I am new and don't really know a whole lot about cars, although I can change a mean tire and know how to check the oil. I have someone to do the actual dirty work once I've diagnosed the problem, but I don't exactly know where to start.

This morning when I started the car (automatic 99 Accord 4cyl 2.3L 150k+), it stalled out almost immediately. I do sometimes have this problem, though I think it's because I'm new to driving old cars and expect them to start as fast as a new one and don't actually START the car before I let off the key. At least that's what I've been told. This morning was a little different because I was sure the car was actually started before it died. I disregarded the apparent stall and continued on my way to work, only to have it stall a few times at red lights along the way. Only about a 10 minute drive so it wasn't at temp just yet when I parked it. Leaving work this afternoon, car started fine. Took me about 5 minutes to hit a red light, which is where it stalled again. I played with the gas pedal a little and realized if I kept it pressed a little, it would stay running. I got home without another stall (3 more red lights, but the pedal thing worked) and did a few tests. Again, not very familiar with cars, so I'm sure there was more I could have checked out. This is what I found.

The car will stall if I:
Decelerate quickly and come to a near stop, shift to or from drive or neutral while idling, rev to 4k and let off the gas (stalls at about 2k)

It idles very rough if I drive under 5mph in both reverse and drive. The few times I put it in park that it didn't stall, it was idling extremely rough.

This afternoon while I looked like a crazy person driving up and down my driveway, temp gauge was smack in the middle and there was a little over a quarter tank of gas. I also noticed when I start the car, it idles at 1k for a few seconds before dropping to 750. Don't know if that matters. Don't know if any of it matters. But please help me!!

 

The temperature gauge should be about 1/3 of the way up the scale, so keep an eye on the temperature gauge. If it rises up to H, turn on your heater full blast, so you don't overheat your engine. You will be miserable, but you don't want to cause engine damage.

The coolant temperature has nothing to do with your stalling problem. Here are a few questions/suggestions. Does your check engine light turn on while driving? Stop by a parts store and have them scan for codes. When you get the engine running, try shaking the key and let us know if the engine stalls. How many miles do you have on your spark plugs?