Rep Power: 0

Alright so I have a 97 ex that I have had now since 2003, I love my car, except for today, the thing died on me while I was leaving the bank. Sometimes it will sputter when I give it the gas. If I'm sitting at a red light then hammer on it, it just completly boggs down and will not go unless I floor the thing and then it will go. Well today it would not go anywhere. IT had been doing it's normal spitting and sputtering here and there. But when i came out of the bank and started it up, then when I put it in drive and tried to go it would just die. It has never acted this way before. I mean not this bad. I had to have it towed back to my house. Now when the guy brought it to my house he said it started up with no problems, which it did when I started it up. It seems like if it has been running for awhile it does this. It's very finicky and it is driving me crazy. Is it my fuel pump? Is it my crank sensor? What the heck is it, please help!!

 
Rep Power: 812

first try and clean the intake system, pull off the throttle body and clean that, also the iac sensor on the side of it and get all the carbon out. put them back and do the ecu reset and idle learn. you could also have clogged injectors or fuel filter. change that, then run some lubecontrol.com products in the gas and oil. get new spark plugs and air filter, change the PCV valve. check all the vacuum hoses and make sure none are cracked or leaking air.

 
Rep Power: 0

Thanks for the info, will be sure to do all that, I want my car back, I hate driving my brother's POS malibu, let you know how it goes!

 
Rep Power: 246

This could be a number of things. When was the last tune-up?

 
Rep Power: 0

about 2 years ago I had a complete tune up done, it's got over 180,000 miles on it, I figure I'm just gonna swap it out for a B16, thanks for all the help though.

I would like to say for anyone who may have the same problem as me, the motor was getting plenty of fuel, spark was good, it was most likely the crank sensor, which requires the motor bieng pulled cause the sensor is in the motor.

 
Rep Power: 246

I doubt it's the crank sensor. You would have a CEL or at least some serious timing problems.

No need to pull the engine to change it out. It's right behind the lower timing belt cover which can be removed with the motor in the car.

 
Rep Power: 280

wurd it sounds like a air/fuel mixture issue. Check all that gear said especially the ECU reset after cleaning, and all your sensors.

 
Rep Power: 0

It might be air/flow mixture, I dunno, talked to a few mechanics and since the sputtering gradually got worse till it died altogether, and the fact that it only would do it when the engine warmed up, I mean thats what they told me, I looked at the sensor and it seems to be in the motor, I mean is the only thing holding it in that bolt? If thats the case then I'll fix it and sell the motor!

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...s/SNC10054.jpg

 
Rep Power: 0

Just in case anyone is ever on here and needs to know the solution to this problem, it was the distributor, my car has 180,000 miles on it and I live in an area which is very damp throughout the year, well, from so many years of condensation, it became rusted and corroded all through it, replaced it and it runs like a dream now, like brand new almost!! Check engine light stayed off and no more sputtering when you give it the gas or while it idles. Hope this helps anyone with this problem, the mechanic from Honda said this is a very common problem in these cars and especially in my area.

 
Rep Power: 0

I have a 97 1.4i and my car has been giving me the same problems as yours,changed the usual including the throttle body but no joy,its only done 55k mile.Thanks for posting the solution,maybe now I can get back to driving my car without cursing it .

 
Rep Power: 228

edit

 
Rep Power: 291

WHAT???? Good luck finding the distributor.