Creating a quick post on a fix that saved my A$$ this last week. Thanks to dedens and the big buddy Shawn who helped me get through this!! I am indebted!
BACKGROUND:
- 7 day, 2000+ mile adventure in my 1982 Accord LX
- Recently replaced:
- Struts
- Axles
- Lower control arms
- Hubs
- Rotors and pads
- Oil pan and valve cover gaskets
- Was in the process of driving ~6 hours straight, @ 70 mph, through 90F heat + smoke in CA when...
ISSUE:
- BOOM! car all of a sudden started misfiring...
- Total loss of power at speed
- Temp gauge slowly climbing above 50% to ~75%
- Car would not maintain power under load
- Going flat or downhill was ok, but any slight incline in 4th or 5th gear would cause misfiring/backfiring, dut dut dut (see video)
TROUBLESHOOTING:
- Check the oil to ensure it wasn't the consistency of "milkshake"
- This would likely indicate a blown head gasket
- Newp. All good there:
- Check for any loose sparkplug wires at the block and at the distributor:
- Newp. All good there too
- Check for blown radiator hoses or any oil blowouts
- All good
- Check for vacuum leaks...
- This is tough to do without the correct tools and knowledge
FIX:
- Pinged the buddies, sent them the video of the issue and some good quality shots of the engine...
- The buddy Shawn spotted a possible vacuum leak at the base of the carbeurator:
- Recommended I patch it up with some gasket sealer
- I hobbled to Mt. Shasta at ~45mph, camped for the night then visited the autoparts store in the morning.
- Picked up some of this and slathered it around the base of the carb...
- And proceeded to drive ~6hours to Hood River and eventually all the way back to Seattle without a SINGLE ISSUE!
I will rebuild the carb and put new gaskets on it soon, but damn cool how these guys helped me out. Maybe this post will find you in trouble with your old Honda Accord and in need of a quick fix to get you back on the road.
Happy Honda'ing!
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