189,000 miles
1997 Accord Ex
Automatic
4door sedan


I was driving down the interstate and when I went to accelerate to pass when my engine seemed to cut off and was unresponsive. I pulled over.

Nothing seemed to smoke, battery power was good, oil good.

I tow it back and it seemed to want to crank over - the belts and wheels turned and it made a "Whurrr, Whurrr" noise. but it did not start.

now , a few days later it does not make any whurr noises and the belts no longer turn, rather, it makes rapid Click Click noises. battery still seems to work--all interior operations power up.

on engine II i hear the fuel pump kick up and the engine light comes on for about 2 seconds then cuts off as normal.

fusees seemed all fine...

The battery cables are tight and clean.


---back story---

One day before the break down I did start it and it was unusual. Because the car seemed to stutter and choke a few seconds until it "caught" on and then it seemed fine.

also

at the same time while in park the RPMs would cycle up and down until I put it in D4 , where it would slow back to normal low RPMs.


Help a brother out?

 

It sounds like your battery is drained. Have it tested at a parts store. Did you notice the battery light turning on?

Starting your car drains a lot of power from the battery. The interior stuff does not take much power.

You can also try jump starting your car.

 

ahh, that would be very nice if that were the problem.

I will test it all out once I get the money and I will report back here.

yes the battery light is on, but I thought that was standard...until the engine starts

I want to additionally say that it wasn't until after I reset the ECM (main computer fuse) fuse that the engine light went out after I clicked the keys to II

before that reset, it stayed on...



I tried to use my Grandmas battery but hers is in a 09 Chevy and the battery was not compatible.

also, my batter is only 2 1/2 old ?


thanks alot for replying!

 

^jumping it now and wow, it does have signs of life again...its acting like it wants to start...whurrrrring

needs to be connected for awhile to charge enough to crank fully...hopefully


report back later

 

You may want to check the timing belt.
On my 1991 Accord, I opened up the oil fill cap on the valve cover, and looked at the cam shaft inside while I had a friend turn the engine over. If the cam shaft doesn't turn, the timing belt is broken.

If that's the problem, you'll probably want to replace the water pump at the same time, as the timing belt and water pump usually go out at about the same time.

Good luck!

 

Now we are getting some more information. When the check engine light stays on, you have a code stored in the ECU. Read the thread in the DIY section about getting CEL code. You can short a connector under the glovebox to get the code. Your car does not have a code now, since you cleared the code. Check when the CEL returns.

Your problem does not sound like a timing belt problem.

I am not sure when the battery light turns off.

One more question: When you turned the key to start the car, does the starter motor start turning the engine?

 

PAhond, thank you for taking time to stick with this tread. I truly appreciate it !

And I will for sure be checking the cam/crank once I get a extra pair of eyes. (remove engine oil cap, crank engine and observe if any rotation or lack there of). I will report back.

According to my car manual, the battery light and oil light will stay on until the engine starts, unlike the engine light-which shuts off after about two seconds.

I will double check that as well.

I have read your DIY threads about the engine codes and will increase my investigation to this aspect once I rule out the battery issue first...

right now, my car is being jumped and has been as such for 5 minutes...I will leave it hooked up for another 30 mins and report back.


to answer your question: yes the engine motor does sound like it is turning over and just an hair away from starting....that is , of course with the jumpers on the battery. While it was dead, just clicks in rapid secession.




will be back with more information.

thank you very much.

 

If i were you, I would take the battery off of Accord and use Grandma's Chevy to take it to any auto parts store where offers free battery test and possibly charge it for you.

Doing so will eliminate the bad battery issue,,,,,

 

I have my battery on a charger right now and will see soon enough if this will eliminate this step.

 

^ I had the battery on the charger for a few hours.

I put it back in and still no start. however, i feel like it wanted to and was real close to doing so.

THe engine light now is coming on and staying on after the intial two second flash.


I will charge the battery the remainder of the night, try it again tomarrow. Then take it to the auto parts store.

How do I read my own codes for a 97' ? in the DIY section , it just says take it to the store, but i really don't have that option.