bad idle

[89LXcoupe]

I am getting bad idle in my 89 accord LX. It is not related to engine temp. Sometimes it idles fine but most of the time between 250 and 900 rpm. I had my mechanic look at it and said it probably had something to do with the carb (ie can't fix with an adjustment) you guys have any quick fixes in mind or should I just get it rebulit. Thanks for your advice!

[A20A1]

Without more detailed info on how the car: starts/idles/runs/
all I can say is check the usual:

Ignition:
Plugs, wires, cap, and rotor.
Timing, ground wires, vacuum advance diaphragm, and vacuum lines to diaphragm.

Fuel:
2 fuel filter, float level.

Carburetor:
Vacuum leaks from gaskets / vacuum lines (Also check PCV system), dirty carburetor barrels, and loose carburetor parts such as the booster venturi.

Carb cleaner may or may not help in your situation... 250 idle is pretty low. most cars won't run under 500.

[Cmac-19]

i have a 89 LX also, and i had that same problem....and i replaced my fuel fliters and then she idled just fine .......could be your problem

[ACCORD EX]

Originally posted by A20A1
Without more detailed info on how the car: starts/idles/runs/
all I can say is check the usual:

Ignition:
Plugs, wires, cap, and rotor.
Timing, ground wires, vacuum advance diaphragm, and vacuum lines to diaphragm.

Fuel:
2 fuel filter, float level.

Carburetor:
Vacuum leaks from gaskets / vacuum lines (Also check PCV system), dirty carburetor barrels, and loose carburetor parts such as the booster venturi.

Carb cleaner may or may not help in your situation... 250 idle is pretty low. most cars won't run under 500.

you should put that in every post Mike ! better save it on the drive !

MIKE

[89LXcoupe]

Ya, so i changed the fuel filters and that never helped. I didn't have time to check any of the other stuff on the list.....and so I have just been putting up with the bad idle. Now it just dies. I will push in the clutch to roll up to a stop sign or through an intersection and it just dies. One thing i noticed its that it will sometimes idle when its cold.....but as soon as it warms up game over. Can anyone give any further advice with this new info? thanks tons for any help

[shepherd79]

you can adjust the idle screw to make it idle for now. i would say you need to clean your carburator with carb cleaner.
check for any possible vacuum line leak.

[meohmy01]

ok. i have the same problem. i have a fairly recent distributor, cap, rotor, plugs, wires, fuel filters, air filter, oil and filter, and just about any other maintinece thig you can think of. i also used carb cleaner cleaned the carb and took all the vacum lines apart and inspected them. car runs great above like 1100 rpm but under that it's a little embarassing. like sitting at a red light when your car sounds like it's going to blow. it's the original carb with 200k. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[ACCORD EX]

how is your gas milage !?

MIKE

[meohmy01]

i don't drive it enough to really know. i drive my beutiful black 5th gen accord lx coupe.

[meohmy01]

someone told me that it sounded like the engine was being starved because it bucks when driving to. sound acurate? any info on how to fix?

[ACCORD EX]

if it bucks and hesitates while acceleration is could be a vacuum leak or a wring Air fuel mixture , which can be adjusted by adjustin the idle mixture screw ! check the how to 's !

MIKE

[89LXcoupe]

I get about 10L per 100km in the city...

[ACCORD EX]

well that's good for city driving !

MIKE

[meohmy01]

i know it's not a vacum leak in all of the little vacum lines because i spent hours inspecting and replacing them.

[meohmy01]

ok i don't get the how to thing so can someone explain it more to me. do yo uhave to take the carb off to do it?

[meohmy01]

ok guys i am getting really frustrated with this car so to prevent me from driving it into a tree please help me out here.

[A20A1]

You don't want to adjust the idle mix screw .. unless it fell out.

There are a few internal vacuum leaks that are harder to spot.

check your fuel pump spring tension if you notice the carb bucks on acceleration... also check the 2 air bleed valves inside the intake and make sure they are not leaking.

There is a bunch of stuff... sorry I'm a bit tired right now. Just run a search for bleed valve and you should find a pic of what I'm talking about... I'll tryan and get one for the spring tension on the accelerator pump arm.

[meohmy01]

well it does buck when driving under like 20 miles an hour. and it seems to hesitate when you first hit the gas. what is the yellow screw on top of the carb. the seel on it is broken so i assume it was played with once or twice. it completley stopped idling today.

[A20A1]

don't touch that screw... you;ll get a major gas leak if the seals break... and 98% of the time they will if you turn the screw enough.... make sure the float level is correct.... run the car till its warm... make sure the car is on level ground. then shut the car off while in gear so the revs will be low.. and then check the float level.... you can also watch the float from the side of the carb if you had the stock air box off the carb.

[meohmy01]

um. ok. want to put the in english please? i don't understand all this carb stuff.

[meohmy01]

ok. yesterday i put about a 1/4 tank of gas in it (it was below empty). i played with it for a little while then sprayed some carb cleaner in it and it idled great. this morning i went out there and started it waited for it to warm up and now it doesn't want to idle again. it's better than before but still coughs and dies. when i back it down my driveway (hill) the gas guage goes up to like a half tank and it idles pretty good. could this be a fuel pump issue?

['89AccordLX(Rus)]

Since the car runs better when at an angle, it can be concluded that the fuel supply is somehow restricted by the angle of the tank. Such as when you are on a hill going backwards the fuel is toward the back of the tank. Thus it quiet possibly is a fuel pump issue or something is wrong with the pick up line in the tank. The best way to diagnose this problem would be to have the pressure tested in the fuel line. If the pressure is too low your pump is faulty. The testing procedure is described in the shop manual available at Paul's site.

P.S.: Try filling up the tank completely and see if that changes anything.

Hope this helped out.

3axap.

[meohmy01]

i don't drive the car. i have to fill a gas can to get gas to it. it is missing the tail lights which were suppose to be here today but never showed up. i have a new problem now. i accidentally over reved it. like up to 7500 or so. i started it with my foot on the gas and forgot to take it off before it reached redline. now when you hit the gas it like studders and sounds like a lawn mower. when you are starting from a stop it will stall if you haven't reved it up enough. is it possible that it's just flooded?

[A20A1]

It's possible you bent a valve over reving the car.

there is also an electronic fuel cut that clicks on at about 6,500 rpm or higher. It doesn't allways happen though.

[meohmy01]

i fixed it. for some odd reason there was water in the distributor cap. really gave me a scare though.