Car Starts Then Shuts Off - Check Engine Code P2101 (Honda Accord FIXED!) 

This is an awesome comment. I'm thankful this video was helpful to address your issue.💯

Hello does your car still work good from what you did? Can you please give us an update?

You are welcomed and thank you for the comment.

I got mine started after sitting for about 10 minutes trying to start it up every 30 seconds

You're welcome!

That's excellent news to hear. I am glad this video helped resolved your issue to get your car back on the road.

a $20 obd scan tool works wonders

No problem, appreciate the comment.

That's great! news I'm glad that this video was able to help you issue Fred.

Yes, you can also use the carb cleaner as a quick way to check vacuum leaks.

Thank you very much Matt for your response and recommendation. This will indeed be vital to others whom are experiencing this issue. Appreciate it brotha!

Helps to have a second person help by stepping on the gas pedal !

Much appreciated.

Good deal brotha.

No problem, appreciate the comment.

Lol, hopefully your issue was a simple problem to resolve.

Wat was the problem

My light went awY finally After replacing the alternator

LOL, much appreciated.

No problem, hopefully that helps. I would also inspect your M.A.F. sensor incase it's got some dust build up.

What’s the M.A.F?

Main air flow ?

Glad I could help💯

Yeah it works great and is not that rough on the surface of the throttle body.

Much appreciated and I am glad this video was helpful.

I know exactly what your referring too, perfect for keeping the junk from falling inside.💯

Good deal, hopefully this video will help you get your car back on the road.

@@AWordFromMrJones it worked thanks fellas. Clear and concise gonna check

@@Xqvance Excellent, glad this video was able to help you.

@@Xqvance did you get a code when it happened?

@@WavyFBaby Like my original post said this happened to me right when I was leaving the gym I was trying to avoid a tow and such. My car was doing exactly what the video described starting then immediately stalling. I have tools I’m a mechanic by trade I took the intake apart and it was gunked up and stuck unjammed it then drove it home. Then I got the carb cleaner but I never checked the code the check engine light went away so I assume it was the same code. Hope this helps

I'm 99% sure that your "starter" is on the way out the door. Many times when the starter is about to fail, it will jump gears/teeth which will produce this scratch/grind sound. Sometimes you have to cycle the key for the starter to eventually to catch the gears. When it comes to choosing who to do the work, it honestly boils down on "who you trust" and your "budget". Personally I would call both places over the phone to identify who has the best price and best timing to get your vehicle fixed. There are some mobile mechanics that will come out to your location too. If your not comfortable with someone coming to your place you can also try meeting the mobile mechanic at a friends or family member resident. BTW: If you want to upload a video on RU-vid of you starting your car, I can confirm that the noise is indeed the starter. Hope this helps.

Starter or the relay. Check starter first

Yeezy baby! 😆😄 but hopefully this video was helpful.

Leave the car keys in pre ignition for 20 minutes

Recommended way is to let the car open the throttle plate. Grab a baseball bat or metal pipe and press the pipe against the gas pedal (car engine off but the ignition is powered on). You can use the driver seat to keep the gas pedal down. This will allow the car to peacefully open the throttle plate to clean. Do note, after you clean the throttle the car might take a few tries to start during the ECU relearn period. Many cases, the car will start fine on the first attempt after cleaning. Hope this helps.

Honestly, it sounds like it's an electric issue which as you know the first thing would be to check the battery and alternator which you mentioned had already checked. I honestly would recheck them because if your noticing this issue when hitting a pothole, it sounds like something is loose or not grounded correctly. Disconnect the battery terminals and visually inspect for damage wires and terminals as cracked terminals can cause this issue too. Do the same for your alternator wire while the battery is disconnected. Then inspect your fuses to ensure they are not blown nor corroded. Next check your front well fenders to identify if any wiring by the wheel wells are not damaged. It's likely you have a bad ground which is grounding else where. Or bad fuse.

Honda Accords also have a Electronic Load Detector (ELD) fuse which run in conjunction with the alternator fuse (should be connected together). So I would inspect the ELD for corrosion, damage or if it's loose.

@@AWordFromMrJones thanks for the advice i would definitely do that. great help 👍

Alternator I would say

have someone step on the gas pedal

Much respect! 💯

Check fuel pressure or even if you’re car has a fuel filter on some models

There are a number of things that can contribute to this. If you have a check engine light on, your best shot would be to get a ODB2 tool to retrieve the code and then provide the code to me for recommendations. But if you do not have a check engine light on, then you will have to go through the process of elimination which is start, air, fuel and compression. But I would believe compression is not an issue since you stated the car will run on the 3rd try. So part of me wants to say, you could have a dirty PCV value, mass air flow sensor and dirty fuel filter. Clean the MAF sensor and you might as well replace your PCV value too (especially if it's filled with a lot of combustion). Then see how the car starts.

The check engine codes you provided are more geared towards a faulty charcoal vapor canister. These accords also have a canister purge solenoid which could also go bad and cause that error code. The solenoid is usually near the throttle body and the canister is near the fuel pump under the car. A bad fuel filter will make your car stall, a bad fuel pump will eventually cause your car to not start. For the time being, you can simply confirm you have a clean air filter and that your mass air flow sensor is working by disconnecting the wire harness and then start the car. If it starts up rough but runs, then the mass air flow sensor may need to be cleaned/replaced. If the car does not start at tall, then there is another underlying issue. Your doing well by having a mechanic take a look.

@@AWordFromMrJones thank you, my car cranks it just stalls on me right after and it won’t move. I’m hoping it’s an easy fix, I don’t really have the funds rn to take car of a bigger issue

@@Igobyalice What happened?? Did you get her fixed??

@@alljerseysmatter. yes, I got a new one! That one got totaled.

@@Igobyalice Good Job 👏🏾. Check out my Jersey collections

As previously mentioned, it's always best to clean a electronic throttle body by having someone press the gas pedal while the vehicle is off. However in our situation, the original throttle body was going to be replaced/trashed so there is no need for safety concerns.

Lol engine diagnostics can be a timely process but eventually once the issue is found, you will be on your way. There are many reasons a Mustang would start up fine and then cut off, from fuel pressure regulator, ideal air control, mas airflow sensor, sticky throttle etc. Many times, you can attempt to clean them to see if they will address the issue. Hopefully you will get your car back on the road.

@@AWordFromMrJones got the problem fixed. Found out I needed a camshaft sensor. I also have to replace some oxygen sensors soon but I’m glad it was nothing major👍🏽

@@brythecreater1547 FACTS! I'm glad to hear that and indeed it's great that you were able to get the issue resolved before winter season. I always try to address car repairs before winter so you only have to worry about gassing up your vehicle and heading to your destination.

Any check engine lights? If so, get you a OBD II tester to pull the engine code. I have a $50 scanner (ANCEL AD410) from Amazon that works great for troubleshooting. In fact, my scanner is what detected this issue with the throttle body. So it's a GREAT & smart investment to purchase an OBD II scanner for saving time for automotive diagnostic issues. If you do not have a check engine light then I would first recommend that you clean the Mass Airflow Sensor, Throttle Body, possibly PCV value and give the car a start to see if it starts.

@@AWordFromMrJones Thanks for the quick answer, I don't have engine lights on. I replaced maf sensor and nothing change idk what could it be

@@ARDILAGARAGESince you said the car died while driving and that you do not have a check engine light, then I would look at fuel as the next potential issue. Have someone put the car ignition to the ON position while you listen to the fuel pump to validate that you hear the pump cycle the fuel. You should also inspect the fuel filter, remove it and dump whatever fuel that's inside the fuel filter in a cup and check to see if the fuel is dirty. If so, it's possible that the fuel filter and maybe fuel pump will need to be replaced. I usually replace both of them if I have issues with my car performance, completed the common vehicle maintenance but find that the car still has issues and that I found a really dirty fuel filter and do not know the age of the fuel pump, so I would replace both items together to ensure clean fuel delivery.

@@ARDILAGARAGE Just noticed you said the pump is working. Can you take a video of your car starting and upload it to RU-vid?

Hmm, bloop bloop before starting... Can you take a video and upload it to RU-vid? What type of car BTW.

@@AWordFromMrJones bloop bloop after it start then shut down. It's a 2005 sonata. My phone ran out of storage to take video if it.

There are other factors that can contribute to headlights issues such as bulb age, defective bulb in general or defective ballast if it's a HID/LED lighting system. How often after your bulbs blowing and do you have anything connected to the headlight such as lighting equipment? If your replacing the bulb 1 to 2 times a year, that might be an "cheap" bulb but I don't say cheap to say that but in the manner that not ALL bulbs are made as they once was. So you might have to try another brand and see if that helps. Also I once had an issue where my Tundra would blow out my turning signal lights 3 times a year which I found it to be the "socket" that was causing the issue. I got a video on this here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kHBy-dR3Q10.html

@@AWordFromMrJones But both high and low headlights, I change the reg. Headlights 2 weeks ago. Now both is gone. Or can it be a fuses? Or electrical? Little back info: I have a 2012 Honda Accord v6. I have the P2101 code - Throttle Actuator Control (TAC) Motot Range/Performance, also ABS 66-13 - Pruessure Sensor Malfunction and Anti-lock Brake system 38-11- ABS Solenoid Valve Malfunction. 2 weeks ago my battery light came on and check engine, my car felt as if it was going to cut off but didn't more of a slow running feeling. My right side mirror started making a clicking sound and was moving down on its own. In the past it happened three times before randomly weeks apart and i had a someone check it and they felt it was a bad alternator. When it happened 2 wks ago, I took it to autozone did a battery test, test alternator and determined I needed a new battery cause it fail. That day was the first time it blow my headlights, now a day ago it did the same thing again but now blow both along with the same things happen. But my turning signal light still work. I took it back to autozone they test it and everything pass, battery, alternator and starter. ABS fail and Emission Ready was a NO 😒 on the fix check finder by innova. The guy at autozone thinks it might be electric now. So I don't know? Any thoughts? Idea? Does the ABS have anything to do with it? One person saying alternator, now someone saying electrical.

Excellent, love when it's a simple issue. I would also make time to clean the throttle body to ensure that the engine is getting proper airflow.

Good deal, the clean throttle body will keep the engine running efficiently.

@@AWordFromMrJones The issue is that the throttle body should not have the carbon deposit to the point it blocked the throttle valve. I've owned many cars over the years and there was never a single problem related to the throttle body. The car doesn't even have 80K miles on it yet. Something is wrong with Honda.

@@2Phast4Rocket Yeah all cars have different issues based on different living factors, climates, driving etc. I've seen some cars have no issues, very little maintenance, to some that had much and some that didn't. Even seen new cars from factories have issues and some don't.

So glad I seen this video, and comment! I’m currently having the same issue with my 2015 Honda accord same code pops up. I’m thinking of taking it to the dealer to get my throttle body cleaned out.

@@aaronchacon5749 dealer will overcharge most likely

Yeah when you drive down dirty roads, you'll engine bay will eventually get dirty too.

A mechanic best tool lol.

After you clean your throttle body, some cars will need to either idle or be driven for a while for the computer to relearn/readjust your idle.

This process certainly addressed this issue resolved. Thanks

Lol either one is good with me. My videos are very much non-professional. I save the business man mentality for the corporate industry". My RU-vid videos are more so chill/relaxed. YA DIG PLAYA!

@@AWordFromMrJones I stand corrected then ma brotha =)

HAHA, the best tool in the tool box lol. 💯💯

I can see that, especially since Florida has "rancher style" homes except here in the DMV ours are built with ground level basements. 👍

Hopefully you were able to resolve your issue.

You actually can and it's done often when I am in the shop as the last resorts before purchasing a replacement. The recommended way is to have a friend open the throttle body by passing on the gas pedal which we did but this throttle body plate was extremely locked up. So you got to do what you got to do to get the issue resolved which is what we did. Appreciate your comment.

Ahh okay cause I’m having this issue too and the vid was saying something about not manually pushing it idk why though

​@@nomnomrocks That's due to the fact that when some people manually open the electronic plate, they overly use force which will break it. So it's best to open the plate by having a friend press on the gas pedal with the ignition turned to position "ON". However, if you find that the plate is still not opening, then you can try to manually opening it before you go with the last route of purchasing a replacement throttle body.

@@nomnomrocks How did you make out, did you resolve your issue?

Yeah turns out my fuel pump is out yay...

Correct, it's not advised to shove a electronic throttle body open. In the event that you are in a desperate need to clean it and cannot afford to have it professional cleaned, you can gently open the TB to clean the surface. This particular TB was frozen shut due to the carbon build up of which my buddy was willing to proceed with the potential risk involved since his car was not able to start. In the event if we were to break the TB, he could easily get a replacement TB. Once the TB was cleaned, we let the engine idle so the computer can relearn and drove off. By following the process of the video, he saved money on towing and replacement TB.

@@AWordFromMrJones did pushing down on the gas pedal after putting the car in accessory mode not open the throttle flap?

@@jmc224 No, this throttle flap was seized and was going to be replaced but going through our manual process brought it back to life. Car still drives perfect this day.

@@AWordFromMrJones awesome. And what about the relearn process? Did you use a obd2 scanner to have it relearned? Or did you kinda just let it run for about thirty minutes or so for it to adjust itself?

@@jmc224 Correct, the car ran for 30 minutes to perform the relearn to adjust itself. Then we turned the car off/back on, then took it for a road trip.