1998 Honda Accord EX 2.3L Automatic - stalled and won't restart
 

Hello everyone,

The other day I was driving on the interstate when my Accord stalled. When I got it to the shoulder, I tried restarting it with no luck. The car turns over but does not start.

So far we have changed the ignition module and the starter, and checked the main relay and fuel pump which were both good, so these parts aren't the issue.

Relevant problems I've had with this car include; Slow oil leak into the distributor cap (makes the car start and run awful but wiping out the cap has always fixed that), the starter was replaced a week before the car stalled and then replaced again the day after, the ignition switch was on its way out when I got it but it was replaced (and then I believe it has been checked since the car stalled), I've been getting a Knock Sensor code since I got the car despite having replaced the knock sensor twice (I probably need a new wiring harness), and every once in a while the car will misfire in Cylinder 2 (which I have believed to be a result of there being oil in the distributor cap because after I clean out the cap the car starts up fine). I think that it's also appropriate to note that I believe some of my piston rings are on their way out because I recently started burning oil on start up (probably because of all the misfires or the faulty knock sensor).

I know it's probably time for a new car but I don't have the money right now, so any ideas as to why my car's not starting would be greatly appreciated.

-Kevin

One other thing that I forgot to mention, a few weeks before the car stalled, I drove back to my home town to change the timing belt and then drove it about 70 miles to where I live now. A few hours after I arrived back home I drove to work and then later that night when I was leaving to go back home, the car didn't start at all. No turning over, just a click. It sat there for a few weeks until I had time to work on it, and finally when I had the time, I disconennected the battery and made sure all wires were plugged in properly and then lubricated the intake valve switch in case that was stuck shut. When I plugged the battery back in the car it started right up.

My thinking was that either the ignition module was going bad again (which it's not), or the ECU is going bad and I reset something when I disconnected the battery.

Then a few weeks later my starter went out and I replaced that with no problem.