1999 Civic LX turned off

[Gito]

Friend has a 1999 Civic LX that turned off on him while slowing down and coming to a complete stop.
Car turned back on without a problem and has not experienced the same thing since yesterday.

He's worried that it might happen again when he has his toddler with him.

He changed the fuel filter and the main relay 1 year ago.

Any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[Bud_One]

Check for cracks in the exhaust manifold around where the oxygen sensor screws into it.
Known issue with these manifolds.
The oxygen sensor in this location is responsible for your air/fuel mixture.
The cracks cause stalling and other driveability issues.

 

[mk378]

Bad ignition switches were also a problem. There was a recall on some models for the switch losing contact while driving cusing a stall. If it is that, and you're still rolling forward in gear, just jiggling the key will usually bring the power back without a full restart. Also if the switch is bad, after stalling completely the oil and battery lights won't come on like they should when the key is on but the engine is not turning.

 

[Andrew1972]

My wife had similar vintage Civic that did similar thing leading us(stalling at) to a dealer.

Does this one have an occasional check engine light? Dealer ended up at dealer o2 sensors and cat converter on Honda's dime at 7yrs/149k due to a emmisons scandal with Honda and they were forced to extend warranty. However my guess this long expired now.

We paid nothing....

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: mk378
Bad ignition switches were also a problem. There was a recall on some models for the switch losing contact while driving cusing a stall. If it is that, and you're still rolling forward in gear, just jiggling the key will usually bring the power back without a full restart. Also if the switch is bad, after stalling completely the oil and battery lights won't come on like they should when the key is on but the engine is not turning.
You don't want to have two dozen keys hanging off the ignition switch.

 

[mk378]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
You don't want to have two dozen keys hanging off the ignition switch.

It's not quite like the GM problem where the cylinder turns too easily and lets the key move to the "off" position. On Hondas, the key does stay in the "on" position but the switch itself loses contact.

 

[JMJNet]

First thing do the basic easy test:
1. load test the battery.
2. Once you know the battery is good, test the alternator.
The alternator may not be bad yet but it may be weak enough to not keep up.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: Gito
Friend has a 1999 Civic LX that turned off on him while slowing down and coming to a complete stop.
Car turned back on without a problem and has not experienced the same thing since yesterday.

I think you mean that the Civic's engine "died", or "stalled". "Turn off" is what you do to a computer or a lamp.

Right now, the most important question is this:
At the moment when the engine stalled, did all the dashboard idiot-lights come on, or did they stay off?

Chances are excellent that your friend wasn't paying any attention to his instruments and has no idea about this, but this is a critically-important piece of information.

 

[MDettling]

Thats why I carry 2 sets of keys, a set with car/house keys, and a set with both and the rest.

The car likes to randomly lock me out w/ keys in it. Mechanism is mucked up but not enough to fix it.

 

[Gito]

Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: Gito
Friend has a 1999 Civic LX that turned off on him while slowing down and coming to a complete stop.
Car turned back on without a problem and has not experienced the same thing since yesterday.

I think you mean that the Civic's engine "died", or "stalled". "Turn off" is what you do to a computer or a lamp.

Right now, the most important question is this:
At the moment when the engine stalled, did all the dashboard idiot-lights come on, or did they stay off?

Chances are excellent that your friend wasn't paying any attention to his instruments and has no idea about this, but this is a critically-important piece of information.


Just spoke to him and he said that his dashboard lights did not light up.

I asked if he remembers with 100 percent certainty and he is not too sure

 

[Gito]

If the dash board lights did not turn on, does this point towards a problem with the ignition switch or other electrical component? Weak battery, weak alternator?

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: Gito
Originally Posted By: Tegger
Right now, the most important question is this:
At the moment when the engine stalled, did all the dashboard idiot-lights come on, or did they stay off?

Just spoke to him and he said that his dashboard lights did not light up.

I asked if he remembers with 100 percent certainty and he is not too sure

If the dash warning-lights did NOT illuminate, then the ignition switch is likely to be at fault. If the dash warning-lights DID light up, then the problem is elsewhere.

There was a Safety Recall TSB (02-031) issued for this model-year for this problem having to do with a faulty ignition switch. If the repair called for in the Recall has been performed, there will be a punch-mark above the 8th character of the VIN number stamped into the firewall under the hood. If you do NOT find a punch mark, then you need to call a dealership and ask if your VIN qualified for the Safety Recall and has had the repair performed.

As I said, this is completely dependent on whether or not the dash warning-lights illuminated when the engine stalled.

If your vehicle was eligible for the Safety Recall and the repair was never performed, then your friend may qualify for a free repair from Honda, since Safety Recalls never expire. If, however, the vehicle has been involved in a prior collision, it is possible that Honda will refuse to fund the repair. Either way, call your dealership.