I will give 20 dollars if you can fighure this out.

[1988starter]

Ok my car is doing something weird often when it gets to 3K rpm it will tick and sometimes it will stutter when it is under 3K it happens more frequently when my headlights are on. My timing is right on I have recently replaced my plugs twice and wires my cap and rotor are only 6 months old no red stuff inside it does it with and without my msd ignition I have replaced me alternator and added an ajustiable fuel pressure regulator had the problem before and after that. My o2 sensors are about six months old and I have a new fuel filter. I also have a new PCV valve and my air filter is clean. BTW it is an 88 LXi I have tryed advancing my timing and retarding it. I have tryed over gapping my plugs under gapping them and putting them right on I have tryed all octains of gas includeing 93 with octain boost. and I just had my tranny rebuilt and have had a new clutch installed. Any ideas guys?

[mig88lxi]

they might have fucked up the engine when they rebuilt the tranny, my last honda had some ticking before it gave out. I hope thats not the case with yours, check ur regulator, u could also have a short somewhere

[1988starter]

did that before they rebuilt the tranny you mean the fuel pressure regulator

[socal3rdgen]

could it be your valves tapping. that what i was on my car. i tryed to fix it. i did but i fucked one valve up so it still makes noise but a different one now i have to troubleshoot it somemore

[1988starter]

All my valves are in specks I have ajusted them checked them and checked them again it did it before and after I did them.

[rocky2]

I would for the hell of it ,put a entire distribter in it for a little bit. I'm not sure how HONDA has the signal for the injectors to open. But if there like a 3.0 mopar v-6 mitzo engine theres like a digital signal that comes from a plate with tiny holes it it that recieves a beam light something like a CD player to the injectors. It would be of course a boneyard one.

[2old_honda]

have you checked your compression?

[1988starter]

havent checked the compression yet `

[shepherd79]

i would say it is your ignitor or distributor.
Ignitor located on the side of the distributor (EFi engines).
try swaping another distributor.
i had the same problem and after i droped another distributor it got fixed.

[rocky2]

Also check your injector wiring!! And your grounds. Valve cover to frame...battery....run a code check to

[Cloud892dr]

did you check or replace the coil?

Mike. D

[1988starter]

I have tryed both using an accel coil and a msd blaster 2 coil

[Cloud892dr]

did you do a diagnostic check yet? it could be a bad sensor.

[1988starter]

That is what I am currently in the process of dooing along with getting a new distributer.

[Cloud892dr]

that would be your best bet for the moment, it sounds like it could be a sensor, BUT if it's not a sensor, keep troubleshooting you'll eventually find the problem.

it could also be:

Distributor( a common problem with our Honda's) or
cat. converter could be clogged or
the EGR is all gummed up

Good Luck

[89LXiCoupe]

Maybe you could just have a loose screw holding the header. This happened to me once before.

[1988starter]

I just put on a new highflow cat less than a year ago

[Greg]

My girlfriend's 86 LXI has a stutter at idle and loses power sometimes -- more at certain rpm than others. I changed the fuel filter recently, and I think it's a spark thing, not fuel. Maybe a bad egr?

How is your car at idle? does it have a little stutter that feels like an occasional miss?

I'm thinking that on hers it's either a leak somewhere or an ignition thing.

I am going to test like EVERY SINGLE THING on the ignition system in the next few days w/my multimeter, replace whatever is out of spec, and then see how it is after that.

There was a TSB about something like wiring to the coil and some other stuff that recommended changing some wires and adding some weird stuff. It's on this board somewhere. It regards 3G LXI's hesitating at cold starts.

Anyway, I'll keep hunting down my problem (sounds similar), and I'll tell you what I find. I personally don't want to start dropping big bucks on changing everything like you're doing, so I'm going to kill the time testing everything instead.

[Haolerot]

MY CAR DOES THE EXACT SAME SHIT. When i hit 3rpm it starts making a ticking sound. It goes away when i hit 5rpm. I dont know why yours makes that sound when the headlights are on...i think its my valves tapping...

[Haolerot]

Hey maybe a screw is just loose on the headlight housing or something!!

[AZmike]

Have you checked the alternator mounting bolts, pulley, etc.? That might explain why having the lights on (exta electrical load) makes it happen more frequently.

[1988starter]

Well I fixed it just one ned injector resistor and one new distributer. Yea my car is damn smooth again. It was really bugging me because I am still breaking in my new clutch and tranny.