1999 Accord EX frequently stalls

I have an Accord (2 door, 4 cyl, 2001, manual, 116,000 mi). The engine
will occasionally die as I press the clutch to the floor while coming to a
stop. This happens maybe once a week, but never multiple times in a row.
It never happens at full speed, only when coming to a stop. There's no
rough idling or anything, it's just like the plug was pulled on it. It
starts right back up immediately without fail.

This has happened throughout the life of the car. I think the first time
it happened was within the first year/10,000 mi. I had the dealership look
at it way back then and they couldn't find anything. I've read about this
issue in newsgroups but no one has a solution that I've found, and I'd like
to sell the car with a clear conscience. Has anyone else out there
encountered this issue and/or have advice how to diagnose?

 

My first thought is the ignition switch (especially with the immediate
restart without fail), but see
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/startproblems.html for the whole story.

Mike

 

concur with m.p. take all the extraneous stuff off your key ring and make
sure you manually return the key to the full "run" position after
starting. then take it to the honda dealer for the free recall
replacement.

 

Per the dealer, my car is not subject to the ignition switch recall.
Besides, the ignition switch issue occurs at any speed whereas my issue
occurs at low RPMs when coming to a stop.

 

like when all the crap on your key ring clunks against the dash?

bottom line, regardless of whether your dealer says this is a recall or
not, it's a known issue with hondas manufactured around this time.
dissect your key ring as suggested, ensure the key is in the run position
as suggested, then report back on whether this has any effect.

 

Having experienced the bad ignition switch first hand, this really
does not sound like it. I would be looking more at the clutch not
releasing or maybe an IAC valve not set right allowing the engine RPM
to drop too low.

If as you say, the car has been doing this since nearly new, why worry
now? The thing to do would have been to try a different dealer while
it was still in warranty. At this point, trade it & move on.

 

well, i've experienced it too, and getting heavy garbage off your key
chain and making sure the key returns properly are excellent ways of
determining if it's the problem. that's why i bothered to sit here and
press all those buttons on my computer.

possible candidates, but lower down the list based on the op's description.

 

The definitive symptom of a bad ignition switch is the behavior of the
dashboard warning lamps.

If the idiot lights DO NOT come on when the car stalls, the ignition switch
is bad. If they DO come on when the car stalls, the switch is unlikely to
be the problem.

 

The lights do come on when the car stalls. I don't think it's the switch,
but I desperately need to fix so I can sell with a clear conscience. I
can't trade it in and get fair value otherwise I would.

 

Why not just tell prospective buyers about the problem? Might not make a
big difference in what they're willing to pay compared to what it will
cost you in time and effort to fix it, depends on the price though. I've
nearly always bought cars with known issues and fixed them myself.

 

When the car refuses to start and you crank, does the tach needle remain
dead-still, or does it jiggle just a little bit?

Have you /properly/ checked for spark when it won't start? (And don't ask
me how, search my site.)

If you're really "desperate" to fix the problem, you will actually check
these things. If you're just looking for an easy no-effort "magic bullet"
fix, you won't. In which case you won't find an answer either.

 

Or, if I understand that it always starts right back up, when it dies does
the tach needle "drop like a stone" or does it take a second or two to float
down? I had a Nissan that did that - dying for a fraction of a second, a few
seconds, or sometimes for a few minutes. The needle dropped like a stone,
which told me it was the ignition. Never any codes... it turned out to be a
bad connection on the low side of the ignition coil. It took about two
months of failing half a dozen times a day for me to catch it dead to
rights.

Mike

 

on my 2000 civic with this bad switch problem, it would pass enough
current to keep the dash lights on, but not enough to run the engine and
it would cut out. no codes. symptoms and diagnosis as described before.

 

I'll try to watch the tach next time. It happened twice today which is
really unusual.