hey, i really hate my car right now. 99 2.3 manual. 88k miles

heres the story

i did a tune up, (plugs, wires, cap, rotor) then i dove underneath the car to replace the bad O2 sensor (was getting a P0420). the old O2 sensor wouldnt come out (anny suggestions?). So i gave up. Now, while i drive, im slowly losing power. about a mile down the road, my speedometer stops working, then the interior lights start to dim, THEN my radio stops working (totally shut off), now, when i turn on my high beams, my RPM meter doesnt work. basically its slowly dying, and i would greatly appreciate it if you guys could help me bring her back to life. all i did was a tune up and attepted the sensor. as far as i know, i didnt touch anything else. the engine is running better than ever, but im just slowly losing power across the board.

the problem is, i really need my car for tonight (hot date ) and i want this fixed ASAP. any and all help will be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

Sounds like more than one problem.

P0420 rarely is an O2 sensor issue, but is not a critical repair; ie it can wait. You may have an exhaust leak or catalytic converter has failed.

Electrical problem has appearance that you are running on the battery and losing voltage. It will soon not start due to weak battery. Check output voltage of alternator. You may need a new alternator.

For a short fix, charge the battery good and avoid use of heavy electrical loads. This won't work at night so cancel the hot date

good luck

 

so would my battery light come on if it were my alternator? is my car even old enough for that to be an issue yet? im suprised im getting these problems bc i had a 600 dollar 1990 ford probe previously and i got a year out of that with no problems (120,000 miles on it). I bought this acura for 7500, 83000 miles, like new, 2 months ago, and now shit is dying. dammit, this sucks

 

so advanced auto parts tested my alternator, said its shot. dammit.

 

Had the same thing happen except the car left me sit. Seems to be pretty common for our cars. FYI, Napa's alternator was cheaper than Advanced Auto's.

 

Yes, Honda alternators can fail due to regulator failure and the Bat light will not come on. You will drive happily till you start see problems as you found out. I had this happen recently on a rebuilt alternator.

Car repairs are random failures. You can be lucky for years and then they rain down in bunches and you think you're cursed. It happens to everyone eventually.

good luck

 

so now i have a new alternator and battery, but my speedometer doesnt work. the fuse underneath the dash for the ECU and 2 other things was blown, so i replaced it. well, that didnt help, because not only does me speedometer still not work, but it blew the spare fuse too. everything else with the car is runnig totally fine

any thoughts?

 

Is Check Engine Light on? The Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS) drives the speedometer and odometers. If CEL is on, you need to get the codes to find a fix.

No speedometer or odometer, w/ everything else working suggests a instrument panel fault, or wiring fault.

good luck

 

Is the alternator putting out the proper voltage? When my alternator failed, my speedometer dropped to 0, and eventually the car shut off and wouldn't fire. When I got the car home, I recharged the battery, the car fired, and I went on my way. A little while later, I was driving, the speedometer dropped to 0, and I barely got the car back in the driveway before it shut off again.

 

well, i put in a new fuse in (10 amp) and it now works. the 7.5 amp kept blowing. it should be fine for now, ill keep it updated