Car shaking & check engine light turning on???
09-08-2001, 01:28 AM
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Car shaking & check engine light turning on???
Ok, this's getting ridiculous. After getting all my gears replaced due to the 1st to 2nd gear grinding (The 2nd time I've been in to replace one or more gears due to the grinding problem), my check engine light turns on w/in a couple days after that. Here's how it went:
Getting off the freeway, I stopped at the 1st stop light, I noticed for some weird reason my whole car starts to shake more then normal at idle. Then w/in a couple of seconds, my check engine light flashes then turns on completely. Other then the car shaking more then normal (You wouldn't notice it unless you sit in the car) at idle, it seems to be running fine. I setup an appointment at the dealership the next day. It turns out I had a misfire, so they replaced my spark plugs under warranty.
Then a week or two goes by it turns on again. I made an appointment again to come in soon, a couple of days before I was suppose to go to the dealership, I was driving it at nite just to see if it would come on again...It didn't come on. At this point I was confused...I still am confused. Now, a couple of weeks after that, it comes on again!
Does anyone know of a possible reason/solution for all of this (Other then a misfire again)? I've read on here that getting some different spark plugs will smooth out the idle like Denso Iridium. Everysince the 2nd tranny replacement (Gears replaced), it's always been rougher at idle (As if it was trying to idle low but just barely high enough to the point where the engine wouldn't die on me). Could this be a possible solution (Denso Iridium spark plugs)? Please help & thanks for reading my post.
Getting off the freeway, I stopped at the 1st stop light, I noticed for some weird reason my whole car starts to shake more then normal at idle. Then w/in a couple of seconds, my check engine light flashes then turns on completely. Other then the car shaking more then normal (You wouldn't notice it unless you sit in the car) at idle, it seems to be running fine. I setup an appointment at the dealership the next day. It turns out I had a misfire, so they replaced my spark plugs under warranty.
Then a week or two goes by it turns on again. I made an appointment again to come in soon, a couple of days before I was suppose to go to the dealership, I was driving it at nite just to see if it would come on again...It didn't come on. At this point I was confused...I still am confused. Now, a couple of weeks after that, it comes on again!
Does anyone know of a possible reason/solution for all of this (Other then a misfire again)? I've read on here that getting some different spark plugs will smooth out the idle like Denso Iridium. Everysince the 2nd tranny replacement (Gears replaced), it's always been rougher at idle (As if it was trying to idle low but just barely high enough to the point where the engine wouldn't die on me). Could this be a possible solution (Denso Iridium spark plugs)? Please help & thanks for reading my post.
09-08-2001, 02:53 AM
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You could try addressing the problem by changing to iridium spark plugs but from my perspective, I think it's more than just spark plugs that are causing the commotion. There should be a more detailed inspection by your Honda dealer under warranty and address any issues. I'm definitely sure it's more than just the spark plugs causing any type of concern.
09-08-2001, 06:55 AM
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Jimmy,
I've been going through the same problem that you're describing. Here's my story....
My check engine light has been going on and off for the last 2 months without any noticeable idling/performance difference. It is just like you said, it's on one day and off the next or it's on for a couple of days and then turns off again. Shingles was kind enough to meet me after work and run his ODBII diagnostic setup on my car and let me know what the ECU Codes were. I had the 0301,0302,0304 codes which meant Cylinders 1,2,& 4 were misfiring.
I kept trying to get to the dealer when it was on, but never could show them "the light". Then one day when I was starting the car up to drive home from work and the Check Engine light made it's presence known with an irregular idle. The car had a slight vibration and this time I knew something a little more serious was going on.
I took the car to the dealer and they pulled the same ECU codes as before and added a Cylinder 3 misfire to the mix. So now ALL four cylinders are misfiring which has left my car at the dealership for the last 5 weeks.
The dealer originally thought that I had over-revved my engine with a missed downshift (5th to 2nd). It turns out another S2000 was brought in a few weeks before that exhibited the Cylinder 1-4 misfiring problem. That car was overreved, so they thought I had done the same thing. They even asked me straight out if I had overreved the engine. Since I haven't, my answer was a solid NO.
Anyway, the dealer worked with the Honda-Tech line who gave them the standard over-rev diagnostic list of procedures. None of the tests were conclusive so they sent the head to a machine shop for some compression/leakdown tests. My service advisor was surprised that the head came back so soon with the results showing that all of the valves were in tact and displayed NO LOSS of compression on each cylinder. At this point, I was cleared of over-revving my engine.
I was told yesterday that they will be putting the head back on to run more tests with the engine put together. So it seems that I am back to the proverbial "SQUARE ONE". Within the last 5 weeks, all of the tests have shown what the problem ISN'T.
The one thing that I would like to clarify is that the dealership is doing everything in their power to resolve my problem. I have no problems with them whatsoever.
As has been covered in other threads, I feel that the Honda-Tech line/AHM does not understand the responsibility it should assume with the many S2000 owners/enthusiasts. Even people that don't abuse their cars are running into reliability issues that need to be addressed.
I've had my car in the shop for over 6 weeks during my first year of ownership(08/22/00-current). I have also managed to drive 32k miles in that time. I somehow feel that I am performing an accelerated "long-term" testing service that may be indicative of what's in your car's future. Or maybe I just bought the bad apple in the bunch. Only time will tell.
Even with all the problems my car has encountered, I still think that it's the best performance car for the money. The feelings of enjoyment while having the car still outweigh the feelings I am experiencing now. I just hope that I get my car back soon...
Conclusion to story is at this link.
Problems diagnosing my Check Engine Light
I've been going through the same problem that you're describing. Here's my story....
My check engine light has been going on and off for the last 2 months without any noticeable idling/performance difference. It is just like you said, it's on one day and off the next or it's on for a couple of days and then turns off again. Shingles was kind enough to meet me after work and run his ODBII diagnostic setup on my car and let me know what the ECU Codes were. I had the 0301,0302,0304 codes which meant Cylinders 1,2,& 4 were misfiring.
I kept trying to get to the dealer when it was on, but never could show them "the light". Then one day when I was starting the car up to drive home from work and the Check Engine light made it's presence known with an irregular idle. The car had a slight vibration and this time I knew something a little more serious was going on.
I took the car to the dealer and they pulled the same ECU codes as before and added a Cylinder 3 misfire to the mix. So now ALL four cylinders are misfiring which has left my car at the dealership for the last 5 weeks.
The dealer originally thought that I had over-revved my engine with a missed downshift (5th to 2nd). It turns out another S2000 was brought in a few weeks before that exhibited the Cylinder 1-4 misfiring problem. That car was overreved, so they thought I had done the same thing. They even asked me straight out if I had overreved the engine. Since I haven't, my answer was a solid NO.
Anyway, the dealer worked with the Honda-Tech line who gave them the standard over-rev diagnostic list of procedures. None of the tests were conclusive so they sent the head to a machine shop for some compression/leakdown tests. My service advisor was surprised that the head came back so soon with the results showing that all of the valves were in tact and displayed NO LOSS of compression on each cylinder. At this point, I was cleared of over-revving my engine.
I was told yesterday that they will be putting the head back on to run more tests with the engine put together. So it seems that I am back to the proverbial "SQUARE ONE". Within the last 5 weeks, all of the tests have shown what the problem ISN'T.
The one thing that I would like to clarify is that the dealership is doing everything in their power to resolve my problem. I have no problems with them whatsoever.
As has been covered in other threads, I feel that the Honda-Tech line/AHM does not understand the responsibility it should assume with the many S2000 owners/enthusiasts. Even people that don't abuse their cars are running into reliability issues that need to be addressed.
I've had my car in the shop for over 6 weeks during my first year of ownership(08/22/00-current). I have also managed to drive 32k miles in that time. I somehow feel that I am performing an accelerated "long-term" testing service that may be indicative of what's in your car's future. Or maybe I just bought the bad apple in the bunch. Only time will tell.
Even with all the problems my car has encountered, I still think that it's the best performance car for the money. The feelings of enjoyment while having the car still outweigh the feelings I am experiencing now. I just hope that I get my car back soon...
Conclusion to story is at this link.
Problems diagnosing my Check Engine Light
09-08-2001, 11:35 AM
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I'd like to thank everyone that has replied to this post.
Joe, while my car hasn't been in the shop that long, I still feel your pain. My car has been in the shop (overnight) on more then one occasion (grinding problem twice). My friend who's a mechanic at the dealership (Who shall be named anonymous) is right...This's Honda's first attempt at an affordable, high-performance sports car w/a 6-speed tranny & that he's not surprised the 1st model year cars are having problems (Although he didn't expect it to have this many problems). As much as I love this car, it's just problematic. I hope it's just like yours (A bad apple). After I think about all the problems I've had w/this car, I'm contemplating getting rid of it for something else...Maybe an M3 or something, I just don't know. Anyone looking to buy a used Amuse exhaust soon?...haha
I'll post my results from the dealership once I know WTF is going on. Hopefully, this'll all get resolved before Quan & I get our Regamaster rims w/in a week or so.
Joe, while my car hasn't been in the shop that long, I still feel your pain. My car has been in the shop (overnight) on more then one occasion (grinding problem twice). My friend who's a mechanic at the dealership (Who shall be named anonymous) is right...This's Honda's first attempt at an affordable, high-performance sports car w/a 6-speed tranny & that he's not surprised the 1st model year cars are having problems (Although he didn't expect it to have this many problems). As much as I love this car, it's just problematic. I hope it's just like yours (A bad apple). After I think about all the problems I've had w/this car, I'm contemplating getting rid of it for something else...Maybe an M3 or something, I just don't know. Anyone looking to buy a used Amuse exhaust soon?...haha
I'll post my results from the dealership once I know WTF is going on. Hopefully, this'll all get resolved before Quan & I get our Regamaster rims w/in a week or so.
09-08-2001, 12:30 PM
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Ive had a lot of cars lately with intermttant misfire, rough idle complaints. They come into the shop and it runs fine. clear the code, ship it and a few weeks go by andit comes back withthe same codes. I have narrowed it down to a few cars with failing injectors. I have actually caught some of the cars in the act. When it is running rough, try to do a cyl balance test at home by unplugging each injector one at a time and listen for an rpm change.(warning, this will cause more codes to appear and may kill the engine if it is only running on 2 cyls. If that is not a possibility, listen to the injectors with a screwdriver one at a time and listen for a rapid ticking noise. This indicates the injector is at least cycling. I have found a lot of the probles beginat highway speeds at operating temp and after letting the car sit hot for 20-30 minutes and restarting. i hope this helps some of you guys. Dont be too hard on the dealerships, Its hard to find a problem witha car when its not broken in front of your face. Honda doesnt pay shit for long term testing and diagnosis. Peace.
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09-09-2001, 12:09 AM
#8
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Mine did the same thing for a while, intermittently, until it finally just gave up the ghost and died. Turns out that mine was the MAP sensor, and once they replaced it, all was well again.
I hope that yours is just as easy a fix!
Joe, that SUCKS! I hope you get your baby back soon!
I hope that yours is just as easy a fix!
Joe, that SUCKS! I hope you get your baby back soon!