[MoNeenja31]

So I'm driving from work in my dad's '04 Accord (we swapped cars ever since I got this job as his car is more fuel efficient than my Maxima) and I noticed the power windows weren't working, so I reprogrammed them while I was driving (all you have to is hold up on the switch until the window is closed and keep holding for 2 - 3 seconds and it restores the auto window functionality) and it worked again. Did it numerous times for the Pilot we recently bought as the battery is draining.

Anyways not long after I did that, my car lost power and all the dash lights came on for 1 second and it regained power again. Spooked the hell outta me as I've never dealt with this before. And I was cruising on the highway. I don't notice anything weird so I continue driving.

I exit the highway and get into town and it does the same thing again, except this time the engine came on. I debated on pulling over but the car was still running smooth and I didn't notice any lack of power. It would do this 3 - 4 more times before I finally got home.

When I got home, I turned off the car and restarted. No check engine light, no resistance when starting, no weird noises or anything. Popped the hood and I checked to see if my battery connections were tight and they were.

This car has been problem free since we bought it 6 or 7 years ago, so I'm wondering what would cause it to lose power and have the dash lights pop up for 0.5 - 1 second? Has this ever happened to anyone else before?

 

[emeron]

First thing I would do is to check wiring. Battery terminals, grounds.

 

[MoNeenja31]

First thing I would do is to check wiring. Battery terminals, grounds.

Checked the terminals and I did not notice anything unusual. No battery corrosion either

I actually drove around time for around 10 minutes and the issue didn't occur, but I noticed I had to reprogram the auto window function again, but this time I did it while I was parked.

 

[visionguru]

My guess: wiring issue. Check for possible exposed wires related to window motor.

 

[MoNeenja31]

My guess: wiring issue. Check for possible exposed wires related to window motor.

Assuming this would require me to take the door inserts off and inspect the wiring. Honestly wouldn't surprise me if the electronics were crapping the bed, already had radio issues (stopped working out of the blue, works sometimes but then stops working again), the transmission selection (PRND2L) doesn't light up unless you tap on it, and cruise control doesn't work lol. Nothing that impairs the cars ability to run and drive, just annoyances. I guess it should be expected with a car that hit 180,000 today though lol

 

[big_eddy]

Radio problem is probably unrelated and a known issue,
Cruise Control is probably unrelated and a known issue.
Haven't seen or heard of a common trans selector indicator issue. Sounds like a touchy switch or loose connector.

Dash lights might be the key switch going bad. They are known to go. Noticed any times where you go to start the car and nothing happens or just a funny noise - unless you turn the key "harder" - then it works normally?

 

[MoNeenja31]

Radio problem is probably unrelated and a known issue,
Cruise Control is probably unrelated and a known issue.
Haven't seen or heard of a common trans selector indicator issue. Sounds like a touchy switch.

Dash lights might be the key switch going bad. They are known to go. Noticed any times where you go to start the car and nothing happens or just a funny noise - unless you turn the key "harder" - then it works normally?

Actually never noticed anything like this, ever since I made this post the car has been running normally so I'm pretty baffled as to why it did what it did that day

 

[nwfsnake]

Ignition switch? Wiggle your key with engine running while stopped.

 

[jimijam]

Houston flood car?
Oh wait, since you are in Death Valley, flooding and high humidity that caused corrosion isn't really possible.
I am going with bad fuse in the flux capacitor. I believe @RickBlaine has a DIY on replacing it.

 

[greg1c]

If the battery and the connections are clean and tight ( you need to check those connections carefully), then be sure to check the ground as well. The interior fuse box is feed by the fuse box under the hood. Be sure those fuses are good and there is no corrosion. If all that checks out good you probably have a bad ignition switch. This all assumes that no rodent has chewed on the wiring.

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[Das Chicken]

I had power cut out on my accord twice in a drive. Everything shut off momentarily. I limped it home and opened the hood to find that my battery cable was just touching the battery post. The post had worn away and the cable never really got tight. I installed battery post shims and was able to get the cable right again.

I would love to say check out the dashcam footage of it, but the dashcam shut off immediately when the power cut.

 

[MoNeenja31]

So I haven't had the issue occur again up until today, same symptoms. Scanned for a code, P0685.

Searches around here indicate a loose ground wire or a faulty ECU. Not sure how much an ECU is but the car has 181k so I'm not really willing to spend a lot money on a new ECU if it's more than 300 bucks

 

[mtts60]

A loose ground wire is far more likely than a bad computer. You say the battery ground is tight - but that means nothing if there's crud between the post & clamp. Remove the wire from the post and clean said post and clamp with a $3 battery post cleaning tool. Do the same to the other end of the wire, the one that screws in to the body.

Do this to the red wire too. Disconnecting either wire means you'll need the security code to re-activate the radio.

 

[KW2004Accord]

Slit the cover on the ground wire & look for corrosion in the middle part of the wire, wrap back up with elect. tape.

 

[Ronch]

Check the ground connection(s) at the other end too, not just at the battery...

 

[frogvtec]

I had something like this happen before once or twice and it was freakishly scary. But it seems to have happened in the rain. I wonder if it was the puddle or rain, but yeah. The car would just stall for a sec or so before resuming itself. I could never peg it to anything.

 

[MoNeenja31]

Check the ground connection(s) at the other end too, not just at the battery...

First thing I would do is to check wiring. Battery terminals, grounds.

A loose ground wire is far more likely than a bad computer. You say the battery ground is tight - but that means nothing if there's crud between the post & clamp. Remove the wire from the post and clean said post and clamp with a $3 battery post cleaning tool. Do the same to the other end of the wire, the one that screws in to the body.

Do this to the red wire too. Disconnecting either wire means you'll need the security code to re-activate the radio.

Slit the cover on the ground wire & look for corrosion in the middle part of the wire, wrap back up with elect. tape.

Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely look into this. Just for ships and giggles, I did go to Honda and see how much they'd quote me for a new ECU.

$1400. They want $1400. This doesn't include their 2 hour electronics diagnostics which is ~250 and labor is $135/hr.

So yeah, easy decision to just check the ground wires.

 

[MoNeenja31]

Tightened up the loose ground connection to the battery, check engine light went away after driving for a bit, but the P0685 code still persists when scanning. Next step is to change the ECM relay which I believe is around $40 at Autozone, but I can't seem to find the correct part number for the ECM relay

If anyone knows the part number, feel free to tell me

 

[greg1c]

The video is a bit strange but shows you what relay (s) he changed for your error.

The Honda part # is 39794-SDA-902

Here is another one

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[tubb_rocks]

So I'm driving from work in my dad's '04 Accord (we swapped cars ever since I got this job as his car is more fuel efficient than my Maxima) and I noticed the power windows weren't working, so I reprogrammed them while I was driving (all you have to is hold up on the switch until the window is closed and keep holding for 2 - 3 seconds and it restores the auto window functionality) and it worked again. Did it numerous times for the Pilot we recently bought as the battery is draining. Anyways not long after I did that, my car lost power and all the dash lights came on for 1 second and it regained power again. Spooked the hell outta me as I've never dealt with this before. And I was cruising on the highway. I don't notice anything weird so I continue driving. I exit the highway and get into town and it does the same thing again, except this time the engine came on. I debated on pulling over but the car was still running smooth and I didn't notice any lack of power. It would do this 3 - 4 more times before I finally got home. When I got home, I turned off the car and restarted. No check engine light, no resistance when starting, no weird noises or anything. Popped the hood and I checked to see if my battery connections were tight and they were. This car has been problem free since we bought it 6 or 7 years ago, so I'm wondering what would cause it to lose power and have the dash lights pop up for 0.5 - 1 second? Has this ever happened to anyone else before?

Bad battery connection. That's why ya had to reprogram the window