i’ve posted this question on here before about my 2001 honda accord EX- but my car has been in the garage (2 different garages) for over a month and a half and nothing is accomplished.the first garage put on new selonoids and charged almost $800…STILL the same things keep happening. when i drive, my check engine light will blink on rapid fire, then the car will feel very bogged down…almost feel like its in neutral…i have my foot to the floor and it will barely make 30 mph…then all of a sudden it will kick in and work fine for hours of driving,even days of driving with no incident.then start all over again. the honda garage had it for over 2 weeks and just gave it back yesterday. they can’t figure it out…the car will be ON the scan machine and the check engine light will be blinking and NO CODES will register. none. do i need a new computer? WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY HONDA??? i’m ready to scream. i’m worried because even the honda garage can’t figure it out!!!
Is your “Honda garage” using a generic scan tool or the Honda specific scan tool used by the dealerships? There is a code for the condition you describe, P1300 but it won’t show up on a generic scan tool. Also, it will only turn on the MIL lamp after the blinking if you have this condition on two drive cycles in a row.
Anyway, I have an FSM for an older Accord and the troubleshooting table says to start with the fuel pump for this condition. Older Honda’s have a history with the fuel pump relay because they used to be located under the dash where they would overheat. I don’t know where this relay is located on an 01 model, but it would be worth looking into.
Next on the list is the distributor and ignition wires. I’m pretty sure that by 01, you have coil packs. One of them could still be the problem but they usually set a cylinder specific code like P0301. Contaminated fuel is another possible cause.
It might help if you note the conditions when this happens, are you accelerating, cruising at low speed, cruising at highway speeds, random? Is the engine cold, normal? Is it raining, high humidity, low humidity, random?
Based on your car and model year I am guessing it is the distributor. This particular vintage Accord is famous for distributors going bad.
My expierence has shown that if the Check Engine light comes on or flashes, and no codes appear while performing real-time monitoring, there’s a problem with the computer.
Tester
My experiences tend to agree with yours, but the FSM I have for our Honda does have a section for troubleshooting this exact condition. Oddly, in the list of causes listed in order of probability, the computer is not listed.
And a new computer, installed and checked out costs HOW MUCH?? How many miles on this car??
What if you spring for a new ECM AND IT STILL DOES THE SAME THING ?? Will the repair shop or dealership refund your money??
These electronic wonder cars simply do not age gracefully…Repair costs can quickly exceed the value of the car…
Since everyone else has tossed out some good suggestions I’ll toss out a what-if.
What about the possibility of a poor connection in the ignition switch. If the power being provided to the main relay/fuel pump/ECM is pretty sketchy due to a failing electrical contact in the switch it would be at least possible for the cause to lie there.
Some Hondas are under a Recall for ignition switches and off the top of my head I don’t know if this car would qualify for the freebie at the dealer or not as there are 2 separate Recalls for 2 separate problems.
However, many cars that are not under Recall suffer the same problems as the ones that are.
If you find the right junkyard you can sometimes get a replacement ECU, especially for an older car, for around 30 bucks.