If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
1988 honda accord LX starting problem and loss of power
Hi everyone. This is my first time on a user group, so please bear
with me. I love my 1988 accord LX, but have two problems with it lately. The symptoms a 1. on a cold day (say <40 deg F), it will start great, run for about 15 seconds, then die. It will then almost start, doing the same thing, and get progressively worse each time I try, until it just does not fire at all. If I keep trying, after 5 or 10 minutes, I can sually get it to start. It does not _always_ give me this starting trouble on cold mornings, only sometimes (hence my trouble diagnosing the problem). I have already tried lots of dry gas, and new plugs. I also found, on an internet site, the suggestion to replace the distributor ignitor, which I did. I thought for a while that the new ignitor had fixed it, but now the problem is back. 2. In what I perceive to be a separate problem (but it might not be), the car will run great, but after an hour or more of running at say >40 mi/hr, the car will suddenly start to buck and lose power. It usually seems like it is about to die totally, but keeps sputtering along. I usually just keep things calm, and try to keep the revs up, and the problem goes away, in something like 3 to 10 minutes. I had a similar problem a few years ago (especially on cold, rainy conditions), and I found on an internet site the suggestion to check the vacuum diverter that sends warm air up to the carb from the exhaust manifold. I checked that, and it was not the diaphram, but the vacuum line leading into it that was bad. That fixed it. Now, a few years later, the symptoms are similar (but moist weather does not seem to be related). I replaced the two fuel filters a few years ago, plugs and air fileter recently, ignition wires a few years ago (gen honda). The car is in great shape. Burns no oil, 213 k miles, 30-35 mpg. I love it. But if I can't fix it soon, my wife will force me to give it up. Please help! Thanks. Does anyone know: Are these problems related? Any ideas on what each might be? |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
1988 honda accord LX starting problem and loss of power
> wrote
> 2. In what I perceive to be a separate problem (but it might not be), > the car will run great, but after an hour or more of running at say >40 > mi/hr, the car will suddenly start to buck and lose power. It usually > seems like it is about to die totally, but keeps sputtering along. I > usually just keep things calm, and try to keep the revs up, and the > problem goes away, in something like 3 to 10 minutes. Until some of the pros see your message, some things to consider: How old is the ignition coil? How old is the battery? I wouldn't expect genuine Honda ignition wires to go bad within a few years, but still: Have you checked their resistance lately? Should be under 15k ohms each. Looked at them with the car running in the dark? Carburetor ever been cleaned? See also http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/faq.html#startrun for more ideas about your Honda's starting/running problem. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
1988 honda accord LX starting problem and loss of power
Elle wrote: > Carburetor ever been cleaned? Good point - Forgot that an 88 is a carbed car and may not have the components I described. OP, Follow Elle's advice. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
1988 honda accord LX starting problem and loss of power
Thanks for the tips. I'll wait until it won't start in the morning and
then get my wife to come out and crank it for me while I check things out. I looked at the www.tegger.com web page. It looks very good and is a great reminder for me. Thanks for the site. I knew all of that, but have forgotten it. Why? Because I have a 2-year old, so it's hard to get my wife away from taking care of him to come out and crank the engine for me. On my last car that I worked on a lot (a 1971 Sabb 99), I could hot-wire the starter so I could crank it myself while under the hood; with this car, I have not worked on it enough to have figured out how to do that. By the way, how does the pcv valve come out of this car? It looks to me like it is in a u-shaped hose just in front of and below the bracket that holds the air cleaner to the valve cover. It looks like if I take the whole air cleaner housing off I'll have good access to it--but I can't really see how it is attached. It looks like it sticks into the block or intake manifold or something, with a hose attached to the other end. I have not changed that in at least five years, and I am sure that I should put a new one in. Again, thanks a lot for helping me out. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
1988 honda accord LX starting problem and loss of power
> wrote > By the way, how does the pcv valve come out of this car? It looks to > me like it is in a u-shaped hose just in front of and below the bracket > that holds the air cleaner to the valve cover. It's best to have the new one in your hand while you're looking for the old one. I don't think it's the U-shaped hose at which you're looking. See the drawing of part #18 at http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...mws/prddisplay. jsp?inputstate=5&catcgry1=Accord&catcgry2=1988&cat cgry3=4DR+ LX&catcgry4=KA5MT&catcgry5=BREATHER+PIPE-OIL+FILTER Also, www.autozone.com has a free repair guide for the 1988 Accord. Follow the pointers at the site. There should be a description of the PCV system there, possibly with photos or drawings. Way to chase down those possible vacuum leaks. I don't see a grommet attaching to the PCV valve in the drawing, but if you find one, replace it, too. They can leak with age, as you may know. > It looks like if I take > the whole air cleaner housing off I'll have good access to it-- Not sure if there's any interference to remove to get to the valve. > but I > can't really see how it is attached. It looks like it sticks into the > block or intake manifold or something, with a hose attached to the > other end. On most (many?) cars, the PCV valve vents gases from the crankcase (via a breather chamber, which tends to be located about mid-engine height; lower than the PCV valve; higher than the oil pan) to the intake manifold. It does on my 91 Civic and I think most of the other Hondas I've looked at in drawings. So look for pipes connected thusly. > I have not changed that in at least five years, and I am > sure that I should put a new one in. Again, thanks a lot for helping > me out. > |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
1988 honda accord LX starting problem and loss of power
|
#8
|
|||
|
|||
1988 honda accord LX starting problem and loss of power
Again, thanks for the tips! And thanks for directing me to the
majestichonda site. Someone else (actually another honda dealer) turned me on to it already, but had I not known about it, your direction there would have done it. >t's best to have the new one in your hand while you're >looking for the old one. > Another generally good tip! I have had the new pcv in my garage for several years now, so I know what this one looks like. >I don't think it's the U-shaped hose at which you're >looking. See the drawing of part #18 at >In the figure there, I see the pcv, and I I mis-spoke. I meant that it looked to me like the pcv might be located _under_ , i.e., one end sticking into, the u-shaped hose. According to the exploded view on the very useful majestic site, it does look like the pcv sticks into a u-shaped hose (#8), so I will feel better about proceding! My official honda shop manual showed a generic view of the pcv and its hoses--which does not look like mine, and it threw me off. Thanks for the tip about the autozone site. I did not know that one, and it is great! I checked it out, and it is very helpful. In fact, their photos (fig 2 and fig 3) at http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBr...3d800cede1.jsp show exactly the location and configuration of my pcv. Great! Fig. 3 shows the u-shaped hose--after the air cleaner bracket has been removed! (one can't see it too well with the bracket on.). In my car then, I will have to take off the air cleaner housing (or at least the bracket that goes from the air cleaner to the valve cover), the latter of which is simple. Thanks for the tip about the grommet. I did not think of that, but it makes a lot of sense to me. I think the suggestions here have been very good. Thank you all. |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
1988 honda accord LX starting problem and loss of power
Dear SoCalMike--
Thanks a lot for your tip. It's easy to forget the obvious things, so it's nice to be gently reminded! Upon your prompting, I checked my parts receipts, and I see that I replaced them when I replaced the TEC vacuum diaphram about 1 1/2 years ago. Of course, they could still be bad. I probably have spare old ones around, so I could put them on and check things out (if only this problem would stop being so intermittent!). My main problem in all of this is patience. I lack it. I don't feel like working on the car now, but I need it working. I used to work on my car(s) a lot, but haven't so much in the past 10 years (ever since I started buying recent model Japanese cars which don't seem to require as much repair work!) The encouragement from all of you is very helpful. Thanks. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
1988 honda accord LX starting problem and loss of power
Dear Remco--
Your tips about the fuel pump are very interesting. My wife seemed to think the loss of power and bucking problem at highway speeds was correlated with the tank being less than half full. (Unfortunately, I probably told her that although she might have a point, I could not think of why the gas level would matter!) Even though my car has a carb, would all of your thoughts about the fuel pump still apply? The carb need gas too! Thanks for taking the time to give me your help. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
rec.autos.makers.chrysler FAQ, Part 1/6 | Dr. David Zatz | Chrysler | 3 | December 4th 05 05:29 AM |
rec.autos.makers.chrysler FAQ, Part 1/6 | Dr. David Zatz | Chrysler | 5 | June 24th 05 05:27 AM |
rec.autos.makers.chrysler FAQ, Part 4/6 | Dr. David Zatz | Chrysler | 0 | April 22nd 05 05:32 AM |
rec.autos.makers.chrysler FAQ, Part 1/6 | Dr. David Zatz | Chrysler | 3 | February 18th 05 05:34 AM |
rec.autos.makers.chrysler FAQ, Part 1/6 | Dr. David Zatz | Chrysler | 10 | December 2nd 04 05:19 AM |