[johnsoncranium]

Ok, I'm going to work this morning and right as I get off the freeway, the damn thing stalls. I try to start and hear the starter but won't turn over. The thing just shook and didn't do anything, and kinda burbled here and there. After a while, nothing, just the starter churned but wouldn't turn over.

A half hour later, I try to start again and it starts. So I'm heading to my mechanics' shop and about a mile later, the damn thing goes from about 3krpms' to flat 1krpms' and stalls again.

I have no idea what's going on. It's in the shop right now and my mechanic's a pretty honest guy but I'm really confused as to what happened. Any ideas?

The car is a 93' vtec lude w/ only 66k miles on her, w/ timing belt and all that stuff(rather long list so not listing) changed only 3 months ago. Fuel filter was changed, so was the cap and rotor. Valve adjustment was done last week.

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kimchi cures cancer

 

[vabeach_lude]

isnt it the alternator?

 

[OvaDaLimiT]

I have no clue,
but outta curiousitiy, which shop do you go to? I need to know a good mechanic around here, u know...just for the hell of it...

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[johnsoncranium]

Ok..

Here are my guesses.

1.bad fuel pump-hasn't been changed yet and the car is 8 yrs old.
2.well, that's about it..dunno what else could be wrong.

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[johnsoncranium]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by vabeach_lude:
isnt it the alternator?</font>

Yeah..I was afraid it mite be that..but the tow truck guy was pretty adamant that it wasnt' given the symptoms i gave him. It just might be though, cuz it is a 93 and I've heard of some 92-3's having alternator probs..

Thanks for the suggestion.



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kimchi cures cancer

 

[johnsoncranium]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by OvaDaLimiT:
I have no clue,
but outta curiousitiy, which shop do you go to? I need to know a good mechanic around here, u know...just for the hell of it...

</font>

Well, i went to Ace Auto Complete in Sepulveda. The mechanic's not a honda expert but has a 88 prelude himself and is dead honest. In this case, where i have no clue as to what's wrong, I ususally go to guys like him.

I also go to a friend's friend who was a Honda tech and works out of his own garage when he has the time. if you want his info, let me know.

and when it just gets real bad and ppl have no idea about what's wrong(not that anything like that has happened w/ this car), i go to either Hollywood Honda(ask for karen) or Gardena Honda, the only two dealers I half-heartedly trust.

oh, and there's Affordable Honda/Acura on Shermany Way in Van Nuys but that place has been going down in terms of customer service..last time I went there, my car came back with two small but significant(my car only had one b4) dings. the owner knew nothing about them of course.


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kimchi cures cancer

 

[vabeach_lude]

actually everything you listed is the symptoms of a bad alternator. I have gone thru a few on my old car. Finally went to a high performance alternator. Simply put, my car would die in the middle of the road, I would put it in neutral and coast to the side. Then I would be able to start it like 5-15 minutes later and get home (barely).

You think you car is stalling, but it isnt. It is actually just causing the engine to go dead, so its not really stalling. Also your car is approaching 10 years old. Most alternators go out on Hondas between 9 to 11 years.

But I am by no means an expert. Just had a few experiences with them.

 

[OvaDaLimiT]

Thanks!
I usually do my car stuff back home in teh chino hills/diamond bar area...i should know of a few places out here just in case

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[checkmate58]

Yeah..sounds like a bad alternator..i agree with the other guys..at least you got the car to start up and go..hahaha..

--Sam

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[johnsoncranium]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by vabeach_lude:
actually everything you listed is the symptoms of a bad alternator. I have gone thru a few on my old car. Finally went to a high performance alternator. Simply put, my car would die in the middle of the road, I would put it in neutral and coast to the side. Then I would be able to start it like 5-15 minutes later and get home (barely).

You think you car is stalling, but it isnt. It is actually just causing the engine to go dead, so its not really stalling. Also your car is approaching 10 years old. Most alternators go out on Hondas between 9 to 11 years.

But I am by no means an expert. Just had a few experiences with them.</font>

Hmm..yeah, that does sound right. and fuel pumps, if i remember correctly last a while. Shoot..there goes $300 outta my pocket at the least.

Thanks for the help. and yeah, after about 30 minutes, the car would start. anything else i should be wary of?


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[johnsoncranium]

well, my mechanic has diagnosed the problem about half way. he's eliminated the following:

1.alternator-working good
2.fuel pump-supplying more than enough pressure
3.nothing internal in the motor

Here's what he's narrowed it down to and will find out for sure tomorrow:

1.starter module
2.bad ecu
3.or something else he overlooked, since he didn't get to see my car till 4pm.

I am hoping it's either #1 or something minor, and not #2. Whoa..my wallet cannot take that kinda beating right now.

He said starter modules are weird..he's got a 89 prelude w/ 220k miles himself and he's still using his orig starter module. but he's seen them go out on newer preludes with less than 100k miles.


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kimchi cures cancer

 

[johnsoncranium]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by OvaDaLimiT:
Thanks!
I usually do my car stuff back home in teh chino hills/diamond bar area...i should know of a few places out here just in case

</font>

hey, odl, my friend who works outta his garage lives in hacienda heights. let me know if you need his services. the guy's real good.



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[vabeach_lude]

Ok is the starter module the eletrical part of the ignition? I mean the ignition itself next to the steering wheel? Because I actually had to get mine replaced about when I was having alternator problems on my old car. I was having eletrical problems still and actually couldnt get my key out of the ignition. It was awful.

 

[johnsoncranium]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by vabeach_lude:
Ok is the starter module the eletrical part of the ignition? I mean the ignition itself next to the steering wheel? Because I actually had to get mine replaced about when I was having alternator problems on my old car. I was having eletrical problems still and actually couldnt get my key out of the ignition. It was awful.</font>

Hmm..I think when he was pointing out to me, it was in the engine bay. But we were busy going over the feedback the ecu was giving out.

Will find out tomorrow for sure. Oh, what kinda car did you have?

It seems that the 92-3 preludes were somewhat plagued by electrical gremlins.

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kimchi cures cancer

 

[vabeach_lude]

Yeah my friend has a 93 Prelude and just replaced his ECU temporarily with a JDM ecu and his car was running great! He was having bogging problems with his oem ecu.

But the mechanic was talking about the Ignition control module (thats what 71dsp/Billy) explained to me. Unfortunately I know nothing about that.

 

[johnsoncranium]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by vabeach_lude:
Yeah my friend has a 93 Prelude and just replaced his ECU temporarily with a JDM ecu and his car was running great! He was having bogging problems with his oem ecu.

But the mechanic was talking about the Ignition control module (thats what 71dsp/Billy) explained to me. Unfortunately I know nothing about that.</font>

hooo. hoo..man. if it is the ecu, then i'm out some $4-500 at the very least for a used unit. argh! oh well, long as i have no more problems after.

thanks for all the feedback chris, that's your name aint it?



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kimchi cures cancer

 

[vabeach_lude]

Welcome!

(yup its Chris.)

 

[OvaDaLimiT]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by johnsoncranium:
hey, odl, my friend who works outta his garage lives in hacienda heights. let me know if you need his services. the guy's real good.
</font>

Yah...cool. I'll keep that in mind if the need ever arises

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[johnsoncranium]

Ok guys,

Here's an update.

My mechanic deduced it down to two things. And I won't find out for sure till tomorrow, but i was talking to my best friend who's in ny(if he was here, the car would not be in the shop) and he confirmed that it's the ignition module, which is located in the distributor, right inside the cap.

He had the same symptoms.

This is caused by(one of the reasons) from runnin on near empty tank, which I've done too many times(running till I got like 1 gallon left in there).

One way to forsee this problem is in your idle. I had new plugs, wires, cap and rotor. yet, at idle, the car would shake sometimes, w/ the rpms dipping below 500rpms. One sign of a weak ignitiona module about to go bad. It could be the plugs, wires and what not but I had all those changed. A SURE SIGN! SO WATCH FOR THIS!!!

heww...so no new ecu for me and my wallet won't take such a beating.

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kimchi cures cancer

 

[bad azz teg]

Lucky you got home, I had my car stalled on the road, it took me 2 hours to get it to home.

[This message has been edited by bad azz teg (edited April 03, 2001).]