Car just stalls while driving!!

[ahmad89]

i have an 89 accord DX carbed and while im driving it would just shut off while im driving. It happened twice on my way home, i would have to shift in neutral and start it up again. Please help.

[A20A1]

check the distributor. the coil wires or maybe the battery wires or ground wires. or the spark plug wires.

[ahmad89]

where is the coil cause this happened to my bros 96 impala SS.

[ghettogeddy]

do your lights dim at all or dose the power seem to be ok
when my alt went bad my car just died like that maybe its the alt

[BeatThisLXI]

I hate to say it but this JUST happened to my dad's '05 Mazda(Ford) tribute!!! And it was the damned transmission!!! So I wouldn't be surprised. Hopefully it's not that bad, but if it is, just be glad ours are so cheap. My dad was quoted about 2-3 THOUSAND for the whole damn automatic shebang!

[ahmad89]

i dont think it would be the alternator or the transmission, how do i check the distributor and the plug wires and the coil?

[BeatThisLXI]

i dont think it would be the alternator or the transmission, how do i check the distributor and the plug wires and the coil?

If the battery is still powering your lights, stereo, air/cooling, etc like those other guys said, then it's probably not an electrical problem. That's why I tend to say the transmittor.

[ahmad89]

i dont think its the transmission cause this has never happened before it happened after i put the spark plug wires in order, could it be the spark plug wires?

[MessyHonda]

i would run a cleaner in the fuel tank to clean out the carb. check out seafoam...i ran it on my dx and that thing passed smog and it felt better.

[ahmad89]

yea im gonna buy a carb cleaner and fill up at a gas station maybe today. Do i have to have a full tank? and can i just put it in and drive it later or do i have to put it in before i drive?

[ahmad89]

Ok i went to walmart and got osme gumout carb and fuel injector cleaner, it says to put the entire bottle in the gas tank when its almost empty and then fill it up, luckly my gas tank is almost empty. I put it in after i came home and im waiting for my dad to get here so i can get some gas money. I bought another bottle to put in the next time i fill up. Hope it works, the car died on me again on the way home i was driving and the rpms started to drop slowly and when i pressed the gas nothing happened, i immediately knew it died so i put my hazards on and wait for the rpms to drop to 0 and then start it up again. Its really annoying and could cause me to get into an accident.

[Crazybird]

supposedly my car used to do that on long trips tooo. ive never experienced it but my sister and the guy she was with swear it happend. like is it ur driving and then ur rpms shoot up while u slow down? cause if so its the same problem which me and my dad think never happend to our car... even tho we rebuilt the tranny just incase

[ahmad89]

the rpms dont shoot up it just starts to decrease even when im off the gas pedal the rpms drop slowly then it reaches 0. I put it in neutral and then start it again.

[russiankid]

i would run a cleaner in the fuel tank to clean out the carb. check out seafoam...i ran it on my dx and that thing passed smog and it felt better.
I don't think there is a cleaner that can clean carbs. I know there are cleaners you put into the fuel tank that clean the injectors. My suggestion would be clean the carb with carb cleaner, check to make sure non of your spark plug wires are cracked or broken. Also, pull your distributor cap off, and check for signs of wear, or cracks. While you are at it, replace the cap and the rotor.


Edit: When was the last time your fuel filters were changed? You may want to replace those as well.

[ahmad89]

there are carb cleaners that you put in the gas tank i just put in a bottle as you can see in my post before crazybird's post. I dont wanna take off the distributor cap without knowing what precautions and how to properly remove it.

[russiankid]

there are carb cleaners that you put in the gas tank i just put in a bottle as you can see in my post before crazybird's post. I dont wanna take off the distributor cap without knowing what precautions and how to properly remove it.It's very simple. You have 2 screws holding it. After you remove those two screws just pull it away from the distributor and thats it. If you replace the rotor, it may not come off. When my brother and i had to pull mine off to replace it, we just broke it off gently and put some anti-seize lube on the shaft so the new one would be easy to remove if needed.

[ahmad89]

ok is that where the coil wire is?

[w261w261]

Has it been getting worse? Are you saying it just doesn't cut out, but the engine sort of strangles itself until it stops? I'd for sure change both fuel filters - one's under the hood, a little one, and the other is in the left rear wheel well.

[VTEC_Inside]

My car did this and it was a worn out ignition switch.

This was before I started doing most repairs myself, but the part and labour costs weren't very much. I believe it was under $100 total

[ahmad89]

it hasnt been getting worse, yesterday i put in the fuel injection/ carb cleaner and i recently just drove it for like a 5 min drive to get some groceries and nothing happened. I also need new headlights the ones i have on dont light up much and barely light up the road.

[MessyHonda]

it hasnt been getting worse, yesterday i put in the fuel injection/ carb cleaner and i recently just drove it for like a 5 min drive to get some groceries and nothing happened. I also need new headlights the ones i have on dont light up much and barely light up the road.


get some silvania silverstars unless you want to do a h4 conversion.

[Cheeseburger]

spend the extra cash and get the h4 conversions

[ahmad89]

dont have the extra cash to get a conversion i'll just get the bulbs.

[MessyHonda]

yup you dont need anything that is going to blind ppl. im happy with my silverstars...i paid like 40 bucks for the pair.

[ahmad89]

now when im changing the bulb do i just have to twist that black part thats behind the headlight and the bulb is there?

[MessyHonda]

now when im changing the bulb do i just have to twist that black part thats behind the headlight and the bulb is there?


nope..you will have to take out the whole glass thing.

[ahmad89]

omg why cant they make it simple!! Do you know a step-by-step guide? or can you provide that for me?

[88Accord-DX]

You have to take the bezel off first, then take out the screws on the metal plate around the headlight.

[russiankid]

ok is that where the coil wire is?The coil wire connects to the cap yes. The cap is where all of the spark plug wires + the coil wire connect at.

[russiankid]

If i remember correctly you cannot replace the bulb unless you have an H4 conversion. Correct me if im wrong tho, because if you can, i want to change mine as well :)

[ahmad89]

wtf cant change the bulb unless you get a H4 conversion, wtf was honda thinking with this car!? i hope i can change it without the conversion. Anyone know how i can properly change the coil wire?

[russiankid]

wtf cant change the bulb unless you get a H4 conversion, wtf was honda thinking with this car!? i hope i can change it without the conversion. Anyone know how i can properly change the coil wire?
Just get a spark plug wire kit. Then just replace the wires. It works just like the spark plug wires. Also i may be wrong about the bulbs, but when my brother changed had to change the bulbs in the Accord, he changed out the whole thing because he couldn't change the bulb itself.

[VTEC_Inside]

wtf cant change the bulb unless you get a H4 conversion, wtf was honda thinking with this car!? i hope i can change it without the conversion. Anyone know how i can properly change the coil wire?

First of all I think this headlight thing should be a seperate thread.

Second. Honda used a sealed beam headlight on the car back in '86 when the 3rd generation Accord was released. Since they designed it using sealed beam headlights, THAT is what they were thinking would be used.

Further to that H4 sealed beam replacement lenses probably were not around at the time and why would they have used them vs designing an integral lens like most cars these days?

Bottom line, unless you or someone else has previously changed the sealed units for lenses that accept an H4 bulb, then you will have to replace the entire sealed unit. You can choose to replace it with another sealed beam, or go buy some H4 lenses.

[ahmad89]

well whats the use of making another thread for just the headlight bulbs when i can get the help i need in this same thread. its also easier to just ask for help here instead of going and making another thread in a different section.

[VTEC_Inside]

well whats the use of making another thread for just the headlight bulbs when i can get the help i need in this same thread. its also easier to just ask for help here instead of going and making another thread in a different section.

Well this is specifically the "CARB TECH" section of the forum.

Your stalling problem is definitely appropriately here, but your headlight issue pertains to all 3rd gens, and is a COMPLETELY unrelated issue at this time.

I've searched these forums plenty of times now for help with issues. The headlight thing may seem passable now, but it makes things confusing if this thread comes up for someone else a year from now.

[ahmad89]

ohyea sorry i forgot this was in the carb tech section i thought it was in another section thats right my fault.

[Tecknixia]

Well, since you still have power to use your hazards and stuff, and you can start your car just fine, then I'm assuming the charging system is working fine.

So now it seems to either be a fuel problem, or an ignition problem.

If it's fuel, it still seems electrical, since starting the car again makes it work again. The main relay turns the fuel pump on... the ecu controls the injectors. Since you can start the car without turning it off first, I would think these are fine since neither of them gets reset with the as long as the key is in the "on" position.

I would suspect either the ignition switch or the distributor.

[2oodoor]

well whats the use of making another thread for just the headlight bulbs when i can get the help i need in this same thread. its also easier to just ask for help here instead of going and making another thread in a different section.
????
we are trying to help

why cant you see at night?
there may be a deeper problem we are not seeing here

[86accord88]

????
we are trying to help

why cant you see at night?
there may be a deeper problem we are not seeing here
hi newb to the site not 3rd gen accord. i just had a similar prob. when i got on the gas it would choke and stall if let off the gas it would stay running. any way i was trouble shooting it and i removed the choke pull off and it ran better still not 100% but better. the choke pull off on mine was located on the intake hoses right above the pre-heater hose. almost looks like a vacuum advance. sounds like it could be a blocked fuel filter or something in the tank though

well just a thought hope you get the prob. figured out

[ahmad89]

The fuel pump was my problem its fixed and running like a champ .