Howdy, folks!
The other day I had a strange occurrence with my 2006 Civic (~75k mi). I had just started up the car (everything normal so far), driven about 1/2 mile or so, then was waiting at a light to turn left onto the freeway. When the light turned, I started to turn, when my oil pressure & charging systems lights both came on, my engine immediately cut, and my steering wheel & breaks locked up. I had enough momentum to get through the turn and on to the ramp, where I was able to pull over. I shut down the car, waited a few minutes while quietly freaking out, then tried again. It turned on, and I tried the gas pedal, but it just sort of sputtered through, then the lights went on and it shut down again.
I consulted my guide, which stated that the oil pressure could be impacted in a turn or by a lack of oil, but I just had it changed 2 weeks ago, so I gave it another go (I checked the oil levels once I got home, and they were fine). This time it worked just fine. No lights came on, and I was able to continue my drive (I had been in the middle of a 100-mile road trip and was about 2/3 of the way there when this happened after a rest stop). I only went about 55mph the rest of the way, and stayed in the right-hand lane in case something happened again. But it rode normally the whole way home.
I called my dealer but got the new kid who refused to hypothesize with me. I have a tentative appointment scheduled for this week, but I hate going in there feeling uninformed and unprepared. Does anyone have any ideas what might be the cause of all this??
Thank you!!!
If you have already had trouble with this paticular Dealer why are you giving them your business? Independant Honda expert would be my choice. No reason not to expect to pay for diagnosis. Any recent work that could have gone bad?
I haven’t had troubled experience with the Dealer, nor have I said that I did. They’ve done all of my repairs and have always done good work. The only recent repair was new boots/resurfacing rotors. I can’t imagine that would have caused this issue. I’ve also not made any indication that I don’t expect to pay for a diagnosis. As I stated, I don’t like going into the situation feeling uninformed or unprepared. I’d like to have ideas of what I MIGHT be facing before I get there.
How does one find an independent Honda expert? Is there a certification of some sort for something like that?
If all those lights turned on with power loss your engine simply stalled.
If you turn the key enough to a click or two before it starts notice all the same lights turn on. Basically they light as a test when engine is off but in pre start condition.
The real issue is not oil pressure but figuring out why engine has stalled or is stalling.
You did say your attempt at a free diagnosis was rebuffed by the “new kid”. Honda experts can be found in the Yellow Pages and the good ones develope a reputation with other Honda owners. Pick a Independant and go in and talk to him, evaluate his knowledge his shop and his willingness to take on your problem.
I just said he wouldn’t hypothesize with me on the phone. Generally when I call to make an appointment (which is what I was doing), the other service guys will give me some ideas of what we might find when we do the actual diagnosis.
I’ll take a stroll through my Yellow Pages. Thanks for the idea! 
As Andrew J stated your engine is stalling i.e. stops spinning for unknown reason. The service writer would be remiss in giving you a ‘hypothesis’ as the diagnosis by the mechanic will narrow down the problem. The service writer basically fills out the paper work, notes your description of the problem, and gives you an estimate for the repairs. Since this is a 2006 car it could still under warrantee.
Hope this helps.
The guy on the other end of the phone is a service adviser, not a mechanic. He did the right thing when he refused to “hypothesize.” Typically, these guys know very little about cars.
I though so also then I read the post-mileage 75K
Another possibility is the alternator is having some intermittent trouble. The warning lights are tied to the alternator field circuit. When the alternator has trouble more than just the battery or alternator warning light can turn on.