rlarge98tl

ok here's the deal my 98 2.5 tl was running fine until i drove it to pa today, when i went to leave to come back to delaware, at one point it just lost power and started putting with my foot on the gas this continued so i pulled over while still in pa and the rpm's just were funny and then it just shut down. I started it back up and got it to a friend who told me i should change the wires, when i remembered that i only changed the plugs since i brought the car back in 01 (duh) i spend so much time on my wife and kids car's that i neglected mine, better i get stuck than them. Anyway has anyone had this problem and could this be from the wires being bad or could it be something else. Also, a few weeks ago after the rain, the car would not start until i finally took a hair drier to the distributer. All the way home on the highway, it continued to putter so i just gave it gas and the rpm's went up then the motor reacted, this did stop it from shutting down on me.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

main70072

I would start by changing the distributer cap since it is common on those 5 cylinder engine to have tiny hairline crack which causes moisture to get inside causing those problems you stated. That was the same problem on my uncle's Vigor and changing out the cap and rotor fixed the problem. I am not sure that the 98 TLs have the extended emission warranty, but if you do the dealer will change out the distributer cap, rotor, plugs, wires, oil change, and filter for free of charge if you have not done so.

TLin401

Main which one is it? Is it number 2?

http://www.acuraoemparts.com/delray/...All&vinsrch=no

TLin401

How hard of a job is this?

main70072

Yes, #2 is the cap and #3 is the rotor. Always use genuine parts when replacing these because the aftermarket ones don't last that long.

main70072

This is a very difficult job on our cars because the cap is located all the way in the back with little room to work on. I remember on our old 87 Maxima it was located right in the middle of the engine and was very easy to replace. I replaced it several times because the aftermarket parts from Autozone wore out so quickly.

TLin401

Back of the engine bay right? Or is it under the car?

andrew070489

on the 5 cylinder its all the way against the firewall.. you know where all the spark plug wires plug in to...

rlarge98tl

So this would make the car bog out while driving? Should i change the plugs or does this not sound like it would be the plugs?

andrew070489

this is a possible cause, without more info its hard to tell.. if your car is alot louder while driving now i suggest looking at your flex pipe under your car. if its gone, the car will run very loud and rough since theres no air going through the rest of the exhaust

rlarge98tl

yeah, it is a little louder, but would the flex pipe make the motor shut down or act like it gasping for air, like i said, on the way home it start to put again so i dam near floored it to keep it running. does it sound like it could be the wires or more than likely the cap and rotor?

andrew070489

its hard to tell thats why i said check* the flex pipe.. when mine went my car sounded like a harley ( doesnt need to be that loud) and had hardly any power. even if it isnt really loud it could be getting started and could get louder. check it out and if thats not it we'll suggest something else.

it could be injectors, plugs wires, cap/rotor, or one of your control valves

rlarge98tl

cool, i'll check them out

thanks

andrew070489

if you wanna test your wires, pull one out at a time with the car running (do this fast) and if you hear that wire sparking its good. check all wires.

rlarge98tl

wires sound fine, not sure if the flex pipe being bad would make the motor put but i will check it out. What do you think about the fact that a few weeks ago, it would not start after it rained overnight until i put a hair dryer over the distributor cap, this make me think what you said about a possible crack in the cap. Just drove it around the block and it ran fine, still a little loud though.

main70072

Loud could be the exhaust manifold.

andrew070489

possibly its easy to inspect, and yes a flex pipe would make your car run loud and like shit and put due to no exhaust pressure

this happened to me once and its soon to happen again as my flex pipe is breaking down. i wouldnt say check it out if i wasnt talking from personal experience.

rlarge98tl

going to jack the car up this morning to look at the flex pipe, if it is bad is there a sealant or patch for it or do i need to take it to a muffler shop. I just drove the car a few miles this morning and had no problem at all with the putting but i'll change the cap and rotor anyway as there could be a crack in it and it only does it when it's hot. Thanks again

andrew070489

sounds good also inspect your exhaust manifold as if its exhaust it might only be noticeable once it gets really hot.. and you can inspect your flex pipe on one knee

rlarge98tl

Does anyone know of any type of jb weld or anything else that will work on the exhaust system?

andrew070489

for what? the flex pipe is a $20 part and any muffler shop will charge you around $50 labor.. is something else messedup? just my opinion- spend the money on real welds they last way longer.

rlarge98tl

put the car in the garage and did the spray water test for the wires, closed the doors started the car and sprayed a mist over the plugs, did not get any arking, does this mean that the wires are good, also pulled each wire and got spark from all of them. I'm thinking of ordering everything and just doing it all, of course i'd hate to waste money right now. found plugs, wires, cap and rotor online OEM for 150 shipped, i love that site, the plugs were dam near 100 or better at the dealer. I also think that the universal o2 sensor i brought might not be working, as someone told me that the universal ones are not always the best for our cars. So should i just change it all?

andrew070489

i wouldnt use the cheap 02 sensor.. it sounds like your plugs are good, but if you doubt it $150 shipped is a good price or plugs, wires, cap and rotor

rlarge98tl

yeah that's a great price for everything, the only reason i might change the wires is because sometimes when it rains the car won't start when it's moist, but then again, that could just be a crack in the distributor, it's been on there since atlest 01 so i can't complain. I'm probably going to go to a salvage yard and pull an o2 sensor instead of spending 350 on a new on from the dealer. Since i did not get any ark when sparying the mist, do you think the wires could still be bad and they are just not arking? I'm thinking distributor because it only acts up even with it starting to put and lose power when the car heats up so maybe the crack is opening and the spark is not sufficient enough to go thru the wires and that's the cause of the putting and loss of power, if i go start it and drive to the corner now it will run fine, but if i drive for about 10-15 min. then the putting and loss of power starts.

rlarge98tl

just went out on a limb and double checked the battery terminals, and sure enough the dam negative cable was loose, the bolt was tight as hell but the the terminal itself must have worn a little, so i wrapped it with solder and re-tightened and took it for a ride it appears to have fixed that putting problem, not 100% but it seems like it. Would I get those symptoms like putting when the terminal is loose? I think i remember someone telling me that's a symptom. I always thought that the battery was just to start the car and then it ran soely off of the alt. Guess i was wrong. Still guessing I need to change atlest the rotor and cap because of it not starting sometimes after it rains, or do i just change the cap.

andrew070489

^ i heard it a PITA to do the cap and rotor.. if your gonna take the time you might as well replace it all .. cap, rotor, seals

rlarge98tl

ok so since no ark from wires guess they can wait or should i do them as well? have you ever heard of the terminal being loose causing the putting issues? I ask because it seems to have fixed that issue.

andrew070489

if the wires are fine then wait, or if you are ordering everything just save them for when you need new ones. ive never heard of this putting issue from the battery.

rlarge98tl

ok here's the deal, I changed the rotor which had a crack in it and I changed the rotor as well, also changed the fuel filter which appeared to be clogged. Also, I had the exhaust re-done $$$$. I still notice that on my rpm gauage, when i start it, it stays at the 1 mark, forgive my ignorance but I read it as 0 - - 1 and so on, anyway after I start the car it stays a the 1 but after driving and coming to a stop it will stay between 1 and drop down to the - below the one, is this normal? Car run's much better, think the putting was from either the crack in the cap or more than likely the clogged fuel filter.

main70072

Its good to know that you took the right steps to solving your problem. So there was a crack in the cap after all just like we suspected since it only happens when damp outside. It is normal for your rpm to be at 1 when first starting the car cold. After a few minutes of warming up it should drop to normal idling speed.

rlarge98tl

got up this morning and decided to check my plug gapping, and dam, the specs. call for 0.043 and mine were at 0.054 or something like that. Just finished adjusting the plugs and it sound and idles even better. Now i'm just waiting for the cel to come back on for the o2 sensor which should be in on monday (direct fit) although it would be crazy if it was only on due to the computer freaking out since the fuel filter was bad and the crack in the cap. Thank you all for your help.

andrew070489

^ omfg! ha thats kinda funny after all this stuff. what you dont know how to gap a spark plug?

rlarge98tl

not sure what happened with the plugs, i know i gapped them the last time i changed them which was about 4 - 5 years ago lol, i don't drive it much, and i find myself giving all of my time to my wife's, son's and daughter's cars, so mine is on the back burner all of the time.

andrew070489

wow 4-5 years for plugs! well atleast i learned something new..

rlarge98tl

lmfao, so i checked the throttle plate and it appears to clean, is there anything else i should clean off? someone said something about a throttle sensor? not sure where it is, but would like to clean it, just in case. My direct fit o2 sensor came in and i just put it in. It's amazing how much $$$ U save doing the work yourself.