauge sending unit which would not throw any trouble codes as it is solely for showing the temperature in the meter cluster. Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT) sensor is the one that tells the Power Control Module (PCM or engine computer) the engine temperature and would throw a code, which you mentioned that it did show when a scan was made. An ECT fault can cause stalling as the engine could be running too lean or rich, however you would most likely have difficulty restarting and the problem is going to be more frequent, especially after engine has warmed up. Spark plugs would most likely have signs of rich conditions with the tips being sooty. Check the connectors for looseness/contaminations which might cause intermittent connection failure. It under the distributor and if the O-ring of the distributor is bad oil would leak onto it causing contaminations or loss of connectivity...
6) Ignition Coil... If the ignition coil is failing/bad, the chances of restarting after stalling is almost zero, so I am quite confident this is not the cause...
7) Alternator Ground for Corrosion?... Alternator is bolted onto the engine brackets and if the holding bolts are secure, the grounding circuit should be good. Any fault would most likely result in the charge indiator light on dash flickering or showing intermittently...
8) Distributor/wires and all of that (the second shop said dis cap and rotor was ok, but how can he tell? The first shop told me they cannot get into that area and it is taking a chance to repair everything as it's just an educated guess on their part since they cannot get at it.
Seems strange when the second shop said both checked out fine?...
Any fault with the distributor is similar with the ignition coil failure, coil is inside the distributor. Distributor cap and wires can be tested for resistance and if they are within range, should be good. Furthermore, any fault with the above ( plus ignition coil) would have symptoms of performance loss, engine misfiring or********, especially when cold and would seldom result in engine stalling, especially while driving...
2) Second shop gave me something else altogether. They said it was a bad battery (severely corroded with very corroded battery terminals and 2 dead cells)... A battery with 2 dead cells would not allow cranking which is not the case so I doubt that is correct. The contaminations to the battery terminals should also not be the cause as cranking would be affected. Good to have the terminals cleaned though...
The strange thing is that the power steering still worked and therefore, I didn't have any problems steering to safety, whereas before when it stalled it was so hard to steer... When vehicle is moving at higher speed or minimal turning of the steering wheel is required, you would not feel any heavy steering. It is only when travelling at low speed and mmore turning is required that you would feel a heavy steering.... If the problem recurs, my recommendation is to check the ignition switch and its connection between main fuse box under hood to fuse box under dash and to ignition switch.
SPONSORED LINKS
Sunday, February 19th, 2017 AT 2:17 PM
