97 Honda Accord engine shuts off while driving

to many possibles

if starts and drives after waiting a while
fuel pump to faulty sensor


ECU should have fault codes stored to read

when this stall happens notice if the speedometer drops to "0" while the vehicle is in motion, if some warning lights aren't lit (chk engine, ABS, brake etc.) when key is set to "On"!! If these issues happen when the vehicle "shuts off while driving" it may be caused by "ignition switch failure". Your vehicle may be part of a 2002 Honda/Acura recall. Symtoms include: intermitted power loss, intermitted engine shut off, some warning lights not lit, random hard starts. This happens more often in warmer/hot weather. Call your local dealer and provide them with your VIN# to check if your vehicle is still covered, they may fix it for free. Otherwise the part is about $48-$100!!

possible fuel pump or filter, if the timing belt goes the car stops completely and will not start.


The fast indicator flash is odd and usually means a blown bulb, perhaps a bad eath cable from the battery

, pull a plug wire and ground it to the engine body and check for spark. if spark then
check your fuel system pressure, fuel pump

Could be a fuel pump that is going bad. Some times when fuel pumps go bad they cavitate and pump not just gas but also air. If you get too much air in the line and not enough gas the car won't start. Have a mechanic check your fuel line pressure.

I have a 1991 honda accord dx that had the same problem. while driving it would just completely shut down. after about 5 minutes it start and run for a while then shut down again getting more frequently. There was a recall on the ignition control module (ignitor) which is in the distributor. call your local honda dealer with your vin # and will tell you if yours was replaced. If not I bought one from parts store for $60 or you could take a chance and buy one from a junk yard. I bought the whole distributor for $20 as a back up.

94-97 accord have common issue on key ignition. Key ignition seems to corroded. Solution take it apart clean or best way is to replace it. I know because I have done it to 94 accord 4 cylinders, 95 accord 6 cylinders and 97 accord 4 cylinders.

Have you checked your alternator?

It's sounds like the fuel filter is dirty! And the reason that it starts after a couple of min. is because the pressure of the fuel stops moving through the filter.Replace it. It's cheap and easy!

I had the same problem with my 1995 Honda Accord V6 2.7L a year ago. It was a pain to have Honda diagnose the problem because it was intermittent and every time I took my car in to the dealership they said they couldn't reproduce the problem, but the longer you wait the more frequently your tachometer will fluctuate. I finally stopped by the dealership when the tachometer was jumping and they were able to diagnose the problem. In my case there was a faulty resistor in the ignition coil, but the entire ignition coil needs to be replaced. I don't know anything about cars but I know this fixed my problem. I went directly though Honda's service center so I know they charged me more than an independent repair shop but I'm looking at my invoice now and I paid $150 for the ignition coil and $200 for labor. After Honda diagnosed the problem I searched for "1995 honda accord ignition coil tachometer" and found that other people had the same problem and replacing the ignition coil was the fix. Hope this helps.