engine light on

hi to all

I own a 56 reg 2.2i cdti accord with 160,000 on the clock. The car is smooth and drive's well. But recently my car has gone into limp mode or safe mode which ever it is, and it does not go over 2k revs in any gear. I was on the motorway going home and all of a sudden the engine light came on. There was no unusual noise coming from the engine. I've looked under the bonnet and everything seem's fine I have no idea what's wrong with it.

The other problem it has is sometime it wont start. I've noticed if I'm in the car using the radio or anything with engine off it wont start. Even if I'm cleaning the car with all door's open it still some how stop's the car from starting. When I do go to start the car it does try and then It make's a clicking sound. So I then have to get my jump leads and get a boost from another car.

Can anyone shed some light on this? Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Abdul, you need to get the stored diagnostic trouble code(s) (DTCs) read from the ECU using an OBD2 reader... these are available quite cheaply from eBay/Amazon. The ELM327 is a good option if you have an Android phone/tablet or maybe get a D900 like mine. Once you have read the code, it can be interpreted to indicate what the current problem is caused by.

The non-starting issue sounds like a weak battery... the clicking sound is the starter motor engaging, failing to hold itself in due to a lack of power, so dropping out, re-engaging again, then repeating these actions in rapid succession.

HI Jon, I had the battery checked by a local mechanic who said the battery is very good and isn't the problem and was unsure to what it could be. Im going to go to him again and get him to run a diagnostic check and find out what codes are coming up.

When was the car last serviced and specifically when was the diesel filter changed? Was it changed with a genuine Honda part or aftermarket? This bit is critical.

Hi Fahad, the car was last serviced at 145,000 it's on 159,500 now. I'm not sure exactly when the filter was last changed as I haven't had the car that long. I went to my local garage and they done a diagnostic check and it came up with secondary fuel pump problem, he recommended that I have the fuel filter replaced. Does this solution sound right?
The battery he also checked because while he was doing the diagnostic check it some how drained the battery. He said the battery has a knackered solenoid and advised me to replace the battery which I will be doing. I will be getting the car serviced from them which include's the fuel filter being replaced with a OEM part. Is this OEM part going to cause a problem?

Thnaks

Forgot to mention the car seem's to run ok and not restricted to 2k revs.

It is confusing that the first mechanic says the battery is very good, but your local garage says you should replace it. By the way, the battery doesn't have a solenoid, so I'd avoid using a mechanic who tells you it does!

OEM part = Original Equipment Manufacturer's part, meaning it's supplied by the maker who supplies those parts to Honda. So it'll be the correct part as defined when the car was built, rather than something made by another supplier. With the fuel filter this is important, as non-standard parts often cause significant problems.

In post #1 you mention the car being restricted to 2k revs, but in post #6 you say it isn't. Are you saying the car has recovered?

I would agree with his engine diagnostic and as already suggested replace the diesel filter (also known as fuel filter).

Rather than try and interpret what he means by OEM, buy the genuine Honda filter yourself from the main dealer and supply him the part for total peace of mind.

I'm sure that will solve it.

Yep car has recovered by it's self overnight which I was surprised with and now I can drive it higher revs but don't just incase I make it worse or something else goes wrong while the engine light is still on. Hopefully this problem goes away once fuel filter is changed and a service done. I'm also thinking of getting a honda extended warranty for my car. Will honda offer it for car with so much milleage?