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Honda Accord (1976-1989) Maintenance & Repair

1356710

Comments

  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    The "Brake Lamp" indicator on the dashboard is to let you know you have a taillamp/brakelamp burned out (this feature is in my 1996 Accord also, and only illuminated when a brake lamp burned out. Check your brakelights and see if all of them illuminate. If you have already checked the brakelights and they all illuminate, I don't know what the problem would be. Hope this helps!
  • annc1annc1 Member Posts: 4
    RECENTLY MY CAR WAS DRIVING FINE. I LET THE GAS GET DOWN LOWER THAN USUAL SO I FILLED IT UP, DROVE IT ABOUT 5 MILES THEN PARKED IT FOR 2 DAYS. WHEN I STARTED IT UP IT RAN KIND OF ROUGH, IT NEVER DID THAT BEFORE, THEN DIED. IT WILL START BUT AS SOON AS THE BRAKE IS APPLIED IT DIES. I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS WATER IN THE GAS I JUST BOUGHT SO I PUT A CAN OF B-12 IN IT. THAT WASN'T IT. DO YOU THINK IT COULD BE THE FUEL PUMP? BY THE WAY I HAVE A 1989 HONDA ACCORD LXI WITH ABOUT 100,000 MILES ON IT
  • podunk503podunk503 Member Posts: 45
    just bought this car then found out the headlights do not work on low beams. replaced lights, still didn't work. replaced fuses now the pass side low beam works but still not the driver's side. any ideas? high beams work though. also come to find out no heat blows from vents. could there be a fuse for this? the fan works just no heat. your feedback is greatly appreciated.
  • cdrw62cdrw62 Member Posts: 2
    I'm an original owner of a 1989 Honda Accord, has 230M miles, transmission replaced about 7 years ago. On a recent cross country trip I was on the highway and shifted from 4th to 5th. I had no problems getting into 5th but the RPM's went up and car started to slow down. I quickly went back down to 4th and drove until my next gas stop in 4th. After the fillup, I shifted into 5th and this time no problems. However, after the next gas stop, the problem resurfaced and I haven't been able to use 5th gear since. 1st through 4th and reverse appear to be fine. Is it simply that 5th gear is broken? I never heard any grinding and I never got a warning that something was wrong before the first appearance of the problem (e.g., no trouble getting into 5th). Could it be a clutch problem? I read earlier posts trying to see if anyone else wrote about similar problem and didn't see any. Also, a mechanic said that if it is just 5th gear that needs to be replaced, he can access through a panel near 5th gear and won't need to drop the transmission. Does that sound right? I just want to make sure I'm not being hooked in by a promise of an easy fix and then have him switch the story later by saying "well, SOME 5th gear repairs can be done from the access panel, but your's we had to drop the transmission". Does this access panel for 5th gear actually exist? Thanks!!!
  • lacey44lacey44 Member Posts: 1
    my son is trying to get his accord on the road. he is missing the repair manual that came with the car. he is trying to replace the tensior belt , but he can't seem to locate how to remove it. Can anyone please give me some help with this. Thank you so much for any help received.
  • mrbill1957mrbill1957 Member Posts: 823
    Do you mean the timing belt?

    Mrbill
  • alphasooneralphasooner Member Posts: 1
    The problem I am having is this. After I have been driving for about 15 minutes I've noticed that when I lightly depress the gas pedal the rpm's will drop by @200-400 and then will accelerate to the correct rpm. This causes the car to become jerky when accelerating at low rpm's(i.e. after coasting down a steep hill and then press accelerator). Also, the car will start fine on the first start, but on successive attempts it may or may not start for 15-30 minutes. Any help would be great. Thank you.
  • a3ona3on Member Posts: 3
    for any person including you owning an older honda late 80s, the gas needs to be applied to start these cars some of the time, if it is warm it run fine same with mine, also in cold you have to give it some gas to start it, i suggest that you hold the gas slightly to get it into gear running this is the same with my car as well sometimes any more questions email me
  • a3ona3on Member Posts: 3
    yes it is supposed to idle like that many older cars do that(my dads bronco) so they warm up and stay running especially in cold weather o and d-3 means that it only allows the transmission to shift no higher than 3rd gear so i suggest staying in d-4 as for the piece i have no idea if it came with the car or is a factory part i would leave it a lone untill you come across more information any q's email me
  • a3ona3on Member Posts: 3
    it is supossed to idle high read post #110
  • cbrady28cbrady28 Member Posts: 1
    The alternator on my 1989 Honda Accord recently broke and while attempting to remove it, I found that it was impossible to get it removed. Please note that the alternator is COMPLETELY disconnected, however, there are no openings for the alternator to come out of. Also, the car has everything required for Cali. emissions, so there are "extra" objects in the way. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! *I also own two manuals for the car, and neither manual expresses that I should have any problem removing the alternator at all.*
  • bmagic408xxbmagic408xx Member Posts: 1
    If you find the solution, let me know. I have an 87 accord lx and the low beams don't work. When I turn on the high beams, the passenger comes on fine, but the driver comes on dim. Checked the fuses, none are blown. Replaced the lights, same problem.
  • podunk503podunk503 Member Posts: 45
    yeah, see both my high beams worked but only the passenger low beam would come on. so anyhow looking around under the hood near all the wires by each light i found that there was this wire running from the driver to the passenger light. so took out the whole passenger light , pulled back all the wires and covers, that wire was broke. reconnected it now both low beams work. i think previous owner may have rigged it this way but it doesn't bother me just so long that they both work. so this is just a fix for now nothing factual to really help you, sorry. but, good luck.
  • stackittstackitt Member Posts: 2
    Hi - I have a 1987 accord Lxi 5 speed manual and had the exact same thing happen to mine during a long distance trip from Arizona to Oregon. Same exact symptoms - was driving in 5th gear and suddenly it felt as if it went into neutral, and I quickly shifted down to 4th. There never was any grinding before or never any problems with the transmission. I called the dealership and they simply instructed me to limp it back to oregon - which I did.

    I've never took it into the mechanic as phone quotes to "crack the case" was starting at $1500 just to get into the tranny. The dissapearing 5th gear occured 3 years ago - and i've never had an additional problem with the transmission since. I simply drive it as if it was a 4 speed.

    Im also extremly curious to know if anyone has resolved this 'broken 5th gear'..and how they fixed it. The car has too many miles on it to spend thousands to fix one gear (it's at 309K :)) and drives great still!).
  • cdrw62cdrw62 Member Posts: 2
    I ended up having it fixed. The problem was a slow transmission fluid leak (I think they said I had about 1 1/2 of the normal 2 1/2 quarts, so I lost a quart). Since 5th gear sits up away from the other gears, it's more susceptible to problems when the fluid level gets low. They were able to access 5th gear through the "panel" and without dropping the transmission. The gears were pretty effed up. Cost to replace 5th gear (two gear parts I think) and replace the seals that were leaking was $650. It's been running great since (I've driven about 1000 miles in 5th since).
  • stackittstackitt Member Posts: 2
    Hi maybe someone can help.. when installing a aftermarket radio I had the brilliant idea to test for constant power wire by touching to metal chasis on car. Needless to say - i saw a spark from wire (what i wanted) - but in doing so - it shorted something out.

    The constant power wire is now powerless and the electrical switches for the A/C, INside air circulation-outside air circulation, and fan vent switches (defraust, vent, heater, hi-lo) do not work (it is stuck on vent). There must be something common electrical to the radio and the fan air direction switches (fuses fine btw) -but what??

    thanks for any help or ideas. Perhaps a box or relay on the fuse panel was blown? or some unknown fuse under the dash? help :))
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    yeah, it's those ideas that can cost ya.

    me thinks the best way to do an aftermarket radio is to get the proper wiring harness / connector for the vehicle. nobody cuts and wraps these days do they?

    get yourself familiar with the fuse box locations and visually check them all. use a VOM meter on Ohms if you want with the fuse out. a VOM / multimeter can be had at a autoparts or Lowes or HomeDepot for very little money.

    next time, use a VOM to check for power.

    still, you don't want to be grabbing at any wire to power your device. there is a circuit for it. better to go with a harness.

    p.s. look online for a wiring diagram or in a Haynes/Chilton manual.
  • blankerlblankerl Member Posts: 3
    Hello everyone. :D
    Glad to find this forum. Recently bought an 89 DX. It's in amazing shape except for a couple issues.

    1. When starting from a stand still car will stall. It does end up going but I do not take any chances when merging into another road. It has a carb. I have checked the vacuum lines and changed the air filter.

    2. Trans shifts very hard. To the point where you here it "clunk" into gear. It will also seem to staty in some gears to long.

    3. Is it normal for the radiator overfill container to have boiling hot water in it after stopping. I have literally heard it bubbling. I did have the radiator flushed because of brown sludge in it. It did the boiling thing before and after the flush.

    Any advice is greatly appreciated.
    Thanks, Rich
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    2. Trans shifts very hard. To the point where you here it "clunk" into gear. It will also seem to staty in some gears to long.

    Older Honda autos always shifted very "firm", but if you think it is abnormal, you might get the transmission flushed...it isn't cheap though, so I don't know how badly you want to get the transmission running smoothly again.
  • mrbill1957mrbill1957 Member Posts: 823
    I have an 88 Accord, and yes, the trans shifts real hard. I really need to change the fluid.

    Did you check the PCV valve? Mine actually lost the ball inside, which caused a big vaccuum leak. The valve is on one end of the upside down U shaped line under the front bracket for the air cleaner.

    Mrbill
  • me2butch4ume2butch4u Member Posts: 17
    I have an 88 accord with automatic transmission. Car has 60,000 original miles on it and runs and drives like brand new. Mechanic says tranny is gone. Car sat for over a year and I put it in the shop to have all fluids changed and have the timing belt replaced. When mechanic took it for a test drive, he said that it wont go into reverse and it wont shift into over drive. Could this be a sitting around problem or is tranny probably gone?

    Next question: If it is gone, what trannies can I put ito it? Must it be from an accord and of the same year? Does anyone know what is interchangable without modifications?
    Thanks
    Deb
  • imabillyimabilly Member Posts: 2
    Yes, You can get it at the honda dealership parts center.
    It has to be a true honda dealership center. Not a "We carry parts" but more like "We are a honda dealership"

    As a fair warning. The part is not cheap at all but they can get it (I got one and it was about 156 dollars.)

    I tried rewiring it also and it did not help. Unless you know how to soder chips you are basically stuck with getting a new one.
  • imabillyimabilly Member Posts: 2
    I myself have a 89 accord. I have had my fair share of issues. First yes it is supposed to idle high when you start it. Read the owners manual it tells you that "Wait for the car to warm up and press the accelerator slightly to decrease idle". Every carburated (i can't spell) car i have ever owned has done this.

    It warms up in under 2 minutes so I wouldn't really worry about it (or basically after your fan turns on twice it is totally warmed up).

    Mine even idled low. So i tweaked the screw a tiny bit to get it to idle at 500-700 rpms and have had no issues since.
  • mrbill1957mrbill1957 Member Posts: 823
    If it was my car, I would drive it a while to see if the problem clears itself. I'm thinking that something is just sticking, and once it's driven a while, it may clear itself.

    Mrbill
  • me2butch4ume2butch4u Member Posts: 17
    While it was there, (before this problem was discovered), I had him service the transmission. I purchased the car from a guy who moved and left the car in storage. I was not able to test drive the car before purchase because the altinator was seized up, but I was able to start it and hear it run. The guy I bought it from did not say anything about the tranny being gone. I don't think he took me for a ride, as he was open about other little things that were wrong with the car.
  • me2butch4ume2butch4u Member Posts: 17
    I have a 1988 honda accord, 4cyl, automatic and need a used tranny. Does anyone know what will go in it without modification? Do I have to use same modle and year? I have an opportunity to buy one that came out of an 88 Prelude. It is a "K4" transmission. Does anyone know if this will work for my Accord?
    Thanks
    Deb
  • churickchurick Member Posts: 16
    Is a Choke Coil the same thing as a choke diaphram. I went to Napa after work one day to get a price on a choke coil for a 1988 4dr 2.0 lx accord. the guy told me there was no such thing. Or is there another name for a choke coil or maybe someone has a part # for the Choke Coil...
  • rcc8179rcc8179 Member Posts: 131
    The transmissions of that era shifted pretty harshly (I also had an '89 DX). It might not hurt to get the fluid changed, but NEVER -- I repeat NEVER -- use anything but Honda transmission fluid. You will probably need to get it changed at a dealer, but should be less than $100 for drain/fill.

    I didn't have any of the oher problems you mentioned. But for the bubbles in the radiator overflow, there may be a leak in the system that is letting air in (and pressure escape, thus the boiling water). I would check the radiator cap first.

    Good luck. Mine was a good car--I sometimes wish I still had it.
  • pkgman2pkgman2 Member Posts: 13
    I have the same issue with both my older accords, WHEN i have just water in the coolant... I think its the same as my minivan, these run hot enough to boil the water, (over 212)_ and with antifreeze mixed in it raises the boiling point enough to get past the bubbling..
    All i know is when i added even a little coolant, the bubbling stopped. Also, a local radiator specialty company suggests only distilled water in with the coolant, due to the different metals, it will protect much longer and better, without the corrosion.

    Jeff ;)
  • pkgman2pkgman2 Member Posts: 13
    Anyone got the valve clearance for intake and exhaust valves on the 87-88 accord?

    Thanks,
    Jeff
  • annc1annc1 Member Posts: 4
    I OWN A 1989 HONDA ACCORD. YESTERDAY I WENT TO START IT AND NOTHING. NO LIGHTS NO BELLS NO NOTHING. I CHANGED THE BATTERY BUT THAT WASN'T THE PROBLEM. I CANNOT GET IT OUT OF GEAR TO HAVE IT TOWED TO A SHOP. ANY SUGGESTIONS?
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    bad ignition switch, or main relay?
  • seastar1960seastar1960 Member Posts: 3
    88 accord dx it,s me jim seastar1960@yahoo.com having troubles again with trans. did a few mouths age and fluid was low fill it and hour later working great . now doing it again fluid find trying not to catch into gear leaving it in automatic when taking off at light. but will work just find if i do it manualy first,second,drive. think this time i need to have somebody look at it. looking to get rid of it only because me daughters drive it and i don,t trust it anymore. my in-laws are selling me a toyota corolla 97 in great shape. so i was thinking of getting rid for that reason. before this happen any suggestions jim
  • blankerlblankerl Member Posts: 3
    Hey folks,
    I have an 89dx that has a squealing water pump. I have flushed the radaitor and the water pump is new. It squeals when you first start it...usually after sitting overnight or all day at work. It stops after about 2 minutes. What causes it?
  • mrbill1957mrbill1957 Member Posts: 823
    If the pump is new, then I doubt the noise is coming from it.

    My guess is one of your drive belts is a little loose.

    Mrbill
  • jam777jam777 Member Posts: 6
    Yeah I have pretty much the same car, except 3dr Ex (australia)... perhaps that's the same as Dx.. Auto.

    I just got my tansmission serviced (oil change) a few days ago and told the mechanic there that on the highway going 100km/h.. probably around 60mph, that the car sounded like it was changing to a higher gear and back constantly, even though it was already in 4th.
    He adjusted something so the car would hold the gear it's in for longer. Now the car changes gears at higher revs and also jerks a bit, however on the highway it stays in "5th"... which I also found out was some kind of converter, not an actual gear. It used to change gears at much lower revs but was smoother... perhaps you can get yours adjusted.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    however on the highway it stays in "5th"... which I also found out was some kind of converter, not an actual gear.

    That's your torque converter, most conventional automatics come with them these days.
  • jam777jam777 Member Posts: 6
    (#1)Ever since my late '85 3rd gen. Auto trans was rebuilt in '96, the auto has been acting strange whenever it's cold. It either holds gears until about 3-3.5 thousand revs then jolts into gear or changes into its highest gear uphill going 20mph, depending on some random factor. To avoid damaging the engine I manually put it into 2nd, then at certain speeds, put it into Neutral then back into drive resulting in it changing to the right gear.
    It's just a bit of a hassel and I'm wondering if anybody else is experiencing this and what they did about it.

    (#2)Has anybody noticed that Honda ball joints wear out fast?

    (#3)Does anybody own an accord that has gone through more than 1 engine rebuild? How long do they last? According to my grandmother's records (excuse the pun).. mine recieved a new head gasket after a mere 85k miles and soon after a new ring & piston set. That was 9 years ago, when it was 11 years old and it's showing signs of needing a new engine soon.
    It sounds and runs smoothly and economically, however it's using about a qart of oil per 600 miles or a litre per 1000km. With 5 people and A/C... the engine can barely move it. The compression must be pretty bad and I've found there's no point in using a lower gear up hills or to overtake, as the car loses speed. After 2.5k revs, the power doesn't really increase. It reads about 170'000 miles now and I'm just wondering how much might be left.

    I'm very interested to know how other accords are running at the moment and how they go after a rebuilt engine. I know this car is getting old and I can't expect much more, but my car fascinates me.

    Thanks a bunch for your input!
  • jam777jam777 Member Posts: 6
    So what's the idea behind a torque converter? Does it only come into use in the car's highest gear?
  • jam777jam777 Member Posts: 6
    Just another thing I forgot to add. Whenever I stop at a red light I have to put the car into Neutral because of how much it starts shaking at revs under 1000, but the revs in drive are supposed to be under 1000. My nan says apparently it's been doing it since it was new, but my friend's accord doesn't do this, or the high revs when it's cold and the tranny is normal, however it doesn't use the torque converter.
    One more thing! I was wondering how high the manual revs in 5th gear at say 60mph. The auto is about 2.4 k.
  • thegraduatethegraduate Member Posts: 9,731
    Yes, the torque converter only "locks-up" in the highest gear of the transmission (5th in my 2006, 4th in my 1996).

    Here's an explanation from "howstuffworks.com:"

    A torque converter is a type of fluid coupling, which allows the engine to spin somewhat independently of the transmission. If the engine is turning slowly, such as when the car is idling at a stoplight, the amount of torque passed through the torque converter is very small, so keeping the car still requires only a light pressure on the brake pedal.

    If you were to step on the gas pedal while the car is stopped, you would have to press harder on the brake to keep the car from moving. This is because when you step on the gas, the engine speeds up and pumps more fluid into the torque converter, causing more torque to be transmitted to the wheels.

    In addition to the very important job of allowing your car come to a complete stop without stalling the engine, the torque converter actually gives your car more torque when you accelerate out of a stop. Modern torque converters can multiply the torque of the engine by two to three times. This effect only happens when the engine is turning much faster than the transmission.
    At higher speeds, the transmission catches up to the engine, eventually moving at almost the same speed. Ideally, though, the transmission would move at exactly the same speed as the engine, because this difference in speed wastes power. This is part of the reason why cars with automatic transmissions get worse gas mileage than cars with manual transmissions.

    To counter this effect, some cars have a torque converter with a lockup clutch. When the two halves of the torque converter get up to speed, this clutch locks them together, eliminating the slippage and improving efficiency.


    This "locking-up" is what feels like a final shift or an "extra gear"; this makes your RPMs lower and improves your fuel efficiency.
  • jam777jam777 Member Posts: 6
    Thanks, that's very interesting.
  • blankerlblankerl Member Posts: 3
    Hello,

    In reply to my sqealing water pump and boiling overflow...I replaced the radiator and everything is working great. I put 400 miles on the old car this weekend. Running like a champ...or atleast like an old honda with a 2b carb.

    Rich
  • ogre34ogre34 Member Posts: 2
    I have a very strange situation. I have a 1985 Honda Accord with only 70,000 actual miles on it. In the last few months it has needed a new thermostat and fuel pump and now something else. Just after we replaced the fuel pump it started running out of gas with the gauge saying 1/4 tank was left, and we could only fill it up 3/4 of a tank. Then it moved up to 1/2 tank, and the car stopped running or starting but the tank only held another 1/2 tank. Now it is up to 3/4 of a tank before it dies and we can only put in 3 gallons of gas to fill it up. Does anybody know why this would be?

    I called the place that fixed the fuel pump and they thought it might be the vacuum hose, but it was something he had never heard of before. Any help? Thank you.
  • ogre34ogre34 Member Posts: 2
    I just noticed this similar problem to the one I posted. I have the exact same problem which is now getting worse. I also had just replaced the fuel pump. Did you ever get this fixed? or discover what was wrong? the mechanic that installed my pump said he couldn't have done it wrong, but he's in St. Louis and I'm in Phoenix. He didn't offer any other reasonable ideas. Please lemme know!
  • rhubertyrhuberty Member Posts: 18
    Have 4 cyl 98 Accord EX....Purchased new, well maintained. 108K, trans fluid just changed, timing belt, water pump, etc. Notice a little surge (slip) at sharp stops - been doing this for a long time and it's so slight I never worried much about it. The average person might not even notice it. Like a little slip when shifing down.

    Lately, feel a more noticable slip during first upshift when accelerating. Not consistent, maybe every 9th, 10th acceleration. More often at first start up in AM but not consistent there either. Just dumped a good amount of money into vehicle in hopes of making it last another 100K.

    Any advice on what do do? Called Honda Service Advisor and they said "no major problems with that transmission / 108K miles. Usually would get a light indicating malfunction. Make sure fluid correct level" which I did...

    Any advice would be appreciated - am I on a slow boat to transmission failure?

    Thanks
  • bnicckbnicck Member Posts: 1
    I recently purchased a 1988 Honda Accord. I need to replace the head gasket. I am pretty mechanically inclined, but I am stumped. How can you get the intake unbolted from the head. I like to never got the exhaust manifold off. There is not enough room to get a wrench in under the intake. Do I have to unbolt the four bottom bolts from under the car somehow. The manual I bought is not very clear. The car still ran before I tore into it, but not very well. There is also a red residue in the radiator and all of the hoses. I don't know if the owner tried to run some kind of stop leak through the engine or not. Please help on how to get the intake unbolted because once I get it apart I want to be able to get it back together.

    Thanks,
    BNicck :confuse:
  • shanerm5shanerm5 Member Posts: 1
    Did you find out what the problem was? I am having the same problems. My radio and ac/vent is not working. I thought it was the ignition switch but when I replaced it it worked for a week or two and then stopped working again. Any info on this problem would be greatly appreciated.
  • me2butch4ume2butch4u Member Posts: 17
    I have an '88 Accord with 65,000 miles on it. It recently developed an issue with the power steering. When it is idling at low rpms, the steering is binding up; It also does this when I am trying to turn a corner at slow speeds. When stopped, if I try to turn the steering wheel, it is binding up and if I force it, it will turn but not smoothly, rather it jumps from one position to the next as I steer. If I hold slight pressure on the wheel without forcing it, It surges. The wheel will bounce. I don't know if it is a coincidence or not, but around the same time this started, I am hearing a clicking on the left front when I take left turns. It is clicking at the rate the wheels are turning, (faster I go, the faster it clicks, the slower I go, the slower it clicks).

    So far, I have replaced all belts and the fluid is up to the full mark. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am poor college student who does my own repairs and I would like to know if it is something I can fix on my own. thanks a bunch
  • mrbill1957mrbill1957 Member Posts: 823
    I also have an 88 Accord, and also had the steering bind. I replaced one of the axles and the problem was fixed.

    The clicking is a failing CV joint. A complete axle isn't that bad to replace, and rebuilt units are well under $100

    Mrbill
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