Hi- Back again.
I had posted a few weeks back about headlight/dome light flickering and a engine stutter issue.

Flickering issue resolved-had my alternator rebuilt-the voltage regulator was fried.Honda wanted $861.00 for a new alternator-part only- not installed.
I got the work done through a friend at a small shop- rebuilt -all new quality internals-$200

Thought the stumbling/stutter at idle was resolved and noticed the AC switch was off. As soon as I pressed it-the electric fan on the rad engaged and the idle faltered- shut it off and smooth as silk- Touch the AC button and immediately the engine feels like it is missing.

So- Is this electrical? Or is my pump clutch dragging/seizing when it engages?
How can I be sure what the issue is?

 

You have a coil pack, spark plug, or valve lash clearance adjustment problem. Or, a combination thereof. Turning the AC on only masks the problem. I had similar problems. Search for hesitation, stutter, missing and you'll find hordes of information about it. Personally, if your plugs aren't fried, are gray looking and not broken, then I think it's coil packs. Replace em all.

 

CTCT is giving you the best advice for this problem.

 

Thanks.
Changed the plugs back in late July and the issue improved for a few weeks.
But is getting more pronounced now.

So I will change the coil packs.Is there a recommended aftermarket brand?
Honda here wants $119 each and I am hoping to do better than that.

I have resisted changing the coil packs simply because a friend told me that a bad coil would show itself by engaging my Check- Engine Light. It has not. Is he wrong?

I am still baffled by being able to reproduce the stutter /miss at will by turning on the AC.Is it because of the additional electrical load when both electric rad fans cycle when the AC is actuated?

 

https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,c...,parttype,7060

I bought the Hitachi ones but I have had good experiences with the Denso brand in the past.

 

The check engine light is an idiot light when it comes to coil packs. At least for me, the idiot light came on after the car started noticeably missing, ie, the coil pack was completely dead. At that point I didn't need to light to tell me there was something wrong, hence the "idiot" light. A scan revealed the offending cylinder number and I replaced the coil pack at that location but it soon failed and I had additional problems, even after 2 coil pack replacements, to the point of frustration where I just dropped in a new (used) engine. It was cheap, $250, and has been running perfect for 20k miles now. The point is, I never knew if the aftermarket coil packs were the problem or if I just needed to replace more of them. So to be on the safe side, I'd recommend being systematic in your approach. If plugs are good, make sure your valve clearance isn't totally out of wack, and replace all coil packs with stock. $119 ea is pricey so you can always start out by purchasing one pack and replacing cyls 1 through 4 until your problem is solved. The downside is if you have 2 bad coil packs you'll never solve the problem that way. Good luck.