87AccordLXiHB
07-31-2003, 10:26 PM
Hey everyone, I just discovered this website about 2 weeks ago and it has taken up most of my time since. It looks like there are a lot of knowledgeable, friendly people and a very low lameness level in most of the threads so I might ask you guys a few questions...
I've got an 87 Accord lxi hatch, and it has performed amazingly well in the past but it seems to be going to crap these days. When I push the rpms a bit in first gear(like around 5000) it gets really mad at me and decides to get really hot and turn the fans on... I can feel the heat coming through the firewall and around my legs... and it's more than ever now. Sometimes I don't even drive that fast and it just gets hot very quickly. The other day, after pushing the rpms a bit in 1st, the car started to smell like burning food... kind of like the nasty smell of a burnt out motor in an old fridge. I checked the motor and everything and didn't notice anything visually wrong right away, but the aux fans were blowing and intense rushes of heat were coming at me... had to step back to avoid getting my face burnt off nearly :burn:! I checked the coolant and it didn't seem to be leaking or anything, but was a little on the browner side...
Also, I've been having another problem lately... having to do with the power steering. For say, a night of cruising around (for me typically around 3-4 hours), I have to put a whole thing of power steering fluid in. When I take quick corners at slightly high rpms, maybe around 3000, or I nail the accelleration right after a corner, I have gotten a burning wax smell... it's on and off weirdly enough.
And finally, in the front of the car, on the bottom of the bumper right under the vents... theres a spot right in the very middle where it seems there is tons of oil caked right on... doesn't seem quite right to me.
But with all these problems, the oil checker guys at jiffy lube were still blown away by how well of condition the a20a3 motor was in (only 150k just now)... it had no apparent leaks, nothing. The only thing the guy told me was that I needed a new cylinder head, maybe new spark plugs, and definitely new ignition wires (I still have the original stock ones). I'm wondering if any of those could be the problem... or if maybe it is something else. I know jiffy lube guys probably aren't the most reliable sources of info... so that's why Im asking you guys about it. Sure, I could take it to a reputable mechanic... and I have in the past... they fixed the little minor problems. lol, I was so happy and all that it was fixed, til I got to the light and noticed the car was revving to 4000 rpms while idling :wtf: something had to be done about that... and finally a very bright kid at this "reputable" mechanic place, not the "reputable" mechanic himself :rolleyes:, bent the throttle linkage and the problem was actually fixed! It seems that all these mechanics know chevy's over here in Kansas, but not hondas... but will act like they know a honda so they can totally rip you off :sadwave:
I don't have a lot of money to spare, or knowledge of hondas yet, and I would be ETERNALLY grateful :bow: if you guys could maybe point me in the right direction with this stuff. I'd like to be able to maybe fix these things myself... because I simply cannot afford the ridiculous labor charges:barf: I've been reading the do-it-yourself section as well, and have been considering building that AEM CAI possibly... think that could help my problems a bit? Thanks a lot!!!
I've got an 87 Accord lxi hatch, and it has performed amazingly well in the past but it seems to be going to crap these days. When I push the rpms a bit in first gear(like around 5000) it gets really mad at me and decides to get really hot and turn the fans on... I can feel the heat coming through the firewall and around my legs... and it's more than ever now. Sometimes I don't even drive that fast and it just gets hot very quickly. The other day, after pushing the rpms a bit in 1st, the car started to smell like burning food... kind of like the nasty smell of a burnt out motor in an old fridge. I checked the motor and everything and didn't notice anything visually wrong right away, but the aux fans were blowing and intense rushes of heat were coming at me... had to step back to avoid getting my face burnt off nearly :burn:! I checked the coolant and it didn't seem to be leaking or anything, but was a little on the browner side...
Also, I've been having another problem lately... having to do with the power steering. For say, a night of cruising around (for me typically around 3-4 hours), I have to put a whole thing of power steering fluid in. When I take quick corners at slightly high rpms, maybe around 3000, or I nail the accelleration right after a corner, I have gotten a burning wax smell... it's on and off weirdly enough.
And finally, in the front of the car, on the bottom of the bumper right under the vents... theres a spot right in the very middle where it seems there is tons of oil caked right on... doesn't seem quite right to me.
But with all these problems, the oil checker guys at jiffy lube were still blown away by how well of condition the a20a3 motor was in (only 150k just now)... it had no apparent leaks, nothing. The only thing the guy told me was that I needed a new cylinder head, maybe new spark plugs, and definitely new ignition wires (I still have the original stock ones). I'm wondering if any of those could be the problem... or if maybe it is something else. I know jiffy lube guys probably aren't the most reliable sources of info... so that's why Im asking you guys about it. Sure, I could take it to a reputable mechanic... and I have in the past... they fixed the little minor problems. lol, I was so happy and all that it was fixed, til I got to the light and noticed the car was revving to 4000 rpms while idling :wtf: something had to be done about that... and finally a very bright kid at this "reputable" mechanic place, not the "reputable" mechanic himself :rolleyes:, bent the throttle linkage and the problem was actually fixed! It seems that all these mechanics know chevy's over here in Kansas, but not hondas... but will act like they know a honda so they can totally rip you off :sadwave:
I don't have a lot of money to spare, or knowledge of hondas yet, and I would be ETERNALLY grateful :bow: if you guys could maybe point me in the right direction with this stuff. I'd like to be able to maybe fix these things myself... because I simply cannot afford the ridiculous labor charges:barf: I've been reading the do-it-yourself section as well, and have been considering building that AEM CAI possibly... think that could help my problems a bit? Thanks a lot!!!