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Honda Accord (1994-1997) Maintenance and Repair

1849 messages,  Last post on Apr 30, 2013 at 8:06 PM

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What is this discussion about? Honda Accord

Messages Page 180 of 185

#1789 of 1849 Re: 96 Honda Accord question. Intermittent RPM jumps, Speed at 15 all the time. [jimdempster] by hondasarefun

Feb 22, 2012 (11:12 pm)

Replying to: jimdempster (Feb 22, 2012 10:44 pm)
Sorry about not giving the full details and thank you for your prompt response. 96 honda accord 4cyl. Auto. The speedometer is stuck at 15mph at all times since VSS has been replaced. the RPMs failed with the speedometer at the same time but then came back after resetting the computers Via Pos to Neg post on the battery. That was about 6 months ago. The Rpms have not become an issue untill now. just been dealing with no speedometer (i have other hondas from the same year and the year before so i go by RPMs and gear.)The RPM issue has been occurring more frequently for the past week or so and occurs at operating temperatures. If it has to do with fuel aswell then it could be a clogged fuel filter. Its due for a change. I will Check out the Vacume line at the earliest possible moment.

#1790 of 1849 Re: 96 Honda Accord question. Intermittent RPM jumps, Speed at 15 all the time. [hondasarefun] by omarr

Feb 23, 2012 (6:40 pm)

Replying to: hondasarefun (Feb 22, 2012 8:46 pm)
Download a FSM from this site , http://hondatech.info/downloads/Auto/Manuals/Accord/
 
Be ahead of the game. Do not fall for the VSS as the problem, most likely not. to check the speed sensor, If the car maintains speed in cruise control the VSS is good. 15/!9 speedometer reading would tell me the speedometer head is bad. Junk yard 75/100 dollars.
 
Honda calls the speedometer cluster "Combination Gauge"

#1791 of 1849 Re: 96 Honda Accord question. Intermittent RPM jumps, Speed at 15 all the time. [hondasarefun] by omarr

Feb 23, 2012 (6:40 pm)

Replying to: hondasarefun (Feb 22, 2012 8:46 pm)
Download a FSM from this site , http://hondatech.info/downloads/Auto/Manuals/Accord/
 
Be ahead of the game. Do not fall for the VSS as the problem, most likely not. to check the speed sensor, If the car maintains speed in cruise control the VSS is good. 15/!9 speedometer reading would tell me the speedometer head is bad. Junk yard 75/100 dollars.
 
Honda calls the speedometer cluster "Combination Gauge"

#1792 of 1849 Headlights flickering and now not working by crissy78

Feb 25, 2012 (5:31 pm)

I have a 1994 Honda Accord and my headlights and DRL have been flickering and now neither work. Any suggestions?

#1793 of 1849 Radiator by ali32

Apr 01, 2012 (10:29 pm)

My car acted weirdly last day. It was heating up as I was running it. I parked it aside, waited for 10-15 mn till it cooled down and filled the radiator with water while engine was running. I started driving again as I am delivery driver for Dominoz so I had to drove all day and same thing happened again but this time there was a whistling sound coming from the reserve plastic water bottle next to radiator as the hot air was trying to escape and there was no fluid in the radiator down to bottom. My speedometer stopped working and ignition was gone for few minutes. The car was running in jerk and there were erratic moments. There is a clicking sound coming from the fan (not working but when I would turn A/C it would start working). It all happened in one day. I never had any problem in last 4-5 months except for alignment. I did flush my radiator Today and filled it with water. It didn't heat up but there were erratic moments (the pick/acceleration of the car was gone/dead ) while driving and fan was not working. Temperature gauge, rpm needle is still working but odometer is not.
Any suggestions plz ?

#1794 of 1849 Re: Radiator [ali32] by jimdempster

Apr 05, 2012 (2:27 am)

Replying to: ali32 (Apr 01, 2012 10:29 pm)
Heating issues are really serious, as I'm sure you know. IF the engine gets overheated, the piston rings WILL become annealed (soft) and will no longer seal against oil, so you will start burning oil. The only solution is to replace the piston rings, which means a complete engine rebuild - don't let this happen to you by running the engine hot.
 
The whistling sound you heard may indicate that the water level inside the radiator/engine dropped enough to allow steam to form (like a steam kettle). When the pressure rises above the pressure setting of the radiator cap, steam is ejected (making quite a mess). This can be caused by two things: 1) the coolant level leaks below that needed to cool the engine, or 2) the engine is severly overheated and the coolant is ejected through the coolant overflow tank.
 
I thinking #1 is more likely: you lost coolant, so you had 1/2 water, 1/2 steam pocket. The temperature gauge sensor needs to be immersed to read the coolant temperature accurately. If there is only steam on the temperature gauge, it doesn't read the temperature right.
 
You are at risk of blowing the engine, so this needs to be fixed before you drive the car anymore - no more delivery until this is fixed (or you will have no car).
 
First, putting water in the radiator is only a temporary solution - you should always mix in the correct proportion of coolant - the coolant has anti-corrosive additives. Water alone will rust the engine in short order and cause additional overheating - get this fixed right away.
 
Second, only put in the right coolant: the old days of using one 'green' colored coolant are over. You need to use a Honda approved coolant (it will say so on the side of the bottle). It varies by year, so you must ASK to make sure you are using the right coolant. For example, using the wrong cooland in a GM vehicle will destroy the engine by clogging - be careful.
 
Third, always use distilled water: if you don't (or use hose water), you will get hard water deposits (whitish deposits) on the inside of the radiator - just like you get with a tea kettle or a steam iron. IT WILL plug up your radiator and your car will over heat (maybe that's what has already happened). There are services that will 'boil out' the radiator (at a radiator shop), but they generally won't boil out the engine (you should ask). The only way to boil out both is to use a Prestone Part A/Part B cleaner (it is NOT a flush, it is an acid cleaner with neutralizer). You can flush with hose water, but then you must completely drain the engine of the rinse water. Honda engines have a hidden drain plug on the back of the engine for this purpose. "Draining the coolant" at the radiator only removes about 1/2 of the coolant - you must remove the hidden bolt to get the rest.
 
The problem: you must get to it from under the car, and it is frequently VERY difficult to remove (I used a 3/4 breaker bar, both feet, and 6-POINT socket, or you will strip the bolt). If you can't get the bolt out, you may be able to rinse the radiator will many gallons of distilled water (they are under $1/gal) if needed, and then put in pure coolant (resulting in about 50/50 distilled water remaining in the engine and pure coolant).
 
Fourth, this is the time to replace the thermostat and O-ring, and if you have a high mileage car, the temperature sensor (they do wear out eventually).
 
Five, pressure test the system after replacing the coolant/thermostat/sensor. Kragen may have a coolant pressure tester you can borrow, or go to Harbor Freight Tools to obtain an inexpensive one. The tester needs to be pumped up to 12 psi or so - the pressure should hold for several hours. Inspect the car for leaking hoses, radiator, engine gaskets, etc. This is probably how you lost coolant to begin with. Check the oil too: if you see a chocolate-colored liquid inside the oil, you have a broken head gasket.
 
I would had said you had a blown head gasket, but apparently the car runs at normal temperature when the radiator is full of coolant - that's good.
 
The ignition system can be clogged with radiator coolant when the steam was coming out of the overflow tank - dry out the distributor and ignition coil wires. Look for the speed sensor - if it is wet with coolant, it could cause the speedometer to fail temporarily. Same with the fan relay - the fan is triggered by the temperature sensor; it is a good idea to replace and make sure the electrical connections are clean. Just make sure everything is dry, and remove any coolant that might have been sprayed inside the engine compartment (hosing the engine compartment down might be good too, because coolant has a tendency to remove paint if left on too long).
 
If you still have problems after cleaning and drying the engine compartment & sensors, then you might have two problems: a) coolant system, and b) electrical system (fan, fuel injector system).
 
Don't ignore this - it will get worse.

#1795 of 1849 Help!! 94 Honda Accord EX by jennifer_r

Apr 19, 2012 (5:17 pm)

Bought my car in January, Went for inspection in March and failed Emissions bad. Changed CAT and O2 sensor and check engine light went out. About 2 weeks later the car started acting up. It hesitates when accelerating from a stop, sometimes backfires but not loud, just pops. Just seems like loss of power when hitting the gas. The RPM's seem to hesitate when hitting 3000 at about 35-40 MPH. Idles fine, doesn't overheat, hasn't stalled out or flipped off, haven't had any problems turning the car over, maybe twice since I bought it but turned over both times on second try and check engine light is off. Also put in new spark plugs and wires a few days ago, as well as changed fuel filter. Which by the way, it looked as though it was never changed. Thought maybe the fuel injectors were clogged so put cleaner in the gas 2 days ago. I'm at a loss and don't know what it could be. Also checked out the distributor cap (plastic piece) no corrosion at all. However looking while looking for the screws to unscrew the cap underneath there was built up that was yellow and brown. Don't know if that's anything but the inside of the cap itself wasn't cracked or corroded. Checked the fuse box in the car and both boxes under the hood on passenger side and they were all good. I don't know much about cars any ideas?

#1796 of 1849 Re: Help!! 94 Honda Accord EX [jennifer_r] by jennifer_r

Apr 20, 2012 (12:21 pm)

Replying to: jennifer_r (Apr 19, 2012 5:17 pm)
After changing the CAT and O2 sensor, I went back to get it reinspected and it passed in March. Sorry I forgot to put that in.

#1797 of 1849 Re: Help!! 94 Honda Accord EX [jennifer_r] by omarr

Apr 20, 2012 (12:58 pm)

Replying to: jennifer_r (Apr 20, 2012 12:21 pm)
My first thought is that the symptoms are fuel related.
 
Check the fuel pressure 30 to 37 psi
 
Service Manual Download PDF
 
http://hondatech.info/downloads/Auto/Manuals/Accord/
 
Honda 94 Accord Coupe Shop Manual CD7_CD9
Procedure page11-79

#1798 of 1849 Re: Help!! 94 Honda Accord EX [omarr] by jennifer_r

Apr 20, 2012 (8:42 pm)

Replying to: omarr (Apr 20, 2012 12:58 pm)
Thanks I'll have to check it out

Messages Page 180 of 185

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