Hi there,

I'm a newbie BTW!!

I own a 2002 Honda Accord 4-cylinder 2-door automatic sport coupe.

I'm at 67,000 KM right now.

Just last night, while I was driving home from work (on the highway), my car's MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP came on. This was the very 1st time that I had ever witnessed this light...

I noticed that it came on almost at the same time that I had downshifted from 4th to 3rd gear. I was going rather steadily..

I drove home, parked, and immediately checked my owner's manual (in glove comp't). The manual specified that I check the gas cap, which i did and it was fine. I noticed that the manual specified to wait "3 driving trips" before making any plans to visit my Honda dealer...

Well, I made those 3 trips, and the light still hasn't dissappeared.

I called Honda, and my advisor said that she 'hated' that light and that that specific light could be many possible problems (including possibly the transmission) , and that i would have to bring the car in in about a week to check it (at a cost of $70 just to check if there's a problem!!!??!??!).

Your thoughts plz.......

(thx in advance)

PS: any pointers would help!!!

 

where do you live??? cause your talking kilometers. here in the US we can have the light checked for free at basically any auto parts store..when that light goes on a trouble code is stored in the computer which can be read very easily with a reader, and most of the time the code will clearly show what the problem is so that you can have a good idea about whether you can fix it yourself and how much money it is going to cost. if you have a checker auto ot something like that they will check the code, if you post it on here, there are some people one this site that know some serious **** about hondas they will be able to get you on the right track.

o and welcome to the site...dj are you? what kind of music do you spin? do you have any pointers i could have about how to match up beats faster, and some good tricks with the mixer?

 

to expand a little... I had some issues a while back with my car's check engine light. I found out that even if a auto parts store won't check your engine code for free you can often times rent a diagnostic kit that will give you the error code and clear it if need be. I would suggest just calling around first, get the error code and then post it here if it's not clear what it is...

 

yes definately even to buy the trouble code reader kit would be less expensive than having it checked at the dealer....but dont even start thinking that this is something that you are just going to 'clear'...when there is something out of spec that light will come on and when something is out of spec....it needs to be replaced. unless you just didnt tighten the fuel cap enough and there are a few other exceptions to this rule which almost certainly dont apply to you. in the 400 thousand kilometers that my car has driven the malfunction indicator light has come on once, and immediately i shut down the engine and parked it on the side of the freeway and had AAA come over and bring a flatbed. my car just is not allowed to run on limp mode at all.

 

error code=1259

got it for $25 from my friend's brother-in-law's garage (Midas garage)...

They did a basic diagnostic test that didn't work, and said the car needed an even deeper investigation that would cost more...

I said no need, i have to take it anyways to my dealer so they'll charge me up the *** anyways so no need to go deeper and waste money on diagnostics....

he said don't worry about safety, but don't wait too long to take it in to my Honda dealer....and drive conservatively he said, no heavy accelerations, etc...

any advice?

 

p1259 vtech system malfunction....have you checked your oil recently?

 

Hi Lightshow,

thx 4 being involved with my 'problem'!!!

I haven't checked my oil since late nov.2005, so 3 months then.

At the garage today (Midas), they got the error code (P1259), then checked on their computer to see what they must perform to properly diagnose...I then overheard one mechanic tell the other that they needed a specific guage that they didn't have, but that they can still do a ...blah blah blah (I can't remember exactly....).

They ran tests for about 7-10 minutes; at one point they were running my engine at 4000rpm in the 1st gear, etc (according to what they read in their computer after having looked up the p1259 error code)...

They told me it's either a faulty switch/connection or poor ground/wiring in the oil pressure switch circuit..., but that they would have to go deeper to investigate it (hence more $$$)...

Now, in order for Midas to have said something as specific as the aforementioned, then i'm assuming that they had probably did the obvious by checking my oil, no?

PS: they got rid of the MIL, which is great because I have less of an eye sore and feel less urgency (which may not be a good thing,,false sense of comfort, etc..). But, will my Honda dealer still know that there was an error code that was shut off by Midas? Or do they rely on me to verbalise it?? (I know, I must sound like such a rookie! LOL)

 

its all good car problems are a big deal. but yes having the light off is definately a false sense of security. with a honda, the vtec system is the best feature that you have on your car, you definately want it to work. the oil pressure sender could definately cause the system to not work. the most common thing i see that makes a vtech system NOT work is having a low oil level. but there is also a soleniod that controls the vtech and a seriously monsterous list of parameters that needs to be met before the system will turn on. when you take the car in, do let the dealership know of the code that came up, and please dont take your car to midas any more.

 

thx again Lightshow..

I think I will take the car in this week. Til then, I will drive conservatively and try not to go higher than 3500 rpm (to avoid solliciting the VTEC system). I will also check my oil level this morning for the first time ever ,since i've bought this car in may of 2002! (I have had my Honda dealer take care of all of that until now).

Question is: would this type of job still fall under the basic warranty...??


BTW, i'm a house music DJ. I play 'soulful' house music to be specific: the type of house music that was spawned from underground disco, motown, jazz, gospel, and afro-latin rhythms...... I can suely give you pointers! Just tell me what you need to know my friend!

 

im not sure if it will fall under your warranty, you should have drivetrain coverage and that problem definately deals with the engine. i think theres a good chance that it will still be under warranty. when you check your oil. do it when the car is cold. if the level is under the bottom line (the minimum) then this is the most probable reason that your vtech is having the problems. the amount of oil that it take to bring the level from the bottom line to the top line is just under one US quart. sometimes its hard to see the level on the stick look at both sides, and kinda get it to shine in the light so you can easily see the difference between dry metal, and where the oil line is. yea if you could give me some pointers i would really appreciate it. i just really want to be able to lock up beats really well....really get that momentum of the cued record stopped dead. like just be able to forget about the cued record for 20 or 30 seconds and just know when i put it back on in my headphones that its still right where it needs to be, or maybe just a little gust of wind would put it right there. ive tried a few things and im just not sure what works better, it seems that if i actually have my hand on the record whether im constantly slowing it or speeding it up just a little when im Fading it over...my mixes are the best. it just seems like if the cued record was slow and i slowly inch it up, it always starts to fall back....unless i actually increase the pitch to a point where its too fast. so im wondering what combination works best?