I will get right into it

• The car starts fine
• When I take my foot off gas pedal or the car is shifting(maybe i am too over-observant)
• when i am stopped at traffic lights
• I am driving and i can feel as if the car shut off momentarily(like hit air pockets) - this can be both spark OR fuel
• Yesterday, evening, car started fine and I had gone no more than 400 meters from where I was parked, i went over a bump and the car shut down. The great thing is auto-tranny shifted to neutral and i was able to coast to a gentle stop. Crank-no start. Crank-no start. I figured, I'd pop the hood up, wiggle the electrical connector going to the distributor. I take it out, push it back in. Go back into the car and crank and START!

Based on the info and your earlier observations, how do I rule it out it is NOT 1 of these?

1. ignition switch
2. igniter
3. ignition coil
4. Electrical connector to the distributor

When I took the car to the mechanic who replaced the distributor last year, he said it was a YES or NO condition with the distributor. Is this true?

I have not tried to wiggle the key in the ignition when the car is running. I will try that and report. It is so intermittent, how can I definitely conclude it is the switch?

How do I replace the electrical connector to the distributor any DIY on it? I will post a video to youtube and link what I am taking about, next time the stall happens.

 

If you can make it stall by wiggling the key, then the ignition switch is flaky. But that may not be your only problem.

OTOH, if you cannot make it stall by wiggling the key, that does NOT prove the switch is OK.

 

I figured that. I made videos of this morning's drive to work. Will upload to youtube and link it here.

I understand - i wiggled the key and no stall. One thing I did was to minimize vibration and effects of gravity by removing the keychain and just insert the key.

What are the chances that the electrical connector may be loose or improperly hooked or just does not seat well and loosens after a couple days of driving? Has anyone been able to replace the plastic connectors or am I going down the wrong path?

I have watched ericthecarguys videos on honda nostart issues and very soon when this issue happens, will open the distributor cap and check for spark at the ignition coil. I have already established that when this issue happens, there is no spark at the plugs.

Is there a way to test the ignitor as well? If there is no power coming to the ignitor, does it mean I have to go back and look at replacing the connector? Or should I replace the entire distributor? god, this sucks I got reamed last year by the mechanic down the street to replace NAPA distributor, cap and rotor ($700).

In some corner of my mind, I am thinking, maybe, maybe, there is oil in the distributor cap - since i was low on engine low and cannot account for loss of oil. Is this a fair assumption to make? The distributor cap looks spanking new on the outside though...will report how this goes.

 

I'm leaning towards testing the ign switch (the electrical part). One other thing you can do when it acts up - with the key in the "on" position, test for voltage on the BLK/YEL wire going into the dist.

 

Three things :

1. I had typed up this response and went to work where the car was parked. I took some pictures, made some videos and decided to bravely drive the car. Disaster struck on the way home - the car bucked once and stopped when cruising at 30MPH. No response to gas, lights were on, transmission in neutral. I coasted to the side of the road. I tried to go from position I to II to start several times no use. The key was in position II when I popped the hood open. I disconnected the electrical connector and pushed it back in and tried to start. crank but no start. After several tries, I understood that this was it, my trick would not work and I was f*cked. I called my insurance and towed the car back to work.
2. Thanks poorman, any help on where to find the connector? I will check the voltages. Based on the latest development, I am beginning to think either my distributor is busted or the ignition electrical circuit. I opened the driver side fuse panel and see a bunch of connectors. It is unlike the one on Bushougama's video(which is a 97 accord).
3. CAN THIS BE AN or THE ISSUE?

during one of my internet trolls, I had read about "oil leaking into the distributor" - My distributor is brand-new and looks new, didnt pay attention. What has been concerning is I am losing engine oil and didn't even know where to start.

Yesterday, curiosity made me look at the underside of the distributor. Surely, it is dark and i can see oil. I put my palm under the distributor and my fingers had oil on them. There is not nearly enough oil leak to show up as a spot on the ground. But, enough for me to spot the loss of oil level on the dipstick.

Does this mean, I should change the distributor now? I was reamed by the local mechanic last year who installed a NAPA distributor for $700(diagnosis + parts). Now, the warranty is up and it has caused me untold misery over the last year.

please write.

 

There is a "flat" looking four wire connector coming out of the dist. The BLK?YEL wire is one of those.

This is a pic of a dist from an F23 engine that should help in finding the connector/wire.

Right now I don't think it is the dist - I'm still leaning towards the elect part of the key switch.....of couse testing is the only way to know. The 6th gens did seem to have more issues with the ign switch than the other gen's - in fact I'm pretty sure there was a recall from Honda. Even if it was replaced under the recall it does not rule it out.

 

It's odd, the TSB (published september 2002, 02-031) stops at 99 accord but this article includes 2000 accords as well. No work was done on my car for this TSB though.

However, there was a recall in 2005 that I got fixed last year (brief snippet) -Thanks, sorry I meant to ask you the location of the 6 pin connector (ignition electrical circuit) in the driver fuse panel. All I see are green connectors. Although, I didnt pay attention to which of those was 6-pin connectors.

I am assuming that I have to remove the -ve battery terminal cable before conducting a test on the multimeter (w/continuity function on). I found this link, figured I'd bookmark it :-). I wont know it until I open the driver's side fuse panel?

 

Just me but getting to that connector on the drivers fuse panel while on the side of the road would be a real pia....I could pop the hood and back probe the BLK/YEL on the dist connector in about 30 seconds.

I'm pretty sure the plug is on the back side of the fuse box....#15 in the pic is where it "plugs" in....as best I can tell.

 

Sure. will check BLACK/YELLOW wire for power on the DIstributor connector(I remember this is what we did when we accidentally made the discovery).

Thanks for the diagram(regardless of how i googled, i couldnt find that picture). I have a Haynes 99 manual, Am I not looking hard enough?

Will report what happens soon.

Would you recommend a from amazon or a OEM from Majestic Honda? I couldnt find the component under which the ignition switch can be found.

From the TSB 02-031, sept 2002, is this OK for a 2000 Honda accord SE to order?


1998–99 Accord – P/N 35130-S84-305
(L4 and V6) H/C 7204415

 

Check your Engine Coolant Temp sensor to see if it's working correctly. I posted a message a few days ago about some similarities with my 99 Accord. It controls several different aspects of engine performance. I was able to diagnose mine with my Innova meter fairly quickly once I knew what to look for. With my engine cold my meter showed the engine coolant to be 396 degrees. At operating temp it was 396 degrees. Once I disconnected the electrical connector it read -40 degrees. Readings are not compatible with life in general. Replaced it and purrs like a kitten now. 31 bucks and some change at NAPA. Fairly easy to replace unless you have big hands since it's wedged in a tight spot. Check your coolant to make sure you don't have any air pockets in the system. It seems simple, but air pockets in Hondas can cause all kinds of issues. Worth a shot to check and it doesn't cost anything unless you have to replace the sensor if it's the culprit.