need some help with engine shutting off
 

hey guys, I need some input on this issue..

i have a 2009 accord v6 manual

symptoms: battery was very low and weak, usually it struggled to start up the car. Driving from richmond to burnaby, i felt revs drop in every gear until finally the engine shuts off. Battery light lights up, oil light..started up the car again and drove to metrotown, went into a store and came back out and proceeded to start the car but it struggled and at this moment it was the battery. I walked to lordco to purchase a new one and installed in the parking lot. Still no start, so at this point I believe it was the starter.

I remember the mechanic the day before replaced my battery with a temporary one from a toyota which im sure the power was not the correct fitment and maybe it caused some sort of short?

fast forward, had my car towed from burnaby to richmond and had the same mechanic replace my starter. The vehicle started up normally with no struggle with the new battery in. Drove a couple times normally then the revs start to drop again and shut off the engine. Brought the car back and I suggested maybe its the throttle body that needed cleaning so had that done and all seems fine.

Today the car drops revs again and shuts off, yesterday my tracking control came on at the intersection and I had no power to accelerate at all but made it safely to the side of the road, shut off the engine and started back up and drove fine again.

What else could be the cause of this? the only codes reading for check engine light is my catylic converter which mechanic said is no issue but he also found 2nd code which has to do with the throttle body after he cleaned it.

I'm not a mechanic by any means.

But the symptoms mentioned sound a bit similar to my Mazda3 and Fiesta ST.
Both had issues with the idle dropping and then the car would shut itself off randomly when I would be stopped at a red light.

I had to replace the Purge Solenoid Valve to fix the issue for both of my cars. Not sure if this helps...

I would have your alternator checked just to make sure its still good. I'm suspecting that actual issue could be your ignition backhalf.
If you have your engine running and wiggle your keys, does the kill the engine?

Nope I tried that! Alternator was changed 3 years ago. Once it was changed I do remember the idle was different.. slightly higher revs then it would drop a bit then it was normal for the next few years..what else can I try

How much would that cost? I've already spent upwards of 700 for towing, battery and alternator.. not sure how else I can afford this during these struggling times..

First off get a new mechanic. If your car keeps sputtering and stalling it obviously has *nothing* to do with your starter and they just gladly took your money. A starter only starts your car, has literally nothing to do with it staying running.

It’s a Honda, 99% chance it’s your distributor. I’ve had two fail on b18’s and one fail on a d15. All the same symptoms as your describing. Misfire, loss of power, sporadic starting, sometimes feels fine then one day leaves you stranded.

Google Honda distributor failure

*edit* obligatory I’m not a mechanic but I play one on TV

Instead of throwing random parts at it, you need to diagnose the problem properly. Start by going to a new mechanic.

Do you have an OBDII code scanner? If so, did it pull any codes? Start there and see how it goes. Secondly, do you have a check engine light pop up on the dash? It sounds like you have some kind of air intake leak or ignition related issue.

lol 320icar beat me to it

Edit: I don't think a 2009 Accord uses a distributor, does it? :lol

https://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/ho...rt-condition-1

@bcrdukes the j30 v6 honestly can’t remember if it’s COP or not. 2007 was the last model year of that body so it might use an old motor ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

https://www.driveaccord.net/threads/...e-body.470409/

Throttle body cleaning on those years accord also isn’t simple, involves needing to recalibrate the throttle body or you'll have idle issues. Don’t think I trust your mechanic so I bet he didn’t do that after he cleaned it

Seeing as the OP lives in Richmond, I'd be damned if he didn't get a VI from Officer Cain for his rev drops and engine shutting down. Poor sap. :lol

Fuel Pump?

When the pump in my Sonoma went it started randomly dying on me, no codes or anything. The random shut offs got worse and worse until it would barely run for more than 5 minutes. It would restart just fine again after recycling the key off/on.
I was stumped on the problem until I was watching the truck idle and I could actually hear the pump motor petering out and turning off. Put a pressure gauge on the fuel rail and that confirmed it.

The alternator, starter and battery are easily diagnosed, independently of any other systems, so any decent mechanic should've been able to determine if they actually needed to be replaced.

I've cleaned a few dbw throttle bodies and the only thing I did to get the ecu to relearn, was disconnect the battery for 10 minutes and give it a chance to recalibrate on its own.

If you want to check for spark, you can get these awesome clear acrylic spark plugs that you ground out against the block. Has helped me many times diagnose a no start

https://shop.harborfreight.com/media.../3/63593_I.jpg

battery and my starter was already bad, the car didnt start again until i replaced the starter. Now the only issue remains is the high to low rpm drops and engine shutting off..not sure what else I can check. Alternator is fine as well, i disconnected the battery while the vehicle was running to check

How old is the fuel filter?

I'm no mechanic but fuel pump? I was driving my car around all day, then in the evening I parked it and it wouldn't restart or stay running for more than a few sec. Turns out my fuel pump disintegrated

Just so we understand, could you help paint us a better picture of what you mean by this? My assumption is that you might be at 3000rpm and out of nowhere it drops to 800rpm while in gear?

That is *not* the right way to test the alternator....

I had something like this once. It was the ignition switch. It was worn and so a loose connection was cutting power occasionally.

That *is* the correct way to risk frying all the electrical systems in the car though.

Around $350 for the diagnose, parts, and labour.
My car wasn't dead so I was able to drive it there no problem.

Both my cars had the same issue though.
I would be in idling around 800rpm or so and then it would suddenly dip down and the car would sound like it's lugging for a few seconds, then the revs would go back up again.

But maybe once per 20 min commute, it would actually drop down low enough to stall the engine.

It's not clear if your issue is similar or not.

i can say for sure 09 v6 accord has coil over plugs and no distributor. I also highly doubt it is an issue with purge control solenoid as well. honda would set a code for evap system leak or something if there was.
considering you have a catalyst converter code (which definitely needs replacing by the way and is very expensive) i would look at your spark plugs
good chance may be fouled; Particularly cylinders 1-3. would cause some misfiring but typically does not call stalling as you describe.

I had two Accords, '00 and '07 both with the J30...8th gen accords didn't have a distributor so it's likely not that.

I had exactly what you described in my '00 and it was the idle air control valve. It's a small bypass valve under the throttle body that lets air through when TB is closed. Mine was filled with shit, and was idling poorly. Could be that!

Are you sure you don't have a plugged cat?