2004 Accord malfunction light
 

Hello,
This is my first post on this website. I am not a car enthusiast - just looking for some advice and guidance. I drove my daughter's 2004 Honda Accord LX (automatic) to work this morning. She had not driven it in several days. As soon as I started the car, I noticed the malfunction indicator light was illuminated. Not wanting to be late for work, I made a mental note to deal with it later and continued on my way. About 1/3 of the way into my 7 mile commute, mostly on side streets with frequent lights and stop signs, I started noticing that the engine was running a bit roughly and would noticeably jerk when changing gears. The further I went, the worse it got. Eventually, it stalled out at a light. I was able to start it again, but at that point it was barely moving and jerking constantly. I got to work and parked, checked the gas cap (as instructed by the manual) which was tightly closed, and then noticed a burning smell coming from the car. It wasn't an overpowering smell, but it was noticeable. I don't know if this car will get me home at the end of the day or if I should just AAA and get it towed. My husband will take it to the dealer (where bought the car used a few months ago) tomorrow, but for now I am on my own. The car has about 115,000 miles on it. Your prompt advice would be most appreciated!

Was the malfunction indicator light blinking or just on steady? If it was blinking do not drive it.

Check the engine oil level. (See attached pics.)

Also take a look at the other fluid levels (they are also shown in the owner's manual, if you need the pics. let me know).

Also, did the car overheat? Did the temperature gauge rise near the top?

The indicator light was not blinking. I will check the fluid levels. I did not notice if it was overheating, but now that you mention that, that's sort of what it smelled like.

Let us know what you find on the fluid levels or what you decide to do.

The fluid levels have been checked and they are fine. I think I will have it towed after work. The malfunction light is not blinking. My husband just stopped by on his way out of town, checked the fluid levels and drove it around. The malfunction light is still on and he said it drove fine. However, it drove fine for me at first this morning and got worse as it warmed up.

Okay. Let us know how everything turns out. :)

hard to say without a code, but sounds like a misfire code may be present or other control system issue...is it a 4 or 6 cylinder engine?

If it drives OK for awhile, places like AutoZone usually read the error codes for free. Just remember to get the actual code number (P1234 or something like that) and not just the guy's explanation. Post the code back here for some more help.

Update: We had the car towed to our garage (Honda dealership where we bought the car in May). They had it for two days, drove it around off and on over those two days and, of course, everything was fine. The malfunction light was no longer coming on and it was not acting up at all. When I had first had the problem, I had removed the gas cap (which was correctly in place and tightly closed) and recapped it as instructed by the owner's manual. Maybe this was the problem in the first place and that was all that needed to be done. It's an unsolved mystery. Thank you all for your advice. If it starts acting up again, I'll be back!

thanks for the update...and be rest assured, the problem will come back ;)