No gas when accelerating

[88accordlxcarb]

Ok, see if you can figure this one out. 88 Accord LX 2bbl

Problem: Sometimes when you accelerate the car bucks VIOLENTLY, and will not accelerate at all. Gear position does not matter. THe car will buck back and forth almost throwing you out of your seat unless you let off the gas. If you let off the gas, the car idles, and does not die. When you put it back into gear and press the gas, it bucks again, and it wont let you accelerate at all, not one bit. Once i stopped on the side of the road and started again, the car accelerated in first gear, then after 2nd all the way up it bucked and i could not get over 25 MPH. Also when i just revved it, i couldnt get it above around 3000. It also feels like(when it is working) that there is a slight miss when you accelerate. Sometimes when you press the gas, it it does not even attempt to accelerate. It just feels like a free pedal. It is after this when you let off the gas that the car dies.

It also dies sometimes. To me it sounds like it is starving for gas. It just feels like it is running really lean. I am not blowing any colored smoke, and it does not smell of gas so its not running rich. I changed out both fuel filters today(the rear one being VERY nasty). I also readjusted the float level, and it is in the center. I checked the gas line coming into the carb(put it in a glass and turned the key), there is plenty of gas coming into the carb.

It does not do this all the time. It went the entire week without it doing it, then last night it did it again, and i couldnt get the car over 25-30ish MPH. This just started around the time i ran out of gas, about 2 weeks ago.This is why i thought it was the fuel filters, but that did not fix the problem.

Thanks

[A20A1]

I suggest you look at the booster venturies... it's common that they come loose if the carb hasn't been rebuilt for a long time.

Here is the thread
http://www.3geez.com/showthread.php?t=8972
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[88accordlxcarb]

Nope, Its not the venturis.

I just went out there and checked them. They are both very tight, and i couldnt get them to move.

The car was low on oil. It was not THAT low, but it was low. I dont see how this could make it buck so violently, and so sporadically.

Any other suggestions?

[A20A1]

I suggest you clean out the carb... if the filter was dirty I'm guessing dirt may have been pushed past the filters into the carb float bowl.

Also it could be a vacuum leak. or a leaky gasket...
did you nottice any changes in idle and normal driving after adjusting the float level?

Check that all your spark plugs are secure and the wires are making good contact
Open up the distributor cap and look for red dust or oil.

A choked motor could also do what you say... make sure the float vent tubes have nothing blocking them... and that the choke opens fully when warm.

You said your oil was low... I'd check the coolant level as well just to get that out of the way.

The fact your problem doesn't occure all the time makes it easier to ruel out the boosters... but they do tighten and untighten on their own sometimes. If it was constant I would of pressed you to test them again.

[88accordlxcarb]

This is really confusing me:

So i've checked everything i can. I cant see any vacuum leaks, the boosters, choke, distribut, vent tubes, plenty of coolant, spark plugs, all are fine, ive shot a whole can of carb cleaner in it(and in lines, etc..), and have a bottle of STP Fuel system cleaner in the tank. As stated below i also have a bottle of STP Water REmover in the tank(which smells exactly like the other stuff...)

It still does it.

I have some more details that might help you out:

When you are driving a long and it needs gas, it starts to do it. If it starts bucking and you let off the gas it will stop and go back to idle then when you try to mash the gas again, it wont go back above around 2500ish. IT really stumbles, bucks and acts like it is starving of gas. When you are driving down the street, if you WANT to start it to bucking, then all you have to do is floor it and demand a lot of gas and it starts. If you let off the gas a lot, it will mostly stop.

My dad thinks there is water in the gas. RIght now i have a little less than a 1/4 tank, and im trying very hard to run it out. I've put in a bottle of STP water remover, but when i drove it around today it still did it. It also dies a lot.

Like i said, it just seems like it is starving. Put i have the air filter thing off, and i can rev it up and see the gas going into the engine out of the primary venturi. And as you get to a higher RPM more gas. So it is getting gas in the engine.

Also if it dies, and will not restart, you can wait 5 minutes and it will restart and run perfectly for around 5 minutes until it starts bucking. If you restart it, and it has not died, just bucking, and wait around 5 minutes it will also run fine for around 5 minutes.

What i also did was go on an empty street and get it to bucking/stumbling, and i took it out of gear and just floored the pedal. It would move from around 2000-2300 and shake and i could not get it above that RPM. If i let off the gas to maybe 1/4 throttle, it will go up to whatever RPM i want. There was no smoke behind the car.

[88accordlxcarb]

I think i have a lot of water in my gas tank.

Its the only thing i can come up with. Either:

A. Someone put water in my gas tank(could be its Junior/Senior war time)

B: I got a HECK of a lot of water out of $10 worth of cheap gas

I put a bottle of water remover(this time it was alcohol), and im going to put another 2 bottles in the tank.

How i figured this out is:

A. The car wouldnt hardly run when i had less than a 1/4 tank left. It would not go more than 5 feet when it would bog down and die.

B. I put in a full tank of High quality gas and it runs better. It still chokes down and dies when you full throttle it, and it still bucks/stumbles when you are going at a steady RPM for a long distance...but i was able to accelerate a lot harder without it bucking, and actually be able to move. So it has to be the gas.

If i am still missing something, let me know

[superguillermo]

I'm not sure about carbs...is it possible to disconnect the fuel filter and drain the whole gas tank (when its low) to atleast get most of everything out of there? Sounds like a freakin nightmare!

[88accordlxcarb]

Is it possible it could be the fuel pump?

Like when it needs more fuel (compared to the amount of air it is receiving), and the pump cant deliver, so it boggs down?

Or like when you go on a road at a constant RPM for awhile and it starts to do it, becasue the pump cant continue to provide the amount of gas for a long period of time?

Just curious.

[POS carb]

sounds like your mixture is leaning out too much,
I would check:
bad flow (filters or pump)
bad/clogged accelerator pump

[POS carb]

water, nice. There should be a drain plug on the bottom of the tank. if you can't get it out, let the fuel pump do the work and then refil the tank w/ "gasohol"

[88accordlxcarb]

I've put 3 bottles of HEET, which i assume is the same thing as Gasohol?, in the tank.

I also(to get it to run) had to fill the tank up.

The car seems to run now when i drive like a granny. Anytime i really accelerate or if i on purpose floor it, it boggs down like a mother. Also ANYTIME with the AC on, it boggs down and wont run. Kinda weird.

I assume since the alcohol is in the tank now, it would be pointless to let the drain plug out. Before since the water is more heavy that might have helped a little.

[86ACCORD2.0CARB]

HEY HOWS IT GOIN. I HAD THE SAME PROBLUM WIT MY 86 ACCORD LX CARB WHEN I WAS ON MY WAY FROM EUGENE 2 PORTLAND. I WOULD B DRIVING AND IT WOULD START 2 BUCK AND SLOW DOWN EVEN IF I THROUGH THE CAR IN A LOWER GEAR. I HAD 2 MASH MY FOOT DOWN ON THE PEDAL AND HOLD IT JUST 2 KEEP THE CAR RUNNING. i made it 2 a rest stop and let it sit for bout 5-10 mins and started it and it was fine. then it happend a few weeks after that. this maybe a solution or maybe not just stateing what iv done. : ok 1 st try driving it without the filter on. i drive mine all the time like that now. and 2nd i think it could b your gas. cause mine didnt start happening till i filled it up wit cheap gas. sorry couldnt offer more help. but after i took my air filter off and ran that cheap gas out its ran fine ever since then. hope this helps

[racerx]

it could be your fuel pump going out.

could also be your alternator/power supply not supplying proper power to the fuel pump.

O2 sensor is definatley a possibility too.