My 98 Honda Civil LX has recently decided to shut off while driving. I could be driving for three minutes or three hours, it has no preference. It sometimes will turn back on when I restart it, and sometimes not so much.

I took it to the shop where they gave it an engine tune up and a new distributor, but the problem still persists.

I know there was a recall on the ignition years ago, but I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it.

Just sick of going to the shop having them have no idea and my car shutting off on the highway.

Thanks Guys,
Ashley

charlotte234s

It sounds like an electrical problem to me, I had a Honda that would often overheat because of a short in its electrical/computer system. I believe 98 models have the same kind of systems, so I would suggest seeing an electrical specializing mechanic and having him take a look? I'm no expert on cars, so I could be wrong, but it's worth a shot if you can't get an answer about there being an engine problem.

DONJ303

I work in a Honda shop and it is very common to have ignition switch problems with this model. Call your local dealer with your VIN # (17 digits) to see if yours is recalled. I am starting to see the need of a second switch replacement on higher milage cars( ones that had recall done already). The one other common thing is a main relay, causes problems usually only in hotter temps and higher interior temps. Good luck, Don

minnie12

hello...
i had this same problem at the beginning of the year with my honda and it was the ignition switch....we paid over 500 bucks looking for the problem and thats all it was....hope this helps

Duane in Japan

If the car will not start right away, you will need to be prepared to check for fuel pressure and spark to determine which one or both is missing, that will help alot with troubleshooting.

I also agree that the ignition switch could be your cause, very common, what else dies when the engine dies, if the key was not moved then everything should still work if it was an engine related problem, there may be two power circuits so some things may work and others may not, finding the things that dont work (besides the engine) and we can see on a schematic how they are related to the ignition key switch.

ashg11485

Thanks for the help guys.

After three days of the Honda Dealer looking at it, they decided it was the ignition recall. We'll see if it works when I pick it up tomorrow...

jhernandezsr

So.....was it the ingnition switch?