Car engine off going downhill on D
10

Asked by cromero101 Apr 24, 2015 at 10:51 AM about the 1996 Honda Civic EX

Question type: General

My car was overheating while on the
freeway.  I was going downhill so I shut
the engine off. I left the car on D4 and
sis not put it on N. I went downhill with
engine off in traffic for about 30 secs
to 1 minute.  Now the check engine
light is on.  Did I mess up my car?

7 Answers
95

Htwhlsmug93 answered 9 years ago

With it being an automatic I'm not sure if that damaged anything or not. To me the car is still in gear so the engine is still turning over, I normally leave my vehicle in N when going down hill anyway and use my brakes to slow. However I drive a manual, so I'm not sure if it's the same in an automatic.

1 people found this helpful.
Mark helpful

FordNut answered 9 years ago

Never never shut your engine off while at speed. The steering wheel could lock even if you put it back to run without starting, there is a moment that the wheel IS locked. Also, if engine is still turning you are damaging your catalytic convertor.

1 people found this helpful.
Mark helpful

FordNut answered 9 years ago

I'm curious Htwhlsmug93 why you do that. Leaving it in gear consumes less gas downhill than idling in neutral, and puts excessive wear on your brakes. While going downhill gravity is pushing your engine to turn and used NO fuel, and idling uses fuel

Mark helpful
10

cromero101 answered 9 years ago

Thanks everybody for your opinions. And that will be the last time I shut the online off while moving!

1 people found this helpful.
Mark helpful

Your Answer:

Related Questions

  • Car engine off going downhill on D 7 Answers

    My car was overheating while on the freeway. I was going downhill so I shut the engine off. I left the car on D4 and sis not put it on N. I went downhill with engine off in traffic for about 30 s...

    1996 Honda Civic EX

    -

    General

  • whiel driving my car is shut off and same time not to the stsrt car 1 Answer

    while driving my car is shut off and same time not to the start car and engine light come on then i will stay 10 to 15 min then start my car this problem same with ac i didn't understand

    2005 Honda Civic EX

    -

    General

  • Tips on buying a first car? 2 Answers

    first car and I just want tips , I don't know a lot about cars or doing a down payment. I just want to know what Im bringing myself into

    2016 Honda Civic LX

    -

    General

  • Starting an engine which is already on and running 3 Answers

    My Honda city car engine is running. It is so silent and while taking over from previous driver, By mistake I rotate the key and tried to start again. Can you tell me is there any harm if it happe...

    2016 Honda Civic EX with Honda Sensing

    -

    General

  • car 1 Answer

    my car started but then had no power going down the street, the check emission light, the VSA and power steering light came on what could it be

    2013 Honda Civic Touring

    -

    General

Civic

Looking for a Used Civic in your area?

CarGurus has 3,662 nationwide Civic listings starting at $1,440.

Postal Code:

Shortcuts

Search Honda Civic Questions

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    ColdinMA
    Reputation
    2,400
  • #2
    Guru9CNGV
    Reputation
    2,140
  • #2
    GuruDMD1V
    Reputation
    2,140
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Honda Accord
51 Great Deals out of 884 listings starting at $2,995
Used Toyota Corolla
145 Great Deals out of 2,235 listings starting at $2,990
Used Toyota Camry
49 Great Deals out of 902 listings starting at $1,990
Used Honda Civic Coupe
15 Great Deals out of 264 listings starting at $4,490
Used Honda CR-V
146 Great Deals out of 4,874 listings starting at $2,888
Used Hyundai Elantra
152 Great Deals out of 4,112 listings starting at $1,895
Used Ford Mustang
30 Great Deals out of 1,748 listings starting at $6,995
Used Toyota RAV4
130 Great Deals out of 2,683 listings starting at $3,500
Used BMW 3 Series
54 Great Deals out of 1,076 listings starting at $2,990

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.