car dies while moving in neutral... - Honda Forum / Acura Forum

vthondaboi · 05-11-2008, 10:43 PM

Ok weird occurences. When I got the car it made a two hour drive just fine, highway and all. Let it sit two weeks and had to jump it. It died within a few minutes.

By dieing I mean power just cut off, no stalling or engine shake. Power steering is lost and no gas response is how I know it dies, again no shake or anything.

Today it died on me a total of 5 times. Yesterday it died twice so I decided to replace the battery for the heck of it. After it died a few times today I went and got the new battery and alternator checked and its fine.

Check engine light is on but Autozone can't check it, need to take it to a shop tomorrow.

Also the battery isn't clamped down, will get a kit for that tomorrow and see if that affects it. But it didn't have any problems the first time I drove it around for a few hours.

Usually how it does is I hit the clutch and shift it to neutral. I then just let it drift along the ramp or hit the brakes to slow down to turn. It died once when I hit the clutch to brake cuz a car cut me off.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

BTW it's a 4th Gen SI.

Matt · 05-12-2008, 06:39 AM

is your idle set too low and its just stalling out on you from that?

vthondaboi · 05-12-2008, 06:54 AM

It idles fine while at a standstill. I don't feel it stalling since no engine shake.

jtdesigns · 05-12-2008, 12:10 PM

check your vac lines. maybe a check valve in the brake booster.. just make sure everythings in working order.. Whens the last time you replaced the pvc valve?? You do need to get the CEL... That would be my first move.

vthondaboi · 05-12-2008, 08:26 PM

ok confirmed something today

when I first drove the car a few weeks ago I didn't use the lights or A/C as that was broken and it was during the day

tested out the light and a/c thing today and whenever you turn one ont he idle RPM will drop, within 10 seconds of driving then letting it coast in neutral the car dies....

h23on17s · 05-12-2008, 09:22 PM

well since the belt for the a/c compressor is on the crank pully... turning it on puts more stress on the motor, so if you already have a stalling issue then yea, its gonna make it more noticable. do what the guy above said and check ur vac lines... so pop the hood after starting it up and look around and also listen for any leaks... but this sounds like something to do with regular maintenence... how many miles? ever changed the fuel filter? plugs? wires? air filter?

5thgenBOSSMAN · 05-22-2008, 12:45 PM

Have you ever checked out your IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE? Its pretty simple to assume that when your car is in neutral, you are not hitting the gas, THEN your throttle body flapadoos are closed! your Idle air control valve comes into play here, if it is old, dirty, and perhaps faulty... then it may not be responsive enough to open efficiently. This could result in your car dying when you arent on the gas. I had this problem in my 90 ford, I tested the IAC, and it was BAD! I replaced it, car has run like a dream since.

When I bought my 97 Prelude, the guy at the acura dealership and I noticed that when I hit the clutch (like putting it in neutral) to shift, it would die....they told me they would fix it before they sold it to me. My roomie, who is a HONDA certified mechanic suggested that they replace theIAC or clean the throttlebody, and then the problem might go away (the IAC is on the throttlebody). The dealership took a shortcut by just adjusting my idle some, and you know what? THE PROBLEM CAME BACK!

A good way to test this is to start your car, put it in neutral and let it warm up to full operating temperature, then lightly hit the gas (just a tap) if it stalls or iff the revs drop too low after you tap the gas, then your IAC still works, but is old and dirty-ie not responsive enough. Fixing this problem could be as cheap as a 5dollar can of sensor-safe throttlebody cleaner, or as expensive as a 240 dollar oem replacement IAC (always use honda parts, they are far better than Autozone parts)

There is a way to test this if you have a Factory Service Manual, usually you hook up a multimeter and test the amperage (i think) of the IAC there is a range that is "acceptable" on my Crown Vic it was 10-13 ohms of resistance, and my IAC tested around 15, so it was junk.

Get a Factory Service Manual(Helminc.com makes and sells them. they are far more useful than a Chiltons) and look up the procedure. that will give you some ideas. the 60-70 dollars you will pay for one is a worthwile investment, and the trouble trees in Honda Service Manuals are excellent!

BTW hondas are designed with superior parts, doing a tune up is almost never neccessary, I would look at your plugs, wires, cap and rotor before getting new ones, and ALWAYS BUY HONDA REPLACEMENTS MOST AFTERMARKET ONES BOUGHT FROM AUTOZONE ARE JUNK! they come with a lifetime fuel filter, but that might be worth replacing anyways, and you should test and replace your PCV valve often, just remove it and shake it, if the check ball moves freely, then its good, if not trash it and spend 5 dollars on a new one, or just replace it anyways, its a common maintenance item.