So I just bought this 2001 Honda Civic EX (103k miles, 5 spd) and its got a strange problem. I drove it around town tons with no trouble. But twice now I've gotten on the interstate and running a lil under 80 (in 5th around 3400-3500 rpm if that might mean anything to anyone) for about 15-20 miles and then all of a sudden the check engine light pops on and the damned thing loses power, the accelerator stops really doing much of anything, and it slowly sputters out.

The first time it happened I was able to start it back up after letting it sit for about a minute and drove straight to autozone and got the code pulled. I didn't think to write down the code # but it said it was either the ignition immobolizer or a misfire (very useful code ).

The second time it happened I could get it to crank multiple times, but it wouldn't hold its idle well at all and easily sputtered out and when I tried to go it didn't have any power/ wouldn't let the engine rev high at all. One of the times I tried to move it, it bucked a little bit before dieing out too.

So, I got it towed to the mechanic (who was just closing) and he couldn't look at it until the next day. But now the fucking thing runs fine and won't do it again . The guy says there were two codes, the misfire and something about the camshaft. He told me he looked up my symptoms and the best idea he has is that its the camshaft sensor but can't be certain b/c they can't even replicate the issue. Its gonna be about 300 bucks to have him replace it, which isn't that big a deal if we were certain that was the issue. I just don't want to play the "replace parts until it starts working" game. That shit gets expensive.

Anyone got any thoughts?

6/3/2009 3:21:04 PM

Yeah. Heat soak breakdown and failure of the optical pickup module. I'd be willing to bet dollars to doughnuts yer gonna have to replace it...it being the cam angle sensor.

6/3/2009 3:27:22 PM

^ second that

6/3/2009 5:41:59 PM

I thought the 2001's have the D17 which ditched the old ignition system? Does that generation have the same set of problems?

[Edited on June 3, 2009 at 6:21 PM. Reason : if you had bought the s300 Hondata you wouldn't have regretted it]

6/3/2009 6:18:04 PM

wait losing power at 80mph in a civic isnt normal?


#@*#!

6/3/2009 6:27:39 PM

Ray, the D17 does away with the dizzy, and is a coil-on-plug engine...but ALL engines in which ignition, timing, and fuel injection are integrated into a common emgine management system HAVE to have a means of interpolating the engine's rotational position.

Most either use a combination of AC sine waves produced by stator/rotor combinations (reluctance) or Hall-effect sensors (GM has done this a lot, most notable in my memory right now are the 3800 engines, which have a cam sensor and crank sensor and use the placing and time differential between the two to extrapolate crank angle and firing order)...or they might use an optical sensor (basically uses an LED/phototransistor combination and a perforated disc), usually coupled to the camshaft (and housed in the distributor on many pre-DIS Japanese cars). Some use both.

6/4/2009 1:06:06 PM

^ damn, epic automotive knowledge

^^ haha, so true

I told them to go ahead and replace the sensor. Ima pick it up this afternoon and hope nothing else is wrong with it.

6/4/2009 1:43:14 PM

update?

7/5/2009 6:16:51 PM

Oh yah. They replaced the cam shaft sensor and it hasn't had a problem since.

7/5/2009 8:39:28 PM

another satisfied customer

7/7/2009 12:00:05 PM