Problems with 1998 Honda Accord ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The problem with my 1998 honda accord has been the check engine light. the light came on several times early on. honda said that i either left the key in the ignition while refueling of didn't properly tighten the gas cap. the light came on at approximately 95,000 miles. the honda dealer in gainesville, fl said the catalytic converter was bad. they quoted $800 for the part and about $300 for labor. i personally feel that the sensors are bad, rather than the converter. the car runs fine and the gas mileage is still good. honda said tha earlier models with similiar problems had the emission control warranty extended to 120,000 miles, but not on the 1998. i always drive my cars at least 200,000 miles and have never experienced such a failure. thanks for your assistance.

Check engine light stays on. had car checked, work completed, light stays on. *nm

At 87,200 miles my car's check engine light came on, the dealership informed me the diagnostic exam ($83.00) showed a failure in my catalytic converter, it would cost $891 (no labor). the serviceman said that this "might" solve the problem. *jb

The catalytic converter failed but was under some special extended warranty so i didn't have to pay a cent. but, it failed, and i am not pleased. the second problem which is my major complaint is that i am being told that i will have to replace my transmission on a car that only has 83k miles on it! honda knows that this is a problem with 98 - 01 accord models, but only extended the warranty to 00-01 models. i believe honda should be force to do a recall! it is very dangerous to be driving in southern california i-5 with a car that doesn't shift properly. please help all us 98-99 honda accord owners.

Check engine light on my dash. *jb

At approximately 87,500 miles, the check engine light came on in my 1998 honda accord ex sedan. computer diagnosis of the trouble code read "catalyst deterioration." i had the catalytic converter replaced, and the light came back on three weeks later. this time, the trouble code said that there was a bad primary oxygen sensor. this too, was replaced, and i am hoping that the light stays off. *jb

Consistant problem with the "check engine light" in my 1998 honda accord. have been to three different dealers, and all three have a different diagnosis (all over $500). i went to an independent mechanic, and he told me that he couldn't find anything wrong with it, and that i should just ignore the light. but now my car won't pass new jersey inspection with the check engine light on. i have found hundreds of accord owners with similar problems on the internet (http://www.cartrackers.com/forums/live/honda/33.html) and i now realize this is a huge problem that honda won't acknowledge.*ak

This is my mothers car (1998 honda accord ex-vl) which was totaled in an accident due to a sudden unintended acceleration.my wife was the first owner of the vehicle and my mother has had the car for about 2 years. she had stopped, put the car into park, got out to open a parking lot gate, got back in, stepped on the brake, and shifted the car into gear. it immediately went into a high rev and accelerated uncontrollably resulting in the car smashing into a wall about 60' away. luckily the air bags worked and neither her or my step father were seriously hurt. her foot was definitely on the brake pedal as there is a lockout mechanism that prevents the car from being taken out of park if the brake pedal is not pushed. this may or may not be related, but she was having difficulty getting the handle to move. the problem with it not moving had occurred previously, usually on a slight incline, but the honda dealer looked at it and told her nothing was wrong. my mother is a retired bus driver with a perfect driving record, no accidents, and only uses one foot to control the vehicle.

My 1998 honda accord "check engine light" has been on for over a year. there are scores of other accord owners that i have found on the internet with the same problem. honda should do something to fix this. it can be distracting driving at night with this light on. *nlm

The check engine light went on at about 82000 miles for my 1998 honda accord lx, 4 cylinder. after replacing spark plug wires, spark plugs and air filter, the light went off for about a week. the check engine light illuminated again. the computer code says that there's a problem with the catalytic converter. however, others on the following forum had their catalytic replaced, and the light resumed after some period of time: there are so many complaints on this forum of the same problem, there should be no doubt that this is an issue which honda has failed to address. this problem will probably severely reduce the resale value of the car, or stop me from selling it completely. *jb

The engine light illuminated and stayed on the entire time the vehicle was being driven.*jb

This car hasn't been a major problem but this is the second time i am dealing with this egr valve on this honda. first, one year ago my check engine light came on and the car was cutting off when it came to a stop or was idling and the honda dealer said that there was a warranty repair on the car. they replace the egr valve and said everything was fine. 7 months later my check engine light is back on but the car's performance had not changed. however, i took my car to get an emissions test and my car failed emissions with the trouble code reporting egr insufficient flow. i took it to the honda dealer and they are telling me that because my car has 97,000 miles on it that they cannot help with this repair. also the egr cleaning kit is on backorder for 2 weeks, which tells me that there are other hondas all over the country that are having this problem. i also have an extended warranty with smart choice and they are saying that they cannot cover emissions systems under their warranty. the repair and diagnostic fee is going to cost me over $300. honda knows that this is a major problem and i feel like they should be helping me with this issue. this car will continue to fail emissions if this egr situation is not resolved. i will more than likey sell this car this year once this emissions situation is over. *jb

I own a 1998 honda accord. the check engine light is always on. i have tried the gas cap trick but it no longer works. there is an entire website of people having the same problem. let me know if you want the address. *ak

The check engine light went on at 92000 miles. i had the vehicle's computer codes evaluated by a shop and they indicated the post oxygen sensor and the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. *jb

Upon slowing down with brakes on, engine starts to buck and wants to quit, also happens when starting from a stop position. does not happen all the time but has caused a few situations whereby a collison almost occurred. dealer advised, checked out by dealer,stated nothing found would not go any further. note-above dates approx., have dealer invoice if needed.

No summary. dt

The consumer stated that while driving at any speed and no warning, the vehicle will stall and will become difficult for the consumer to control the vehicle. the dealer has been notified. ts the stalling is continuous. the consumer requests that the problem, as well as other problem(s) be repaired at no charge. scc

Catalytic converter has a premature life span according to a number of mechanics that i have talked to. the "check engine" light came on around 80,000 miles, and the mechanic said the computer sensed a failure in the catalytic converter. we had the honda extended warranty but they stated that it did not cover the catalytic converter *ak

The vehicle shut off. dealer notified. ph

1998 honda accord ex 4-cylinder, manual transmission: check engine light appeared at 71,000 miles; although resolved through replacement of the catalytic converter "under warranty", such early failure should be documented by nhtsa as subsequent failures are likely. suspect is faulty/sub-standard catalytic converter used by honda.uggestion: query manufacturer on in/out of warrenty failures on catalytic converters for honda accord, model years 1998 - 2002. ak

I provided you the dealer info. where i purchased the car. now my car is at 'mckean honda' : 5033 liberty ave. pittsburgh, pa 15224, (412)683-3800. radiator suddely blew up after a 10min. of driving. a mechanic at the dealer says that the engine's got overheated first and then possibly the cylinder head damaged leading to a mixture of engine oil and anti-freeze. no warning light was on at the time of incident. they haven't dissasembled the engine yet but i asked them to do it to find out the actual damage. honda says it can happen when it's overheated but don't explain why it's overheated. i followed all maint. schedule and got my car inspected(including oil change) just 2 months ago(july 10 2002) at that dealer. i can't understand how an engine with 37k mileage can fail this easily. they're talking about a possilbilty of a crack on the engine block. the $4k estimation is true when the whole engine needs to be replaced which is the worst case. it can be very dangerous if i was driving on a highway. the radiator exploded with lots of smoke with 4in long split on the top. fortunately i was at a stop light on a way back home after picking up my wife and kid. the car was immediately towed. i can't believe if any vehicle engine can fail this easy. the 3 year long warranty's been expired and i didn't get any extended warranty. is the only thing i can do is repenting not having one? nlm

Consumer states that the engine will stall out at any speed with out any warning, due to the defect with the ignition. contacted dealer and the dealer stated that the vehicle is not included in the recall. mr

While driving at any speed and with no warning vehicle will shut off, causing consumer to pull over.it will be hard to get vehicle to start again.dealer notified.*ak

Engine check light has illuminated. cause unknown. dealer has been contacted. *ak the front brake pads were worn, in which the dealer replaced, the engine would stall while driving, the catalytic converter was replaced, the ignition switch was replaced which was the cause of the check engine light coming on and the stalling.*jb

The engine completely blew out one day. i was on the way to work and there was an explosion under my hood. honda put in a re-built engine and i have had nothing but problems since then. a few months later...the paint gradually started to fade away on the roof. it has only gotten worse and will get much worse. it is a 1998 honda!! this stuff shouldn't be happening!

Engine check light came on and owner took vehicle to dealership. dealer replaced oxygen sensor. a couple of thousand miles later, catalytic converter failed. *ak when the vehicle was purchased the check engine light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken back to the dealership where the vehicle was placed on a diagnostic machine. the result was that it was something with the catalytic convertor, but that it was usually the oxygen sensor. the oxygen sensor was changed. about 200 miles later the engine light illuminated. consumer took to a different dealership and was informed that there is an ongoing problem with the catalytic convertors in these vehicles. *jg

Catalytic converter has failed at an early age. my repair shop claims to 'see it a lot' the repair is $1070. honda deems it normal wear.*ak

Engine check light stays on after having recall done for egr valve. consumer has taken vehicle into repair shop, and diagnostic reading showed no problem. consumer has been advised to please attach a copy of recall information with complaint form.*ak

Catlytic converter heat shields deteriorate rapidly under normal use leading to car undercarriage overheating and/or fire. suggest replace shields with a thicker gauge metal shield.*ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Consumer was traveling about 55mph on highway and vehicle stopped without prior warning. dealership is aware of problem.*ak

Engine is overheating. dealership is unclear as to what is causing defect. this defect occurs randomly regardless of weather conditions. *ak honda stated new head gaskets were needed, after repair check engine light illuminated, dealer then stated #5 cylinder was misfiriing, dealer cleaned plug, engine light illuminated again, all plugs were replaced, computer was reset, and #5 spark plug wire was replaced, engine light still illuminated, consumer had thermostat replaced and examined it finding burrs were evident on the stamping surrounding the movable bellows, a lot of shiny ridges were evident on the bellows, he ran a hot water test to see if the burrs would cause the device to remain closed, however it stuck close, consumer removed the burrs and the thermostat operated properly, on one occasion all lights went out at night due to steam from thermostat, consumer feels the radiator recovery tube was being blown off by the steam also, check engine light still illuminated and code p1399 comes up, which noone knows what the code stands for, engine runs rough.. vehicle experienced gas gauge problems. *slc

Engine check light continues to come on at more frequency than it should (7 times ) for emisssion failure. *ak

In july 1998, i purchased a 1998 honda accord v6 ex. in february 2000 the first problem with the engine check and egr defect occurred. the problem was resolved with the replacement of the intake manifold and repositioning of the pcv valve and hose in accordance with honda recall instructions and resetting the "check engine" light indicator at no cost to me. service occurred at dealer. in april 2000, the second problem with the egr valve as manifested by the "check engine" light occurred. the problem was resolved by replacement of the pcv hose in accordance with honda recall instructions and resetting the "check engine" light indicator at no cost to me. service occurred at dealer. in october 2000, the third occurrence of the egr valve failure occurred. this problem was resolved by cleaning the egr port and valve. this was performed at a cost of $66 plus tax. service occurred at dealer. in january 2001, a related occurrence of the egr problem occurred with an idle air controller (iac) motor failing. the egr port and valve were not checked, however the symptoms of the problem were resolved by replacement of the iac motor and clearing of the check engine light indicator. this resulted in a cost to me of $226.69. service occurred at dealer. in november 2001, i was sent a notice by american honda concerning the egr failures and extending the warranty to 80,000 miles. service occurred at dealer. in may 2002, the fourth egr problem occurred with the check engine light indicating a problem. the problem was diagnosed to be the egr valve failure and the catalytic converter failure. this repair has been estimated to be $800.00. honda?s district service manager has denied the claim, since the failure occurred at 81,000 miles, it has been considered to be out-of-warranty by honda and therefore repairs would be at my cost. service occurred at dealer in tucson, az. as a further point, honda has denied all claims for work done under warranty. *ak

No summary

Since 1/99, car will not start sporadically, dealership and regional offfice contacted. keys and immobilizer replaced. today, car shut off in third gear. had to come to full stop and start up again. dealership contacted again.

This car is a lemon. i have had so many problems i can not believe it. the sunroof has been replace 3 times, the headliner 2 times. the fuel gauge sticks at times, even after filling the tank it only shows it's half full. the egr valve has been replaced once, and it now is bad again. i burn 93 octane gas, supposedly the cleanest, but my dealer tells me it's from dirty gas. the fan for the climate control chirps like a bird.

Windshiled leaking which caused headliner to be replaced. nlm

Consumer has been experiencing problems with engine. vehicle constantly stalls. vehicle has been in the shop three times for the same problem. the defects described comply with investigation number ie98073. the manufacturer has been contacted. *ak

Engine continually stalls, replacement of the pcm (not failed), did not rectify stalling.

Porous engine block caused oil leak, nlm

Valve cover gasket leaking oil. yh

Engine leaked oil due toa defect in the mold used to cast the engine block. *ak

#1-7941 miles (gas gauge failed), #2-22960 miles (gas gauge failed-replaced fuel sending unit), #3--34496 miles (gas & temp. gauges fail-replaced entire meter/gauge set-mileage reset to 0), #4-34996 miles (all gauges failed-replaced loose ground connection), #5-44257 miles (catalytic converter failed, pcv & egr-all replaced) ***this car has been a lemon from day one. the true mileage is unknown because it has failed for miles at a time. honda has done nothing to compensate me for selling me this lemon. i had attempted to resolve the matter with the bbb, three dealerships, the district office and the corporate office with no compensation. i can't trade the car or sale the car because of the odometer replacement. the car is worthless. and worst of all i am still to this day having problems! right now the check engine light is on and the service department tells me it is due to clogg egr valves that need to be cleaned at my expense, although they just covered it under warranty less that a month ago when they replaced the catalytic converter. where do i go now? what do i do? should i have to keep continuing paying honda for a defective car?

Check engine light remains on in the vehicle, although perform was great. state requirements for motor vehicle registration recently changed. catalytic converter failure, 02 sensor (both) failure, problem persists. check engine light remains on. as of today, no help from honda, although many attempts have been made. problem began a few months after car purchase. while under warranty technicians reiterated there was no problem and reset light many times. now this is a big problem; every year faced with same issue. not mention vehicle does not perform at optimum performance level. vehicle loses gas.

Oxygen sensor failed. nlm

The check engine light on my 1998 honda accord came on again after 101000 miles. the dealership says the catalytic converter will have to be replaced. it seems a common problem with 1998 honda accord, but the company has not commenced any recall to fix this issue. *jb

When pulling out, vehicle stalls and hesitates, this has occured since purchase of thr vehicle. *yc

Cooling system leaking. *yc

While driving, noticed a strange smell; black smoke started coming from dash ducts. pulled over, shut engine off, and looked under hood. vehicle then caught fire in the engine compartment.