Key/Ignition issue?

[bobbymalone]

98 Honda Accord EX

I've recently been having a weird issue come up with the old girl.

It will die on me, and when it does the green "key" light on the instrument panel will flash. That normal just comes on for a second or two right after I start the car, indicating that it's detecting the chipped key. When this happens, I flip the key to off then restart it. It will crank, but not always start, if it doesn't start that green key light will keep flashing. Usually I have to try start it a couplefew times then it will run like normal. This happens maybe once a week or once every two weeks.

I can usually tell when it's going to happen, because it will lose power for like a quarter second then fire back up a few times over the course of a few minutes before it totally dies and I have to restart. Fortunately, it's a stick so I can push the clutch in and restart it pretty easy even if it's moving. Not cool to lose power steering and brakes though.

I feel like it's somehow thinking that it's not running with a properly chipped key and the immobilizer lock is engaged, killing the engine. But it seems weird that it would constantly be looking for a proper key, rather than just making sure it's a proper key when I start it.

Think I'm on the right track? Can the key go "bad"? It's not obviously damaged, unfortunately I'm down to one key for the thing after 16 years. Or maybe it's on the other side? What detects the key chip and where might I find it? Could it be as simple as a loose connection in there?

Thanks for any help.

[BartmanMN]

How do you battery terminal connections look? Are they all coroded? If so, disconnect them and clean them with fine sand paper or a scotch brite pad. Be sure you have your stereo code if you disconnect the neg. terminal.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Hondas are no strangers to bad ignition switches as well.

When you feel it about to stall try wiggling the key. If it prevents the stall from happening or causes it to immediately stall than I think you would be on the right track with a bad ignition switch.