Help!!! 86 accord lx has low idle

[kidato]

my honda was running a little rough so i got some carb cleaner, removed the air cleaner and cleaned the carb. now the car idles low (between 1000-1500) in park and about sometimes drops below 1000 when cold. driving is fine until until it warms up and i turn a hard corner or stop at a stop light, then it sputters and dies.

any idea on what the problem could be? and any ideas on how to fix it? i've already replaced the pcv valve, new cap and rotor, both fuel filters, new spark plug cables. :sad2:

[Silver86LX]

Have you checked to see if you accidentally disconnected any vacuum lines? There are 1 or 2 (someone correct me if I'm wrong) vacuum lines that are attached to the air cleaner itself.

[kidato]

Nope the lines are on and it still is doing it.

[A20A1]

Yeah it sounds like a vacuum leak... but turning a hard corner and dieing makes it seems like a fuel problem, but that can still happen to some degree on a perfectly running carb. Stopping at the stop light and dieing usually indicateds a vacuum leak.

I would go back to using the carb cleaner... if you remove your air cleaner make sure you plug all the ports the vacuum lines connected to except for #17 and the large vacuum port at the rear left corner of the carb... you also can leave the air suctionj plastic pipe disconnected and unplugged as well as the hose from the valve cover to the air cleaner since that needs to remain open for ventillation. But other then those things plug the vacuum lines and run the carb till it warms up... then use the carb cleaner and spray in small focused sprays around suspected leaky vacuum lines as well as areas like the gasket between the carb and the manifold and the manifold and the head... if there is a leak usually the carb cleaner will be injested and cause the idle to go up for a few moments then go back down again... so you'll know the leak is somewhere in that area.

[A20A1]

you can find more info on removing the aircleaner so you can test or adjust the carb in this thread http://www.3geez.com/showthread.php?t=12208

[Magny]

leaving 17 open will let it not idle right, I found that out when I tried the airbox mod from a 88-91 civic FI

[A20A1]

Did you let the car warm up first?
#17 is open air... you must have had a faulty thermovalve or disconnected the wrong line.

You can leave #17 disconnected.

[Magny]

nah car was already warm, left 17 wide open, idle like shit then died. restarted it, idle good for a bit the died before i can check the line and plug it. so plugged it with a screw, started it, idled fine, unplugged it, shitty, then plugged it again, fine.

[A20A1]

Well hopefully you find out whats causing that... on all the 3gs I've worked on #17 had no effect and it should have no effect because part of its function is to be left unplugged so it can bleed out vaccum.

Which makes me think that one of your thermovalves or solenoids are open when they shouldn't be.

[Magny]

is the #17 line that fat one or is it the one behind the air cleaner, I know there are 2 small tubes and one fat one going to the aircleaner box. the one I am talkin about and noticed on all the other airbox setup is the one next to the fire wall that is connected to the airbox

[A20A1]

#17 is behind the carb closer to the brake booster I guess... the fat hose is #16 but it doesn't have a # printed on it. I'm pretty sure we are talking about the same vacuum line. I colored it in in this thread http://www.3geez.com/showthread.php?t=12208

[Magny]

i think it says 33 but its the one thats pointing upwards and goes to one of those air bleeds, I'll give it a look-see tomorow when its daylight.

[A20A1]

Yeah #33 and #8 are connected to manifold vacuum, so if you had disconnected one of those then it would cuase the problems you described earlier.

[SteveDX89]

I agree with A20A1. #17 should cause no problems. I broke the little nipple off the thermovalve where #17 goes so I have no hose hooked up to it. Just the hole is exposed and I have no problems. I think that thermovalve is faulty anyway but I don't have the choke on anymore so it's no biggie to me.

[accordlxi2.0]

did you guy's read what he said though, "idle's low @ 1,000-1,500)
homey that's not low that's hi infact to damn high . . . . . .

[SteveDX89]

Yeah, 1000 rpm is normal, actually just a touch high. Should be around 800 rpm. I'm not quite sure why he thinks it's so high. I was just adding that #17 vac line doesn't have to be hooked up.

[A20A1]

he said when cold though, so that means he's probably off fast idle or it didn't kick in... also he says it sputters and dies when stopping... more detailed info would be nice though... vacuum leaks at certan areas will cause the throttle controller to open more then it should causing higher idle, and at certain temps open less then it should causing stalling or lower idle.

[kidato]

Yeah, 1000 rpm is normal, actually just a touch high. Should be around 800 rpm. I'm not quite sure why he thinks it's so high. I was just adding that #17 vac line doesn't have to be hooked up.

because anything below 1000 and the car shakes like it gonna die and if it gets to 800 it dies

[SteveDX89]

It's not supposed to be like that. The idle should be around 800 and should be smooth. I would you have a vacuum leak as well. There's a shit load of factors that could be causing it. Carbs are a pain in the ass. Make sure your choke is opening up when you start it. I know I had that problem. The choke would stay shut and starve it for air so it would shut off all the time.

[kidato]

he said when cold though, so that means he's probably off fast idle or it didn't kick in... also he says it sputters and dies when stopping... more detailed info would be nice though... vacuum leaks at certan areas will cause the throttle controller to open more then it should causing higher idle, and at certain temps open less then it should causing stalling or lower idle.

Okay checked the vaccum tubes and and they are on checked for leaks and couldnt find any. however now the car idles in park (sometimes all the way up into the 2000s) then you hit the gas a bit and it drops down to 1000. put it in R or D and it'll drop to 1000 or 900. I'm able to drive it okay for about 20 minutes
even stopping at stop lights. then after the time is up it it drops to 800-700 at
a stop light or turning a corner and sputters and dies. i've played with the float screw and the fast idle screw with no results

It's getting fustrating

[A20A1]

messing with the float screw can cause internal or external fuel leaks... so be careful.

well when cols the idle should jump to 2000 as part of the warm up... if you hit the pedal most times the fast idle will kick off and should drop around 1500, then as the car warms up more and you press the pedal again it should drop all the way to your normal idle setting around 1000 in neutral. Make all your adjustments to the carbs idle and float screws and such after the car has fully warmed up and you have driven it around for that 20 minuets or so... you should also check for coolant problems as well.

[kidato]

messing with the float screw can cause internal or external fuel leaks... so be careful.

well when cols the idle should jump to 2000 as part of the warm up... if you hit the pedal most times the fast idle will kick off and should drop around 1500, then as the car warms up more and you press the pedal again it should drop all the way to your normal idle setting around 1000 in neutral. Make all your adjustments to the carbs idle and float screws and such after the car has fully warmed up and you have driven it around for that 20 minuets or so... you should also check for coolant problems as well.

I found a small leak in the #8 hose and repaced it plus moved the float screw and fast idle to their factory settings. so far i think it works i'll know more when i drive it to work tomorrow.......

[A20A1]

you might want to look into a rebuild... or at least cleaning out the float bowl and replacing the top hat gasket.

[kidato]

you might want to look into a rebuild... or at least cleaning out the float bowl and replacing the top hat gasket.

well it it did the same damn thing today while going to work, died at stoplight, died when turning a corner and died when i pulled into my parking spot. are those symtoms of a bad carb?

hopefully a rebuild will not be a waste of money