I own a 1999 Honda Accord w/160K miles. This past summer my car would occasionally stall while driving at slow speeds (when the car, an automatic transmission, was in low gear). Usually I’d be able to start it right back up with no problems. In some cases I’d have to hold the ignition switch for about three seconds. As the weather cooled in the autumn (I live in New England) the problem disappeared. However, in the last couple of weeks the problem has started up again only now I have trouble restarting the car. I have to wait a couple of minutes before it’ll start up again. It has the feel of a flooded engine. The car also idles rather low…at around 800 rpm. I don’t think it’s a battery or alternator because all of the electric apps.(power locks, windows, radio, etc.) work after the car stalls. I’m bringing my car in for regular maintenance but would like to know what to tell my mechanic to look for. Any suggestions?
If you are taking the car in for service don’t tell your mechanic anything except for the symptoms. S/he is a mechanic. Figuring it out is what they do for a living.
If you take it in and no one has figured it out then report back with everything that was done/checked and a full report on the car’s maintenance history/state of basic maintenance.
Describe the symptoms to your mechanic, just as you have described them here. The mechanic should have the necessary diagnostic tools and skills to determine what’s causing the problem.