I am having an issue with my 2005 Acura RL with 200,000km on it. It is well maintained for what it is worth.

I first noticed the issue when driving hard up hills, when engine hit around 5000,6000 RPM the engine would cut out as if it wasn't getting fuel for a brief second.

Now the problem has gotten more severe. It seems this is happening more randomly, anytime I accelerate, especially if I am on a hill. If I am going slow, the car will stall as if it is getting starved of fuel with a sputter or shake that does not sound good. If I am going at a decent speed, it will just coast at idle, then power to the engine will be restored after a couple seconds. Of note, all electronics work fine and nothing cuts out. I get no error messages or warnings either, although I do need to replace one of my CATs as I have emissions error, but I doubt that causes anything.

I am thinking it may be the fuel pump? At first I thought it was the tranny, but everything seems to work fine otherwise, and the alternator seems fine as it starts up fine every time.

 

replace the cat, check the oil.
then check fuel pressure

 

how would a bad cat cause this? I am getting an error but I don't think it is bad, as it doesn't smell or anything.

 

an Internal Combustion Engine is aspirated and must breathe.
a clogged catalytic converter can prevent it from breathing.


knowing that you have a bad cat, you can start there.
separately, you can check the oil level. if the oil level is fine, then it's not the cause of the "loss of power" or not being able to achieve 5500RPM or higher, as that's when VTEC engages...VTEC operates by having two different cam profiles...one profile for lower than 5500RPM and a more aggressive profile for above 5500RPM. VTEC needs the oil level to be full to operate.

separately; you can also check the fuel pressure by renting a fuel pressure tool kit from an auto parts store.

 

Check your battery terminals if they are loose or damaged you might loose power momentarily during turns or with sudden jerks to the car.

 

This - the terminals are a crappy design, and don't tighten very well onto the battery posts. I had this exact problem, and one of my terminals just lifted right off with one finger :-)

But I suspect "I have emissions error" is the cause of your problem - this could mean absolutely anything, it doesn't simply mean your emissions are out of spec. Whatever is causing the error, is probably the source of your problem.

 

Yep, sometimes the easiest diagnosis is the one the car does for you

 

When was the fuel filter last changed?

17048-SJA-A00 - it's in the fuel tank.

 

I have had this problem one time in the mountains, mountain run with car clubs was chasing mustangs up the mountains, I have no cel no emissions issues. Got up high in elevation driving pretty spirited to keep up, then engine sputters and stalls out I coasted of side of road to turn out. Tried to start and could smell the raw fuel, let sit for a little then car started up again made my way down and car hasn't done it again, I honestly think it's the map not being able to adjust properly with the thin air

 

Did you check the spark plugs, check the gap or if the tip is burned?

 

Fresh sparkplugs , this was only time this ever happens was under hard driving in high elevation, car starts and runs perfect every day

 

Yes, pull one spark plug out and check, my car was starting perfectly but only on the highway in high speed or load I had an issue.

 

Was this issue ever solved?

 

Reading back through it seems like a failure in the fuel system, most likely the pump, which usually fails at the check valve preventing full pressure from building up. Leaking injectors or a faulty fpr do the same thing but diagnose differently when you check fuel pressure.

Obviously the best course of action is to check the fuel pressure when starting and when shutting off the engine. First, change fuel filter because it could simply be clogged and it's the cheapest fix everyone forgets to do(I do mine once a year regardless of mileage).

If the pressure does not build quickly on startup, it's likely the fuel pressure regulator. If it builds quickly but drops quickly after shutting off it's most likely the pump, and if it builds quickly and you see intermittent and small drops in pressure, leaking injectors are likely at fault.

Depending on your mileage, you may want to change your injectors, as it's cheaper and more reliable to change than to pay to have them serviced.

Dont get caught out by the chain stores offering fuel injector servicing, as they won't take them out and clean and flow test them like you would normally attribute to "servicing". The chains won't touch fuel system internals or trans internals due to liability. Their "servicing" is throwing a bottle of B12 ($4.99 at Walmart) into your tank and charge you $200 for that task .
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Also change the fuel pressure regulator if you do injectors. None of these are incredibly expensive or difficult to do if you're not afraid to get a little fuel on yourself.

The hard one is the fuel pump, although that varies by vehicle. I thought my F-150 would be difficult because I had to drop the tank, but it was actually ridiculously easy, but the pump itself wasn't cheap.

 

I think it's via a plate once you remove the rear seat base - pretty easy.

The S2000 is difficult, as it's right under the folding roof well. Think the fuel filter is a once a decade thing.

 

Was there ever an update on this?

 

Unless the OP posted a status report I didn't see I think all of the bases were covered on it. If you're having similar issues, describe them and what you've checked or start a new post.