RIP Integra - Engine Shutting Off
I had an off and on problem for years where my 1994 Acura Integra LS would occasionally shut the engine off while driving or would have a hard time starting for no apparent reason then be fine. I'd usually just keep trying to start it for 10-20 minutes before it would start again. I'd have problems for a week or two then it would be fine for six months before starting again. I told the dealer about it several times but they never saw the problem and therefore couldn't do anything about it. Finally a month ago the problems started again and it was worse than ever. It was dying every other time I drove it. I finally took it into the dealer and they gave me a new battery, spark plugs, etc. for $500. I knew that wasn't going to fix it since I've had the problem for many years and the problem was going to be caused by a part you don't normally replace. So it didn't fix it and after the problem happened again I took it to the other Acura dealer in town. They did alot of testing and found problem after problem. They knew the ignitor, coil and fuel pump were all bad and needed replacing. Add that to the diagnostics and the bill was $1,700. And on top of that they said we'd still need to monitor the car to see if there were any other bad parts. So I made the decision to cut my losses and not have the repairs done. I sold it to a mechanic at the dealer for $400. It was sad because I had maintained the car well and was expecting to be able to keep it indefinitely. If it was just one part or if the dealer had pinpointed it years ago I would have had the repairs done, but at this point it's just too much to spend on a car that's 17 years old and that my wife has been nagging me to replace for five years.
