I'm helping my dad with his 2003 Honda CRV.
Last week the P1259 code came on while he was on his way to work, and the car would shutter around 3000 rpm.
At first we assumed the shuttering was due to transmission problems. First thing I did was do a flush and fill on the tranny. Of course this didn't fix the situation.
We took it to a local auto shop. They replaced the VTEC Solenoid Assembly on the back side of the engine between the engine and the firewall. They also removed the oil pressure sensor on the passenger side of the engine and cleaned it. They reported that the VTEC Solenoid Assembly was very full of carbon, as well as the oil pressure sensor. Due to the amount of carbon in everything, they added half a can of sea foam and suggested running the engine for a while and then changing the oil again.
We purchased the car from a small car lot about 6 weeks ago. The oil had been changed, but I suspected they likely used standard 10w30 dinosaur oil, instead of the 5w20 synthetic the car calls for. While the car was at the shop I asked them to also change the oil to the correct oil spec and type.
The P1259 code still comes back on. It seems to do ok as long as the car is cold, but as soon as the engine is up to temp, the light comes on and the shudder returns.
I spoke to the shop who worked on it and they said unfortunately they aren't really sure what else it could be and advised taking it to a Honda Dealer for further diagnosis. I'll be honest, money is an issue here, and I don't really have the cash to take it to a dealer shop.
1. Is there anything else this could be caused by that I can clean or replace?
2. Is there a way to temporarily disable the VTEC Solenoid in order to prevent the shuddering so that my father can continue to drive the car for a while, while it has the seafoam in it so the carbon gets broken down?
3. Beyond setting the car on fire and walking away from it, is there anything else we can do?
Thanks for any suggestions or advice.
Last week the P1259 code came on while he was on his way to work, and the car would shutter around 3000 rpm.
At first we assumed the shuttering was due to transmission problems. First thing I did was do a flush and fill on the tranny. Of course this didn't fix the situation.
We took it to a local auto shop. They replaced the VTEC Solenoid Assembly on the back side of the engine between the engine and the firewall. They also removed the oil pressure sensor on the passenger side of the engine and cleaned it. They reported that the VTEC Solenoid Assembly was very full of carbon, as well as the oil pressure sensor. Due to the amount of carbon in everything, they added half a can of sea foam and suggested running the engine for a while and then changing the oil again.
We purchased the car from a small car lot about 6 weeks ago. The oil had been changed, but I suspected they likely used standard 10w30 dinosaur oil, instead of the 5w20 synthetic the car calls for. While the car was at the shop I asked them to also change the oil to the correct oil spec and type.
The P1259 code still comes back on. It seems to do ok as long as the car is cold, but as soon as the engine is up to temp, the light comes on and the shudder returns.
I spoke to the shop who worked on it and they said unfortunately they aren't really sure what else it could be and advised taking it to a Honda Dealer for further diagnosis. I'll be honest, money is an issue here, and I don't really have the cash to take it to a dealer shop.
1. Is there anything else this could be caused by that I can clean or replace?
2. Is there a way to temporarily disable the VTEC Solenoid in order to prevent the shuddering so that my father can continue to drive the car for a while, while it has the seafoam in it so the carbon gets broken down?
3. Beyond setting the car on fire and walking away from it, is there anything else we can do?
Thanks for any suggestions or advice.