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2005 Honda Accord Engine light stays on

Tiny
PASHA48
  • MEMBER
  • 2005 HONDA ACCORD
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 43,500 MILES
While on a road trip I realized I was almost out of gas. I had to stop at a no brand name gas station to fill my 2005 Honda Accord 6 cylinder sedan. I put the cap back on, gave it 1 crank and left. About 2 miles down the road I noticed my engine light come on.

When I got back home I had someone check the car and they found 2 codes that came up. One said 05889 unknown and the other was P0325 for a knock sensor. I was able to find out some information on the knock sensor, but not for the unknown code.

The fellow that gave me the codes, cleared them, loosened and then retightened the gas cap and the light went off. The next time I started the car after that trip it came back on. I need to know what is going on with the car so I don’t damage it. It is running as quiet as when I bought it at the dealership. It purrs in fact. ***One note: the previous owner noted in the service manual that he had an issue with the engine light at one time too. Other than that it’s been a super car. Thank you for any help in advance!
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Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 AT 7:07 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Hi pasha48,

Thank you for the donation.

The unknown code could be because the scanner used is not fully compatible for Honda vehicles.

Autozone provides free scanning services. Get the scan done and let me know the exact trouble code.
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Friday, July 23rd, 2010 AT 8:49 AM
Tiny
PASHA48
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
The scan was done by a great shop that is Certified to do all warranty work by our local dealers. I initially went to Autozone and they didn't have the scanner. I didn't feel comfortable there and that is why I went to the Certified Shop. The other code PO325 showed up on their computer, however the car is not showing any signs of an engine knock. This all happened immediately after refueling. I have searched on the web for answers. Some people have said the oxygen sensor is at fault, a bad gas cap, overfilling (which I did not do), knock sensor, using Marvel Mystery Oil to clean out any problems but so far nothing definite.
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Friday, July 23rd, 2010 AT 9:14 AM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Under Honda's terms for unknown codes, ie codes that are not listed = a bad computer.

A bad knock sensor does not necessarily mean you would hear any knocking fron the engine. When the knock sensor is bad, the computer would retard the ignition timing to a preset value which would not be at optimum and there could be a slight power loss, which is most likely not noticeable due to the minor difference.

When the CEL light comes on, most poeple not related to the auto industry think that it is only an emission system fault but without getting the exact trouble codes, there is no way to know what is wrong. There are a thousand and one possibilities.
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Friday, July 23rd, 2010 AT 9:33 AM
Tiny
PASHA48
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
I called Honda. They said to drive the car a few hundred miles and the light should go off. They get a lot of the same calls like this when the gas cap wasn't tightened 3 clicks. If it doesn't go away they said to bring it in. The car is still running like a clock so I'll see if anything changes.

I like the Honda, but I think from reading so many posts on the web (with the same problem )that they should be better equipped to track a problem like this down and get it resolved.
In my business we work on mechanical and electrical equipment and if we didn't have concrete answers to issues for our customers we wouldn't get their business again. Just sayin'.
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Monday, July 26th, 2010 AT 11:23 AM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
If the gas cap is not tightened correctly, it would show the correct code, not an unknown code.

Anyway if the vehicle is running well, the it is ok to continue driving and the code, if it is a gas cap problem, it would go away.

In the meantime, you can get a scan done to see if the code is any different from the previous scan.

All these issues are faced by all auto makers so you can't really fault Honda on that. If it is a gas cap problem, then it is a user fault rather than a manufacturing flaw.
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Monday, July 26th, 2010 AT 11:30 AM
Tiny
PASHA48
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Don't get me wrong. This Honda has been a great car. I didn't tighten the cap and that's my fault for sure. It's just confusing to see so many people complaining about the same issue some with no resolve and others with all different types of answers. We'll see what happens in about a hundred miles or so.
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Monday, July 26th, 2010 AT 11:43 AM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
I understand what you mean and don't worry, I am just trying to explain the situation and not putting any blame on you.

Actually the problem lies with understanding the system. Generally most people think that when the CEL comes on, it is an emission issue so they would go for the gas cap etc.

However there are a lot of problems that are due to sensor failure or wiring faults so when the problem was not understood, a lot of questions are raised. When people who do not know the system well starts to answer, that is where the problem escalates.

Lets keep our fingers crossed.

Have a nice day.
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Monday, July 26th, 2010 AT 12:10 PM

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