'89 prelude just dies no reason - more when hot

i have a '89 prelude, bought 2 years ago at 92K miles. i am the 2nd owner. it was sold due to this problem to the auto dealer and i got it for $5k - all the options on this car.

ok the problem is that the car will start fine, run a random length of time then just die. i can wait for 10-60 secs and it will restart fine. when this first started happening to me it was every once in a while, now today it has happened 3 times and i need to get it fixed.
when it dies it knocks out the cruise control also ( cause i can't resume) and does not give out any codes.

i have a mechanic working w/ me on this trouble, but the Honda shop and anyone else that i have talked to have no idea of what it is. my gut feeling is that the computer is messed up some how, but i don't want to just throw money at the car - i need to fix the problem

to date i have replace the distrubitor and cap, and next week we are replacing the fuel pump relay. also i have pulled the computer from its resting spot on the floor and place it on a coat on the pasanger floor board w/ AC runnign to it full time. NOTE: it seemed to do it more when it was hot then when it was cooler out side..

thank you for reading all of this and any help is apriciated.

signed: CW the guy w/ a SICK '89 prelude :)

i have two 89 auto ecus sitting around doing nothing... email me if you want one...

will do - my car in a manuel - that make a diffrerance?

also update - it seems that the engine heat is causing the troubles - died 6 times in bumper traffic that was moving 5mph

enough to make a guy want another car :(

Sounds like the igniter to me. It will die when its hot and as soon as it cools it will fire back up. If it dies ,pop the hood and fan the distributor if it fires up faster it could be the igniter.

just completly replaced the distubator about 1 month ago and the same prob still exists - anyother suggestions??

i really want this to run right ! :)

Just a thought but I would check the fuel line from start to finish. You may have to clean the tank. Also pull out the pump and see if its cutting in and out, Check the line it might be bent etc. Check the filter and fittings, check the injectors.
Before all this you could undo the fuel line before the injectors making sure you have the tank full of petrol. You have to make up a tap for the end of the fuel line and turn the ignition on so the pump fires up and skirt the petrol into another container all the way until the tank is empty. this may show some fluctuation or stopage.
Its sounds harsh but is a very easy way to elimanate the fuel from the equation. You could also put on a guage to test the pressure but I dont believe it is accurate enough. When squirting the petrol out do it into a measuring container at 30 second intervals checking that the ammount at each squirt interval is the same as the one before and so on.
All the best. :flash:

im going to agree with drive and say its the ignition coil. have it checked and make sure its within spec.

My buddy just went through this with a civic. He switched igniter, coil ,cam sensor. His turned out to be a cracked distributor cap. But his would die out in any temp. hot or cold. So now he has a lot of spare parts. whoops! But it runs great. If you haven't switched the cap in a while, do you would be suprised the trouble they can cause. Its cheap too. Good luck.

i will try the fuel line trick - good idea

as to the distrubator i will check it to be sure that it is not cracked, but all that was replaced from the wires to the distibuator its self, and the prob is still the same, so i am not expecting that to be the prob

** note** i DID have shavings in the distiubator Before we replaced it and that was causing some of the troubles that made me finally get seriuos in trying to find this prob - but the same comditions exist -

intermitenly dying seams more when hot - noticed that it dies after running a while then stoping ( like to get some food from a store) - then running again 0 died 2 times w/ in 5 minuets each time this lasst week when i went on vacation.

thanks for the ideas people - i am reading all of them and we are trying them as we go

The basic symptom is quite like what happened to my CRX. We considered the ignitor, but it is the newest version. The cap, rotor, wires, plugs were all changed by the dealer.
The engine would start and die cold. If hot might not start at all. When you turn the key on - listen carefully for the fuel pump relay to click on and off - before trying to start. The
Main relay on older Hondas seems to cause a lot of trouble after 10 years of service. It is located on the driver side near the hood
release. If your car has a coin holder there, take it out and you should see a relay.
Other than the computer or its cables this is the only thing I would think of-other than to fully flush the fuel system, replace the filter, and test for correct pressure.

Ty all for your help - this trouble is w. the distrubtor igniter - i replaced that and it run well - on the 88-91 models of the Si prelude this is a small relay looking device that sits on the wheel well wall between the fuse box and the strut mount..

TY again for all your suggestions sorry it took so long to get back to you all

ORD Cyber
If this happens again I would try your gas cap. I have a 89 SI nad when the gas needle got below 1/2-1/4 tank the car would stall at a stop. One day I went to refuel as I removed the cap there was a lot of air build up on the tank. So now I am running the cap loose and I have not had the problem yet. I think that fixed it. Have anyone any input on this.

Also do anyone have any good looking 15' rims that would fit my ride. I'm tired of the 14'

Holla back

I thought the gas cap trick that I explained to ORD was the fix. I am still having this problem. Is there anyone out there that has any soultion. I have been told that the tank needs to be dropped and inspected for trash and a broken pick-up tube. Any input

Lude

I don't think that leaving the cap loose would fix it. All you get from that is evaporating gas which=less gas mileage. OOPS. I don't know about the problem though. I will ask around though.

BoBin

Thanks for the tip. I will monitor the mileage to see which one works better. We drive the car everyday 80 mile with no problems. I'm not gonna get too deep into it unless it becomes a serious problem. We just have to fuel it up around 1/4 tank. Let me know if you find anything else

Lude

Look below