stalling issue

[poison2003]

Hey, I have an 86 accord dx all stock with a new carb it has 157K miles. Ill post a pic later.
Anyway I recently just got it and found there was an issue.
I looked around and have some idea what it might be but wanted to see what you guys think.
it has an issue with stalling after I drove it for about 30 min in about 80F weather and then parked it for 30-45 min and when I started back up the rpm would be iradical going up and down and unless I press on the gas the car stalls. Once I'm in gear and driving in 1st or 2nd without pressing much on the gas its driving a little shaky which is pretty normal in 1st but not in second. After driving it for a little while and picking higher speeds on the highway it stops stalling and idles fine. I have yet to do some more tests and figure out the exact cause.
From what I've read some people say to clean out the choke plate (I'm not too sure what it looks like or how it even works) but they said spray some carb cleaner the bronze looking tubes on the carb.
Another I remember to check the coolant level.
And I think someone said it might be the fuel pump on it way out.
I was thinking maybe change the fuel filter? Any suggestions?

Thanks

[Buzo]

Hey, I have an 86 accord dx all stock with a new carb it has 157K miles. Ill post a pic later.
Anyway I recently just got it and found there was an issue.
I looked around and have some idea what it might be but wanted to see what you guys think.
it has an issue with stalling after I drove it for about 30 min in about 80F weather and then parked it for 30-45 min and when I started back up the rpm would be iradical going up and down and unless I press on the gas the car stalls. Once I'm in gear and driving in 1st or 2nd without pressing much on the gas its driving a little shaky which is pretty normal in 1st but not in second. After driving it for a little while and picking higher speeds on the highway it stops stalling and idles fine. I have yet to do some more tests and figure out the exact cause.
From what I've read some people say to clean out the choke plate (I'm not too sure what it looks like or how it even works) but they said spray some carb cleaner the bronze looking tubes on the carb.
Another I remember to check the coolant level.
And I think someone said it might be the fuel pump on it way out.
I was thinking maybe change the fuel filter? Any suggestions?

Thanks

Let's start with the easy ones.
Check if there is fuel odor when you end your 30-45 minutes drive.
The fuel may be over flooding the engine.

[poison2003]

Let's start with the easy ones.
Check if there is fuel odor when you end your 30-45 minutes drive.
The fuel may be over flooding the engine.

Ill try it. And forgot to mention it is a manual. So far after I've been driving for a while hasn't happened but the conditions aren't the same since its a little cooler outside everytime it happened it was hot and sunny outside.

[poison2003]

this time ive been driving it for small distances and while the engine was at running temp i parked it grabbed something and about 2 min later tried to start the car it happened again, i wasnt able to check under the hood because i was in a hurry but i did try a few things.

i tried to drive the car in high rpms in second gear and tried going through gears if it would help i went up to 4th and yet nothing helped. what did happen this time is i had to stop 4 times each tight i released the clutch it went straight to 0 and i had to crack the engine again.

I noticed that to start it i had to pump the gas while i was turning the key to start it. after about 2-3 miles later and 4 stalls it finally went back to normal. its quite noticeable when its normal again because the car at low rpm of about 2k doesnt shake when i apply a little bit of gas.

any suggestions what it could be are very welcome. I drove the car all this week and this is the only time it happened about 300 miles later

[poison2003]

any ideas or other tests i can run to figure this out?
its hard to tell because it happens so rarely but it would be very frustrating if i had to be in stop and go traffic and i had to restart my car everytime i took it out of gear or stopped pressing on the gas

[Dr_Snooz]

Rebuild the carb.

[poison2003]

Rebuild the carb.

its a brand new carb

[Demon1024]

try another dizzy if you can. It sounds like the problem i had with mine. just crazy ass random idle and stalls. You can try cleaning it out, but it didn't help mine. Look up the manual and test stuff on it if you dont have a replacement handy.

[Dr_Snooz]

its a brand new carb

Like brand new from Honda or newly rebuilt by someone else?

[poison2003]

Like brand new from Honda or newly rebuilt by someone else?

like brand new its got no grease or anything on it, it even shines i dont know exactly if it from honda but it is new.
i adjusted my rpms and what not im gonna see if it happens again it could have been just that but we will see

[88Accord-DX]

Anytime you put on a new carb on, you should change out the fuel filter(s). Especially the age of these cars & for warranty.... I doubt you want to change the sock cap in the fuel tank, but at least change out the filter on the frame rail behind the L.R. tire. Carb models have one under the hood too, not so sure on F.I. models.

[Buzo]

I still think a long crank time is caused by fuel flooding. Do you notice strong fuel odor when you are crancking it after a sudden shut down?

[Dr_Snooz]

Far out. Where did you get it? More importantly, how did you adjust it when you put it on?

[poison2003]

ill check the fuel filters prbly next weekend.

its not really long crank its just after it dies (99% of the time when im in traffic) when i restart it i have to give it some gas while i turn the iginition. i tried checking for fuel odors but im only able to do it when i park somewhere and by that time it usually goes away.

I got the car with everything done to it the guy said its a new carb and it looks like a brand new carb. when i adjusted it i just messed around with the throttle screw

[Demon1024]

check your grounds too. If your still only using stock grounds add a couple. it makes a difference i promise

[2oodoor]

IT IS more likely some control device outside the carb which affects linkages oh the many many of those on that carb... :rocket:
Even a new replacment carb needs to be set up for the car. First things to check is the choke and fast idle hardware. Then make sure the secondary control valve is not hanging the sec linkage open slightley at idle.
VAcuum leaks, make sure there are none.

[Dr_Snooz]

I agree with Roodoo, but I think you also have carb setup issues too. Carb setup, unfortunately, is more art than science. PO probably had some external control going out. He or she bought a rebuilt carb (I'd be very, very surprised if it was a new carb) hoping it would fix the problem. They didn't tune it properly and reused all the old controls. Not only did the original problem remain, but new problems were introduced. The carb was expensive enough, so they just sold the car instead of paying more to get it sorted. I'd check the float adjustment, choke adjustment, and then check all the little solenoids and dashpots to make sure they are working properly.

[poison2003]

I agree with Roodoo, but I think you also have carb setup issues too. Carb setup, unfortunately, is more art than science. PO probably had some external control going out. He or she bought a rebuilt carb (I'd be very, very surprised if it was a new carb) hoping it would fix the problem. They didn't tune it properly and reused all the old controls. Not only did the original problem remain, but new problems were introduced. The carb was expensive enough, so they just sold the car instead of paying more to get it sorted. I'd check the float adjustment, choke adjustment, and then check all the little solenoids and dashpots to make sure they are working properly.

as a side question after i drive my car and park it and lets say an hour later i get it when i start it is it supposed to high idle and warm up again? (ofcourse if it cooled down enough) since when i first start the car it warms up fine on cold start but after that through out the day i usually end up holding the gas a little after a start it to prevent it stalling out. (prbly for about 30 sec or so) Since i live in hawaii it doesnt get cold and the coldest its been is about 55F

[Buzo]

as a side question after i drive my car and park it and lets say an hour later i get it when i start it is it supposed to high idle and warm up again? (ofcourse if it cooled down enough) since when i first start the car it warms up fine on cold start but after that through out the day i usually end up holding the gas a little after a start it to prevent it stalling out. (prbly for about 30 sec or so) Since i live in hawaii it doesnt get cold and the coldest its been is about 55F

I don't think an hour or two are enough for the car and choke's linkage to get back to the morning-cold position. Mine does exactly the same thing as yours.

And just to close my comment on the fuel odor, you don't need to search for it. It is so evident that as soon as you open the drivers door after a short drive, it will hit your nose. So fuel flooding is not your problem.

[Dr_Snooz]

I'm still thinking carb tuning issues here. It sounds like your carb is good, just need to sit down with the manual for a few days and figure out how to optimize everything. Please don't go in without the manual or you will make a fantastic mess and be towing it to a dealer to get it sorted out. I'm speaking from personal experience here.

[poison2003]

I'm still thinking carb tuning issues here. It sounds like your carb is good, just need to sit down with the manual for a few days and figure out how to optimize everything. Please don't go in without the manual or you will make a fantastic mess and be towing it to a dealer to get it sorted out. I'm speaking from personal experience here.

yeah so far its been driving pretty good havent had any issues since i adjusted the idle. i guess when i take it out for a little longer this weekend will find out if its still having same issue.

i do have a manual in pdf which was on my phone at the time when i was adjusting the carb but i didnt have the cable to drop it off on the computer and since i was at a friends house we didnt have access to the manual. Now i know the manual is on 3geez wiki which i can access anywhere.
If the problem keeps happening ill have to take my time and adjust/lubricate everything i need properly.

[Dr_Snooz]

There should be lots of tests for all the little electric and vacuum controls on the carb. I would test them all. Good luck.

[poison2003]

It happened again. This time I think I realized why since I've been doing about the same routine for a couple of weeks.
I started the car and I was ina little rush and started driving it before I warmed it up and when I took it out of gear it died I thought at first it was normal but then I started it up and the same symptoms as above started happening. More shacking at slower speeds and not holding the idle

Also noticed that if I pump the gas a couple times before I start the vehicle after it stalled it starts right up but doesn't hold the idle aswell. Could it just be one of the fuel filters?

[Buzo]

It happened again. This time I think I realized why since I've been doing about the same routine for a couple of weeks.
I started the car and I was ina little rush and started driving it before I warmed it up and when I took it out of gear it died I thought at first it was normal but then I started it up and the same symptoms as above started happening. More shacking at slower speeds and not holding the idle

Also noticed that if I pump the gas a couple times before I start the vehicle after it stalled it starts right up but doesn't hold the idle aswell. Could it just be one of the fuel filters?

Look at the carb's glass window. If there is lack (or excess) of fuel, it will tell you. The fuel level must be right in the middle.

At least mine, it doesn't care if I start driving it right away, even at -10 C weather. Actually it works better since the shock is still on. Then it stalls in the first red light during my drive to work, but it gets normal (900 rpms) after 10 minutes. So don't feel guilty for not waiting for the car to warm up.

[poison2003]

Well just checked what you aid and its over the middle line and when you turn the engine over it goes even higher

[poison2003]

Update:
I started it up today in the morning and the high idle worked as normal but then it went down before reaching running temp and almost stalled out but then went up to 1500 or so but was unstable. About a min later it went down again and this time it stalled out completely.
Anyhelp is very welcome it seems that's its here to stay I also have some pics I took last night about and have a couple questions if it could cause the problem

[2oodoor]

I think youre carbed right? Hey you can just remove all the choke and fast idle hardware off the carb, plug things off and tie back the choke butterfly to be open all the time. No more demonic possesed idle then, worked for me anyways.

[poison2003]

I think youre carbed right? Hey you can just remove all the choke and fast idle hardware off the carb, plug things off and tie back the choke butterfly to be open all the time. No more demonic possesed idle then, worked for me anyways.

I don't really understand how that would help with the car not being able to idle

[poison2003]

Update: I adjusted the float the car is definitely a lot less jerky at low rpms and seems smoother but it still dies right after I start. Though right after I pump the gas before I start it seems to keep going for a few second I guess untill the gas runs out

[poison2003]

So I thin I'm coming up with a conclusion that its the idle screw that goes loose after sometime and when it becomes too low it just kills the car

[Demon1024]

that screw should have a spring on it? it keeps tension so that doesn't happen.

You did reset the float level right? It really sounded like that was the problem above

High idle shouldn't go down till you hit the gas pedal if i'm not mistaken. I disabled my choke so im not 100% on this.

[poison2003]

High idle is fine its just the original problem was that everynow and then when I start the car there would be no idle at all. So if its just a screw ill just keep a screwdriver handy on me and see if it happens again. Maybe I should mark a spot on the idle screw and see if it moves after some time

[Buzo]

Well just checked what you aid and its over the middle line and when you turn the engine over it goes even higher

Then your filter is not clogged. Otherwise there would be no fuel in the carb.

Have you checked for vacuum leaks?
Check every single actuator, with the car off and a piece of hose, pull vacuum in every vacuum actuator. They must hold vacuum. I can't explain why your failure is intermittent, but vacuum leaks cause the car not to stay at idle and work OK at higher rpms.
Also check the hoses that may be rubbing against something for damage.

[Demon1024]

Do you pump the gas each time before you start it?
again not sure but i think you have to hit gas once cold to re shut choke. No choke while cold would def cause no idle

[88lxi-shortram]

not to get get off topic but my three wheeler did the same thing. i know the carbs are nowhere near alike but they all kind of run on the same concept. i just adjusted the air/fuel screw down abit and it helped alot... but it still happens occasionaly... i never learned anything about carbs but i think i should learn, theyre just so complicated :banghead:

[poison2003]

I pump gas before I start and the choke does work and it functions normally

[Dr_Snooz]

not to get get off topic but my three wheeler did the same thing. i know the carbs are nowhere near alike but they all kind of run on the same concept. i just adjusted the air/fuel screw down abit and it helped alot... but it still happens occasionaly... i never learned anything about carbs but i think i should learn, theyre just so complicated :banghead:

The only thing you really need to know about carbs is that EFI is uber FTW!

Poison, your problem could be a lot of things. You're going to have to sit down with the manual and figure it out. You've already seen the difference one minor adjustment made to the performance of the car. That's one adjustment out of roughly a million that a new carburetor needs. If no one has sat down and done this, then it's not going to run right. A new carb has to be tuned. Normally, I'd point you to one of the manuals on the wiki (http://3geez.wiki-tv.com/Honda_service_manuals). Unfortunately, we don't have one for USDM '86s. In that case, I'd encourage you to buy the printed manual from helminc.com. It will be worth it to get the car running like it should. The manual will describe all the different controls on the carb and how to test and adjust them. In the off-chance that the problem persists after that, the manual will have lots of helpful diagnostic troubleshooting procedures to help you track it down.

[poison2003]

Alright ill try and do that sometime

[Demon1024]

could be mixture wasn't ever adjusted properly when the new one went on?
i recently went threw this myself. It was lots of fun

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32613&highlight=backfiring