I have a 98 Accord EX 4dr that I bought brand new back in 98. It has intermittent engine stalls (~10 times a year). There doesn't seem to be any logic to them. Sometimes I'm driving (or at least coasting to a stop) and sometimes I'm idling (i.e. at a red light.) The car will just shut off. It's been a problem ever since I bought the car but no dealers or private mechanics could ever figure it out. I was always told, "I need a tuneup" (even when the car was only about 3 months old!) Recenlty, my mechanic, who I trust and think is very good, said it could be because I had a dirty airfilter. However, it's happened when I had a new air filter in it.

Any ideas why? Anyone else experience this?

I just found this forum and hopefully one of you can help figure out this mystery.

Thanks in advance.

 

is your car an auto or stick?

 

Automatic

 

if come to a garage and they say you need a tune up - RUN!!!!

remember tune up is maintanance service - it's not a problem fixer ! Find a mechanic that can diagnose the problem not parts changer

 

I've got the exact same problem with my 98. It just started 2 months ago and has happened more and more since then. Anybody know what this problem is?

 

these kind of problems are really hard to trace - could be something simple as broken wire or may be bad ground.

I know on civic - there was a bad main fuel relay.. you should start from checking its wiring and ground.

 

Well, this post is way overdue but here's an update on the issue. I don't really understand why but it seems that the engine stalls have been fixed. It seems that it was caused by one of two things: bad oxygen sensors or faulty ignition switch interlock.

Last summer I took my Accord in for an oxygen sensor repair. I mentioned that I was also able to remove my key while the car was in drive. I vaguely remember my brother telling me that his wife's Accord was also recalled for the switch interlock. However, in her situation, the result of the faulty switch was intermittent stalling. While I got a recall notice, my VIN number was not actually affected...go figure.

Anyway, the oxygen sensor and switch interlock both got fixed last summer. It's been almost 8 months and not one single stall to report. The fact that winter is almost over makes me more certain that the issue is fixed. Most of the stalls were in winter.