88 LX-i always stalls at idle -- Dealer gave up

[jimmyjames]

Hello all,

I had a number of things fixed recently by the dealer on my 88 Accord LX-i with 220k miles, but one thing remains: a consistent stall at idle. It runs fine for 5 minutes or so after start up but once warm will stall quickly when I let off the gas. At stops I brake with my left foot and keep the idle up with my left. It's running great otherwise.

The dealer says air, ignition and fuel pressure are there. They replaced the idle air control, fast idle valve, speed sensor, and main relay (all legit I think--solved bouncing revs and hot start issues, and it runs better). Stalling remained. They had another 3g in the shop and swapped known good parts: distributor, ignition coil, ECM. Still stalling. No remaining error code (had only 17 for speed sensor). Dealer changed oil and filter.

So... any ideas I could take to an honest mechanic in San Francisco? I have some understanding but not the experience, space or tools to do work myself.

If not, I have $400+ in new engine parts, $250 in new tires (14" rims), and a crystal clear windshield I replaced last year. Anyone want to buy a well maintained parts car?

Many thanks for your help.

[Pico]

could be electirical problem maybe.
take the car over to Barney Kerns on South Van Ness and talk to Bill, tell him Roger from Mackenzie's told you to see him

[Oldblueaccord]

Once its warmed up pull the EACV plug and set the idle and then replug it in and see what you get.

Possible the throttle body plates need a good cleaning or they are worn in some way.

Also if its an auto and it stalls in drive gear the torque converter may not be unlocking all the time.

[3rd Party]

if one were to remove that pesky diaphragm on top of the TB rotor, would you just need to add some tension on the throttle cable to keep the idle around 1k?

[jimmyjames]

Thanks for your responses. I'd love to keep her going for a while longer.

[markmdz89hatch]

Thanks for your responses. I'd love to keep her going for a while longer.

As would all of us. A 3G with an owner that respects the car enough to invest in some needed repairs has been becoming more and more rare. You've certainly found the right place though. Welcome to the board, and please stick around a while.

A crummy idle is certainly not a reason to consider this a parts car, but instead just another maintenance item.

Did they replace all those parts all at once, or one at a time and you had the chance to drive it in between? Just curious because I want to see if you noticed any changes in this (for better or worse) as they were replacing parts, and at what point did you notice the changes?

I know you said they checked fuel pressure, but was that checked at the pump (tank) or injectors? All too many times, something like this is caused by two dumpy little $4 parts (aka. fuel filters). When cold, a fast idle (or choke) calls for more fuel in order to get the motor up to temp, but once at temp, it drops the fuel and a clogged up fuel filter would restrict fuel at 'warm' more-so then at the fast-idle state.

Edit: ..and if you have enough room to get out of your car when you park it, and the ground is fairly dry, these filters can be replaced in a matter of minutes. hmm... now that I think about it, I might be a little confused. I know us carb (DX,LX) guys have two filters, but you may have only one to worry about. Either way, very easy to swap out with a pair of pliers and maybe a flat-head screwdriver.

[w261w261]

There is something that bears mentioning here. First, I second what Mark said. These cars are worth saving, more so with each year that goes by. Some use them as cheap transportation, and because of their owners' economic circumstances or lack of interest they will decline and eventually be scrapped. Which makes every one that can be preserved and saved a worthwhile project. If you can contribute to this, more power to you, and the people on this board will go out of their way to help make you successful.

The next thing is that the cars do not have any fatal flaws. The closest they come to it is having very complex carburetor plumbing (in the case of non-f.i. models), rear wheel body arches that are prone to rust, and front suspension bushings that can get to squeaking. They do have a sophisticated suspension arrangement (double wishbone front, single rear), which needs good maintenance to achieve the design objectives. But everything else is good to go, and when it doesn't, can be fixed with the right combination of knowledge and dedication.

I've never heard of a particular problem like yours, that hasn't been fixed using some of the parts you've already had installed. I don't know what it is, but whatever it is, I can assure you that it isn't bad. Hang in there, do not scrap a nice car for this thornlet of a problem. We'll help you.

ps: you have only 1 fuel filter, up front.

[markmdz89hatch]

ps: you have only 1 fuel filter, up front.

thanks for clarifying that Hal. All my DX's have two filters. ...and thanks for mentioning those damn overcomplicated-for-the-sake-of-emissions carb's. I just got a migraine thinking about them

[Dr_Snooz]

On the throttle body, there is the butterfly valve mechanism where the throttle cable connects. This mechanism butts against a stop when you let off the throttle. The stop is should have a small adjustable set screw. I wonder if you tried playing with that what would happen.

Another thing I would try is removing the idle air adjustment screw completely to see what happens.

[Pico]

On the throttle body, there is the butterfly valve mechanism where the throttle cable connects. This mechanism butts against a stop when you let off the throttle. The stop is should have a small adjustable set screw. I wonder if you tried playing with that what would happen.

Another thing I would try is removing the idle air adjustment screw completely to see what happens.

I played with the adjustment on one of my spare throttle body's it helped with the idle.
The screw is held on with a 6mm nut if I remember right and you use a hex wrench to turn it in or out.
The factory manual says this is a factory set screw or something like that, so why make it adjustable?

[3rd Party]

if one were to remove that pesky diaphragm on top of the TB rotor, would you just need to add some tension on the throttle cable to keep the idle around 1k?

bump on question?

[Demon1024]

^try making a thread to that effect or read up on what it does^
and a name would help altho i can only think of the fast idle valve, i could be wrong

Back to the "thread"

Check the sock on the fuel pump too.Little harder to get to but it's often over looked because of the inconvenience (and hazards) to get to. just be really carefull to discharge static build up and don't smoke