Engine dies when driving

[dae_rascal]

Aside from the shocks and alarm, my car has been stock since I bought it. I have a 2000 (ap1) and recently a problem has arisen with my car.

The problem is that the engine dies when I'm driving it - the dash lights go out and the engine stops. I have to pull over and coast to a stop. Once tried to jump start the engine by popping the clutch when I was coasting, it did not work. The head lights, radio, and hazard lights are working when the engine dies. I know this because the engined died when I was on the freeway at night going at about 65 mph - headlights were on, the radio was on, and I clicked on the hazard light to pull over to the side.

Once over on the side, I have to wait for about two minutes before I can start the car. I have to pull the key out of the ignition and wait. If I turn the key off and on without pulling out the key nothing happens.

The engine has cut out at least seven times and there is no rhyme or reason when it does it.

I don't know what is going on.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[Inthenameofweez]

Alternator?
Get a battery test at your local Honda dealer and make sure they test both your starting, and charging systems.

If these tests show nothing, take i to the dudes that installed your alarm and have them go through and check all the connections they use to splice into your stock wiring harness, wherever that may be...

[reisu_s2k]

check your fuses or ignition switch i wouldnt waste money on a battery unless u know its bad...... your igniton switch gives power to the dash display it has to have a good connection if not it will not start or your engine will shut off. this is why you are losing your dash lights and everything else works. as you may or may not know the car goes through stages of checkpoints before start-up and if not cleared it wont start. if you check your fuses (under steering column near pedals) and all of your "start-up" fuses are bad then you work back from there which will either be your ignition switch or a relay connection in the ignition wiring. i believe the owners manual shows an easy ignition switch test. i wish i could say i stayed at a holiday inn express once haha but i had the same problem my car shut off while driving and the dash went clear. i am almost positive this will help you. i did alot of reading and research and found my problem doing just as i said. it was a faulty connection in my ignition wiring. good luck!

[JonBoy]

+1 on the ignition switch. While this isn't typically a problem for S2000s, I had it in my Accord (it was fixed as part of a safety recall) and had the exact same symptoms. Engine would shut off, I'd lose dash lights and power steering, etc, etc, but my headlights and such would still work.

[reisu_s2k]

i just now realized the post before mine he is right you should go back to whoever installed your alarm...... the reason for the faulty connection on mine.....TADA!! my alarm was hooked up poorly. they spliced into my ignition wire and the connection was so bad it turned the wire from red to BLACK. hope this helped

[RatedR]

I'd say check your fuel. If it were your fuses, the car would not work. Fuses either blow or work. No in-between functions. I think your car is not getting any fuel.

[reisu_s2k]

if the ignition switch is bad or the relay has a bad connection then those fuses aren't recieving any power.... it doesnt mean they are blown it just means that one of the "checkpoints" wasnt cleared. this brings me back to the "start-up" fuses..... fuel pump is included in that..... and if the car wasnt recieving enough fuel it wouldnt cause the display to shut off.

[repiv]

All of the above are good suggestions.
The battery and charging system can easily be checked to eliminate them from the equation. The fact that your headlights stay on means the battery is still good. This leads me to believe your charging system is still working or the battery would drain itself very quickly while driving.

How long ago was the alarm system installed? I'd start there. Alarm systems can and most often do infiltrate the ignition circuit.

If it's not the alarm, then check out the ignition switch circuitry Have you tried leaving the key in and waiting a couple minutes? How about if you don't take the key out but turn it off and wiggle it, still waiting the 2 minutes? I'm thinking about the possibility your immobilizer is having a brain fart.

I doubt it's fuel. If it was fuel, the dash lights would not go out. Not getting fuel because of running out or dead fuel pump would not affect the dash circuits. The car would just stumble and the engine quit. All your dash warning lights would come on and everything else would continue to work. You say the dash goes out. This is not related to fuel.

[dae_rascal]

Thanks for all the quick replies.

I will look under the dash at the ignition circuit and wires. I will also the check the alarm wiring. I don't know who did the alarm install because the alarm was in the car when I bought it 6 years ago.


If it's not the alarm, then check out the ignition switch circuitry Have you tried leaving the key in and waiting a couple minutes? How about if you don't take the key out but turn it off and wiggle it, still waiting the 2 minutes? I'm thinking about the possibility your immobilizer is having a brain fart.


To answer your question repiv - when the engine died this morning I did what you recommended. After the engine died, I left the key in and turn it to the "off" position and turned the key to the "on" position (no dash light, no start). I then put the key in the "off" position wiggle it around, waited, and turn the key to the "on" position (no dash light, no start). I needed to take the key out, wait, and place it back in again to get the dash lights and start the car.

With respect to the immobilizer, I thought that it only "worked" on start up and not continuously during driving. I don't know.

[repiv]

With respect to the immobilizer, I thought that it only "worked" on start up and not continuously during driving. I don't know.
I'm not sure about that point. If the immobilizer is having problems, it could suddenly decide you've got the wrong key in there and disable the fuel pump and the ignition.
There is also a thing called the "Electric Load Detector". A faulty one of these can also create problems as you are having. However, this must be diagnosed at the dealer.

[cpx3mbp]

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but I'm having the exact same issue. Are these symptoms the result of poor circuitry setting off the immobilizer or just killing the engine?

[repiv]

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead but I'm having the exact same issue. Are these symptoms the result of poor circuitry setting off the immobilizer or just killing the engine?
You may or may not have the "exact" same issue. Since the original poster never got back to us to say what cured his problem, we will never know. Maybe you could try to PM him to see what his results were.
When people offer advice and suggestions, they are purely guesses of possible areas to look. When a conclusion is never posted, nobody really ever knows which answer was correct.
If the immobilizer doesn't not recognize the key code, it won't send a signal to the ECU that will result in the fuel pump and ignition from being activated. The ECU needs a constant signal to confirm the correct key is always present or it deactivates the fuel pump and/or ignition.
This could be caused by a malfunctioning immobilizer or a key pellet that can't be read properly for some reason or another. Always good to try the other key. All S2000s come with at least 2 coded keys.

[cpx3mbp]

Thanks viper, I'll try the spare key. Is there any way to troubleshoot the immobilizer and to your knowledge is this a commonly replaced component in aftermarket alarm systems? Thanks in advance, fairly new S owner here.

[repiv]

Thanks viper, I'll try the spare key. Is there any way to troubleshoot the immobilizer and to your knowledge is this a commonly replaced component in aftermarket alarm systems? Thanks in advance, fairly new S owner here.

So, are you saying you also have an aftermarket alarm system? If so, please read my first post in this thread (#8). As far as I know, only the dealer can do a test on the immobilizer with their diagnostic equipment. It is not a commonly replaced item. It's usually the aftermarket alarm system (or its installation) that is the cause of such problems.
The immobilizer is not part of the aftermarket alarm system. It's an OEM part.

[cpx3mbp]

I have Clifford aftermarket alarm installed and the other day tried the key wriggling you talked about in #8 but wasn't able to recreate the symptoms. I do feel like the aftermarket alarm circuitry is causing the symptoms, any advice as to DIY inspecting the install?

[repiv]

I have Clifford aftermarket alarm installed and the other day tried the key wriggling you talked about in #8 but wasn't able to recreate the symptoms. I do feel like the aftermarket alarm circuitry is causing the symptoms, any advice as to DIY inspecting the install?
Sorry, aftermarket alarm systems can be somewhat complicated things for the average layman and sometimes the installation can be goofy, even by a professional. The guy can decide to tap into a variety of things and a variety of different places to disable the car.
If you know anything about your system, best to disconnect it to confirm that it's what causing the problem. Other than that, the best way is to take to whoever put it in or to an alarm specialist.

[desmo4]

Your recommendations are correct. In my case I asked the installer not to install ignition kill and remote start. But they ignored me and when the system failed, the start circuit was interrupted. Fortunately the electrical service manual has the wire colors so I was able to reconnect the original (blue&wht) wire to the starter relay. Your situation is probably similar but the ignition circuit has been tinkered with instead.

Jonathan

[cpx3mbp]

Thanks for all the great info I will take a poke around but ultimately replace the alarm system down the line.

[cpx3mbp]

Took some time out today and studied a bunch of circuit wiring diagrams from the helm manual. I want say I isolated the problem to a faulty ECU because the remaining electrical systems that stay on (headlights, interior lights, hazard lights) are on separate circuits. Also, the failure would consistently take about 1-5 minutes (maybe time for ECU to discharge/reset?) before failed systems would come back again. Any thoughts on the matter?

On the immobilizer note and looking at the diagram, it looks if the immobilizer engages it would set off the indicator light but otherwise have no effect on the rest of the cluster. However in my situation, the entire cluster goes blank (including the immobilizer indicator light) except for the turn/hazard signals which are on another circuit.

[repiv]

So long as the power is not disconnected to the ECU, it will not reset. There is a main fuse and a "back up" fuse. In fact, the car will run (although roughly) with the back up fuse pulled. You're not blowing any of the ECU fuses or it won't "come back" at all.
I would still take the alarm system out of the equation. No need to completely remove it. Just take off all the infiltrated wiring and put the stock wiring back the way they're supposed to be. If the situation still reoccurs, then you can look deeper into the stock components. I have a feeling that once you eliminate the alarm system and put the wiring back to stock, you won't have the problems anymore.

[cpx3mbp]

Viper, I have a feeling you are on to something. I relocated the alarm wiring to the brain and the symptoms have not came back since. For good measure and like you suggested, I rewired the alarm brain out of the equation and reverted back to factory a couple of days ago. Crossing some fingers but hopefully this will solve it once and for all.