89 LX problems (the list)

[jonny_warkentin]

I recently scored a 1989 Honda Accord LX (carb) in IMPECCABLE condition with 144,000km's. Inevitably, there have been some problems, and I'm hoping you guys can help me tackle some of these, or help point me in the direction.

1. Horrible mileage (350km's per tank).

New fuel filter, spark plugs, carburetor (remanufactured). All of which did not solve the problem. Could the O2 sensor be bad? I can't seem to find an ECU to get error codes - nothing under the drivers side seat besides the orange auto transmission box. Do carb'ed models even have an ECU?

2. Automatic choke won't engage on first start of the day

I gotta hold the gas pedal down for about 4 minutes @ 2000rpm, THEN the automatic choke engages. The whole time I have the pedal down the car is shaking (slightly, not violent or anything), it doesn't feel too good :)

3. Throttle delay

Everytime I hit the gas pedal after I've come to a complete stop, there is a obvious lag before the car goes. The tach bogs, the car almost stalls, and THEN the fuel gets through making the car go. This is kinda serious - as when I'm merging in traffic it could get me into a bad accident if I gotta rush :) This happens about 90% of the time.


You guys are the gurus! Any advice you can offer my way will be greatly appreciated :)

- Jonny

[Hauntd ca3]

at 350 km per tank it either running way rich,your choke aint coming off fully or you drive like a mad man
go to a reputable tuner and get a full tune up.
they'll set the timing spot on,set the mixtures right and sort the choke problem as well as a comp and leakdown,set the tappets etc

[jonny_warkentin]

at 350 km per tank it either running way rich,your choke aint coming off fully or you drive like a mad man
go to a reputable tuner and get a full tune up.
they'll set the timing spot on,set the mixtures right and sort the choke problem as well as a comp and leakdown,set the tappets etc

Thanks for the advice. I had it at a shop, they checked the compression and air/fuel mixture, said it was fine. Don't think they checked the timing though.

I definitely don't drive like a madman, although I dearly miss having a 5spd :)

Mabye I'll take it to a different shop.

[POS carb]

Hello
1) O2 sensor makes hardly any difference, the car will run with it disconnected. The ECU is just a controller for the solenoids in the engine bay that bleed and reroute vacuum, there is no self diagnostic built in. The carbed model is too complicated and therefore too many things can go wrong, especially vacuum leaks. Usually this is in the form of cracked hoses or broken thermovalves. Try to get the car idling and listen for any hissing sounds.

A bad EGR system will cause problems too. Disconnect EGR vacuum line and check for vacuum, there should be no vacuum at idle. When vacuum is applied to the valve at idle the engine should run rough or stall.

2) The choke is designed to shut when the engine is cold and you press and release the throttle 1 time. If this is not happening check the choke linkage for anything that can be blocking its movement



3) You should check your cam timing, if the belt slips 1 tooth it will cause a hesitation and poor fuel economy. To check line up the TCD pointer in the block and the two lines on the cam gear should be parallel to the head (remove the valve cover to see the lines).

Good luck

[jonny_warkentin]

Hello
1) O2 sensor makes hardly any difference, the car will run with it disconnected. The ECU is just a controller for the solenoids in the engine bay that bleed and reroute vacuum, there is no self diagnostic built in. The carbed model is too complicated and therefore too many things can go wrong, especially vacuum leaks. Usually this is in the form of cracked hoses or broken thermovalves. Try to get the car idling and listen for any hissing sounds.

A bad EGR system will cause problems too. Disconnect EGR vacuum line and check for vacuum, there should be no vacuum at idle. When vacuum is applied to the valve at idle the engine should run rough or stall.

2) The choke is designed to shut when the engine is cold and you press and release the throttle 1 time. If this is not happening check the choke linkage for anything that can be blocking its movement



3) You should check your cam timing, if the belt slips 1 tooth it will cause a hesitation and poor fuel economy. To check line up the TCD pointer in the block and the two lines on the cam gear should be parallel to the head (remove the valve cover to see the lines).

Good luck

I'm glad I haven't dropped $65 on an O2 sensor now :)

All the belts/hoses were replaced before I got the car, so I wouldn't think there would be any leakage. I *do* hear a hissing noise when the car is idling though, I figured it was the carb making that sound (fuel going through it)

With the choke - after it engages (when I've held the throttle @ 2000rpm for about 2 minutes) I wait awhile, give a little gas, and it drops down to normal idle. I'm assuming this indicates the choke is off?

Timing - I'm starting to think this is the problem. The timing belt was just replaced - mabye the shop didn't do a very good job.

Thanks for the advice!

[POS carb]

The carb will make some hiss but you need to be sure it's coming from the throat and not the sides, cup your hand over the primary but leave a small gap for the motor to breathe and see if you have better luck finding the hiss. Check the thermovalves on the back of the intake manifold (driver's side) and make sure they are not leaking.

Again, if the car has been ran to operating temperature and then allowed to cool, the choke should snap shut as soon as the throttle is depressed and released, even with the engine off. If it is not doing this then there is a problem with the choke linkage that needs correcting

download this:
http://www.pauldesign.ru/honda/shopmanual/fuel_and_emission_controls_carb.zip

this is a shop manual for the overseas models, a few things may be different but overall it has a lot of info you can use. Page 11-28 shows the choke linkage operation
The rest of this manual can be found at http://www.pauldesign.ru/honda/shopmanual.html

good luck

[jonny_warkentin]

So I brought the car into a shop - they found a vacuum leak behind the carb, which fixed the throttle hesitation. They checked the timing - it was fine.

Still have bad mileage, and the choke won't engage when its cold - the mechanic tells me all the choke linkages are inside the carb, and there isn't anything he can really do.

Should I take it to a different mechanic? :banghead:

[POS carb]

choke linkages are on the outside (passenger side)
most likely a thermovalve isn't working the way it's supposed to and the unloader is pulling open as soon as it gets vacuum. To be honest my carb started doing that and I gave up on it (SoCal was warm). I have a weber 32/36 now, sooooo much easier. My only complaint is that it sits sideways so it floods on right turns. :devil:

[jonny_warkentin]

choke linkages are on the outside (passenger side)
most likely a thermovalve isn't working the way it's supposed to and the unloader is pulling open as soon as it gets vacuum. To be honest my carb started doing that and I gave up on it (SoCal was warm). I have a weber 32/36 now, sooooo much easier. My only complaint is that it sits sideways so it floods on right turns. :devil:

Hmm...seeing as I just had a new carb installed (not a weber) I unfortunately can't go for the Weber. It's not a carb problem (I know because this is the reason I replaced the old carb with the new one) so I'm really really hoping its the thermovalves. Is it a difficult job to replace them? I have minimal mechanical experience (spark plugs, oil changes, etc)

[Majr]

I'm still new to this site don't know what I'm doing exactly however I have a 1989 Honda Accord and I've been working on her for a while most of my problems are gone after replacing my fuel pump distributor fuel filters spark plug wires spark plugs suddenly had a new problem once I got her up and running as soon as I come to a stop sign and hit the break she sounds like she's going to die on me and I'm not 100% sure what it could be can anyone tell me what I should be looking for please you would be a great help thanks

[87rustbucket]

.

[Dr_Snooz]

How long has the car been sitting?