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Intermittent loss of all Hp (stuttering)
This is my first post so please bear with me. I bought this car, and got taken. The computer had been reset and the 10 minutes I drove the car did not cause a CEL. It is a 99 Civic EX with the Cat and O2 Sensors under the car. It has a 150k miles on it. So as I was driving it to work the next day the CEL came in and had a 0420 code. I found out that this was a bad catalytic converter. I was told not to worry too much about it. As I was driving it later, on the Highway I lost all Hp, I kept my foot on the gas and it was eventually restored and kept going. I noticed that the Cat was melted and there were fragments still rattling around. I figured that this had clogged the exhaust and caused the latter malfunction, so I replaced the Cat.
I put a new Cat in and it is now a straight pipe (no internal mesh). Now when I drive it, it drives fine for about 15min then it will die. About 15 min later it will start back up (perfectly, not a hard start). I have replaced the O2 sensors, ignition coil (its resistance readings were a bit off) spark plugs and wires, rotor and distributor cap. The timing has been checked (the belt is good also) and it is per manufacturer specs, the compression, vacuum, and fuel pressure readings are good. I checked for vacuum leaks, none and the main relay for bad soldering points, but they all looked good. If anyone has any more ideas where to go with this please let me know. As it is intermittent I find it hard to diagnose.
My OBD2 reader says that the rich to lead switch time is low 600 vice 3000 but I don’t know if this matters much.
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Your ECU will not be happy with the readings coming from the rear O2 sensor without a functioning catalytic convertor… which your ride currently does not have. You can get it to work with so-called “cat delete” or “test pipes” but you’ll have to make a modification to move the rear O2 sensor out of the exhaust stream. You should consult a Civic specific modification forum for the common work-arounds.
As for the intermittent engine shut down, I’d be be suspicious of the ignitor.
Thanks for the reply. I’m not woried about the cat until I figure out what caused it to go bad. After that I will replace it. The other issue, when you say ignitor, what do you mean the ICM or the switch? Or something else? I have replaced the coil. Thank you again.
check and make sure no fragment from the old cat ended up in the rest of the pipes or muffler that can cause the symptom you are describing, also Mcwicked is correct older hondas have issues with ignitors/distributors
[quote=”Blockebe” post=110109]… when you say ignitor, what do you mean the ICM or the switch? Or something else?[/quote]
Yes, I mean the ICM.
So, I removed the rear O2 sensor to free up the exhaust. I drove it for 2 days with out a problem. Then, today, it died again. Same as the last few times. It didn’t start at first, but I pumped the gas and it eventually started again. I don’t think it matters if you pump the gas peddle on a fuel injected car but I could be wrong. Also, when I put it in neutral on the expressway on the first loss of power, it either backfired or misfired. I am not sure which. Should I buy a new ICM or does this sound like something else? Thank you for all your help.
You are correct in pursuing an engine performance issue. That is what most likely caused the cat to fail. You can easily check for an exhaust restriction with a vacuum gauge. I cover that as well as other things to check for when confronting performance problems in this article I wrote.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-performance-issues
I will also state that Honda’s are picky about the parts you use. The more aftermarket parts you have, the more potential for problems. Also, deleting the cat as you stated, is not a good idea. As pointed out this will give the computer false readings and as a result it may not operate properly.
Good luck and keep us posted.
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