Figure this one out! Its a tough one.

[89AccordNate]

This problem has me baffeled. This morning when I was driving to school, the 3g, once again, decides to die. This has been an ongoing problem that I cannot figure out. Whenever it is cold/damp/snowing whatever out, the car runs rich sometimes. I cleaned the carb out yesterday with a good half of can of carb cleaner, the thing is spotless. When the weather isnt cold or damp the car runs like a dream. This morning when the car died it WOULD NOT restart. I knew that it was flooded, but even after flooring it, it would only rev to about 1k rpms. After it sat for 5 minutes, and I tried to restart, everything was fine. The car ran like it was brand new. I dont know what the deal is. I have heard carb problems, which I cant bring myself to suspect since its only in the cold, and I have heard distributer problems because the distributer could get wet when it sits over night. Has anyone here had a similar problem?

It will ONLY do this in the morning after it has sat for many hours overnight.

Its a tough one!

Nate.

[Mantis88LX]

are you letting it fully warm up till the temp gauge is half way up before you drive?

[AZmike]

Have you tried removing your distributor cap and spraying some WD-40 in there to get any condensation out?

[89AccordNate]

No I didnt let it fully warm up. That takes to long.

No I havent removed the distributer cap either..just wanted to get a rough estimate of what it 'could' be before I tried anything.

Nate.

[88 Accord DX]

try those things. then trace all vacuum lines. then take off your head and look at the pistons. mine would die when it wasnt warmed up and an intake gasket was cracked. its prolly not your problem but worth a look.

[89AccordNate]

Take off my head and look at the pistons? Yeah right. The car runs like its brand new 90% of the time...and to take off the head?

Bad advice.

Nate.

[A20A1]

88 Accord DX... if you really wanted to check for a manifold leak, just spray carb cleaner around the gasket area for each cylinder, listening for a change in the idle speed. Removing the head and or intake manifold is too big a hastle.

Nate, Check the condition of the plugs... you don't need to change them (unless they are damaged ) but it can give you an idea of what kind of Air/Fuel mixture you're running.

[Mantis88LX]

i know when i dont let mine fully warm up it will try to stall and run really bad.

[njpeter]

cheap at $10..there is a test for it in the silver book..or that online manual..I don't botehr with that most of the time on the cheap stuff...I've now got a known working fuel pump, distributor and coil in my trunk( a 100 mile tow is a real chunk of change)..I've got a wierd missing problem..but I think it's the plugs now..misses under moderate load in second gear...sounds like the pump ..but the last time that happened I spent a week in agony, swapped the carb and distributor, melted the cataltic convertyer(with carb clearner and unbruned fule)..all for a freekin ignition coil. thing is I just changed the plugs before inspection..and that got rid of this miss before then..I can't believe I've fouled up the plugs..but I do have a leaky vlave seal that spews big smoke now and then...so maybe..or is it the carb..but I've doused that in cleaner..or perhaps the anti-afterburner valve is sticky.

who knows the story of the real "money pit"..the one where a private company bought an island they believed contained "buried treasure' to dig out an entire hilside

now if this keeps up..I may just accelerate the schedlue on my 86 lxi.

comments?

[rocky2]

89accordnate,

How does it die when it dies? If it dies out all at once,this could be an spark related problem. If it sputters and coughs this is a fuel related problem.

[MrBen]

Choke?

[shepherd79]

Nate. why don't you just get rid of your vacuum crap. i am sure you have vacuum leak somewhere.

[89AccordNate]

It ran rich again this morning. I drove it maybe 2 miles, the car was starting to get warm. I stopped in mcdonalds parking lot, and sat there for a little while....tried to turn it over once after about 2 minutes, it wouldnt start. Sat there another 5, cranked it up, it shot out the excess fuel in the carb and it has run perfect ever since. If when I drive the car I dont have my foot constantly on the gas, it will eventually die. It runs so rich that it cant hold an idle very well. It runs incredibly rough, and the throttle response is of course, poor when its like this.

When it dies...it will deisel big time.

I am thinking choke too, but why would it only do it in the morning before it is warmed up? I Have cleaned the carb many times with carb cleaner..Im debating on going weber, but I want to make sure it is the carb before I take that step.

Could it be that the distributer is getting moisture in it over night? I am going to cover up the distributer tonight with a blanket, I will see if thats it...what a bitch.

Help me! This sucks!

Nate.

[87accordlxph]

Originally posted by 89AccordNate
It ran rich again this morning. I drove it maybe 2 miles, the car was starting to get warm. I stopped in mcdonalds parking lot, and sat there for a little while....tried to turn it over once after about 2 minutes, it wouldnt start. Sat there another 5, cranked it up, it shot out the excess fuel in the carb and it has run perfect ever since. If when I drive the car I dont have my foot constantly on the gas, it will eventually die. It runs so rich that it cant hold an idle very well. It runs incredibly rough, and the throttle response is of course, poor when its like this.

When it dies...it will deisel big time.

I am thinking choke too, but why would it only do it in the morning before it is warmed up? I Have cleaned the carb many times with carb cleaner..Im debating on going weber, but I want to make sure it is the carb before I take that step.

Could it be that the distributer is getting moisture in it over night? I am going to cover up the distributer tonight with a blanket, I will see if thats it...what a bitch.

Help me! This sucks!

Nate.

Nate,

I had this problem before, you probably have bad gas in yer tank.
Go and fill up at a reputable gas station.

Hopefully this will help.

If not, sounds to me like your carb is going.

-Mike

[89AccordNate]

Yeah its not bad gas, this has been an ongoing fight with my car on and off for a while now. It has just done it a lot more lately.

Nate.

[1989 DX R]

Screams carb problems. My car has a bad fast idle valve, so when I start in the morning, it wont "wake up" for at least 5 mins of revving at 2k rpm. I'm still debating a Weber, possibly if I can get the linkages and carb really cheap.

[shepherd79]

nate, after your last post i would have to agree with guys it is your carb. it may be needed to be rebuild. so go ahead and get weber.

[A20A1]

If you have dieseling it may be the fuel cut off solenoid... It may also explain why you'd have excess gas in the intake manifold... the Idle fuel passage exits below the primary throttle plate... you could lean the mixture out if you turned the idle mixture screw in about 1/4 to 1/2 a turn... but I don't suggest doing that untill we've tried other things.

I normally wrap electrical tape around the cap seal to help prevent moisture.

All things aside i think it's just the cold... if you don't let the car warm up fully before driving the gas is going to deatomize quicker, and you'll get fuel puddles in the intake manifold.
When the car is hot fuel is constantly heated from the manifold temperature as is travels to the cylinders. The only thing that would off set the hot manifold and start to deatomize the gas again would be the cold air. Fuel is also heated from the carb but the coolant temperature has to be warm first, you can look at the guage inside the car since the sensor for the guage will tell you how hot the coolant is inside the intake manifold. I normally wait till the guage starts rising before driving off.

[ELM'sLX+CHL'sDX]

HI Guys:

What does Dieseling mean?

Is that when the car's exhaust starts smelling so foul you start thinking the Dumpster is heaven?

Claude

[A20A1]

Nope thats a rich mixture...

Dieseling is when the car continues to run after you turn the key off. It's because there is a hot spot which ignites the fuel without the use of the spark plug.
Engine idle speed plays a factor too.
The fuel cut solenoid is supposed to shut the idle fuel passage when the car is off to keep from dieseling but a rich mixture will leave enough fuel in the manifold that the car could still run.

[oldsub86]

If you have not put on new spark plug wires in a long time that is a likely source of your problem. The insulation breaks down over time and then moisture can seep in and that reduces the spark a whole lot.