Honda Accord (1976-1989) Maintenance & Repair

wanger1

The 2.0 engine is notorious for leaking around the valve cover. I would check this first or just go ahead and replace the gasket. They don't cost much and it will eliminate the first check point. When you tighten the bolts on the valve cover, don't over do it. They only need about 7 to 8 lbs of torque.

churick

Is there anybody who knows where I can order a Choke coil. I don't live near a honda dealer and I have checked at all local car part stores (Napa, O-Rielly,advanced,etc) all of them tell me they can't find that part. I have looked online and found a choke diaphram. (Is this the same as a choke coil???) Or has anybody been able to buy one from a different source. I could go to a junk yard but I need to find what a choke coil looks like. I have a Haynes book for my honda and didn't find information in that about a choke coil.....

pkgman2

Parts america has them on line, (a division of shucks/krager auto) they call it a choke pull off

its 12.99 plus shipping

pkgman2

They do that as the choke coil ages i guess, i have an 87 and an 88 and they both do it at times. I've cleaned it up with carb cleaner or seafoam (great stuff) and it seems to flow better but about to replace the pull off.

the boiling, is probably from my experience a poor concentration of coolant, they run hot enough that straight water will boil, but the mix and a good radiator cap will up the boil point to keep it in check.. also, I have had WONDERFUL luck using distilled water in my mix, instead of tap water, and this stuff is still clear months later.

mrbill1957

The choke pulloff is not the same part as the choke coil. Collegehillshonda.com shows the choke coil, it's a $95 part.

Mrbill

pkgman2

Wow thankyou! for the correction, in my book and on the site it shows it as the same item..

Thats why I love this site... now I wish Icould find an aftermarket for that piece.

J

geoman123

84 Accord, 141300 miles, new air filter, 2 new fuel filters, new pcv valve, new spark plugs. It starts ok, idles vigorously ok, but it dies as soon as it is put in gear. Also the battery charge light never goes out.
There are many vacuum hoses and connections that seem to be ok. Where do I start? What is the most likely cause?

Also: has carburetor, auto transmission, ac that is not working because of a bad switch. But it ran with that before.

wanger1

If the charge or alternator light is not going out, it is most likely a bad alternator or battery or both. Take the alternator off and carry it to Advance Auto and have it checked. Wouldn't hurt to have the battery chacked as well. They don't charge anything to check them. It could also be that you have a vaccum hose loose somewhere. I'd check all the hoses and wires to the charging system first, before pulling the alternator. Good lucl.

cvidano

The arm for my windshield wiper broke off recently and I understand I need to replace the entire assembly with a new combination switch. What is the best way to get one of these short of ordering online ($200+)? I thought maybe visiting a salvage yard and finding a 3rd gen Accord Lxi and remove the switch (would cost less than ordering new?). Thanks for any guidance you can provide.

user777

i think the whole assembly here is $149:
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/prddisplay.jsp?inputstate=5&cat- cgry1=Accord&catcgry2=1987&catcgry3=4DR+LXI&catcgry4=KA4AT&catcgry5=STEERING+WHE- EL+SWITCH

i would think an internet search for steering wheel switch or combination sw might turn up something from a salvage yard for even less.

good luck.

wanger1

cvidano,

Go to "thepartsbin.com". They have the arms for $10.41 each, but I'm afraid the combination switch is $203.00, so it's not any better. Try doing a web search for import salvage yards. Good luck.

burreson

Daughter just bought a 89 Accord well maintained with records and receipts ran great at first!?! The problem is it's blowing smoke BAD (white) and taking a qt. oil every 100 miles or so! Could something be clogged that might cause this? Any ideas? Runs great otherwise! Thanks for any help!
burreson

wanger1

Depending on how many miles is on the car and how your daughter drives it, it could be a number of things causing it to burn oil. It could have blown a compression ring out on one cylinder, something could be clogged, but not likely, or it could have a valve guide out and be draining into one cylinder from the top. Did it use any oil before it started smoking? You might try replacing the PCV valve. Could be a quick fix and it's cheap, but other than this I don't know.

burreson

It did not use oil before. Thanks for the ideas at least it's a place to start!

kiawah

Ummh, you better be on the lookout for a blown headgasket. White smoke is an indicator of water being burned, Blue an indicator of oil. White is worse, as it will ruin bearings. I'd suggest getting a compression test on all of the cylinders, I think you'll find at least one has a problem. All cylinders low, would indicate a lot of normal wear and would expect to be potentially burning oil. One cylinder low or differences between the cylinders (high and low) with white exhaust would indicate blown head gasket, cracked head, etc.

Look for oil in the water (radiator), water in the oil (oil floats on water so you may not see it on the dipstick), loosing coolant, etc.

burreson

Thanks (I THINK!) that really doesn't sound very good! Pass this on to my husband and hope for the best! Thanks for all the help I really don't know alot about cars so any info is helpful!

anh3

88 accord dx, 230k miles, manual, carb. Hot idles fluctuates and doesn't hold, dies off... so i increased it to about 1200. engine wants to shut-off at hot idle, and everytime i turn the ignition off, the engine will turn one more time before it shuts off. nothing had been done to the carb except replacing the choke pull off.

wanger1

Check your timing and check for any vacuum hose leaks. The timing could be advanced too far and that would make it diesel or run on after you shut it off, but it could also be due to having the idle so high. As far as the idle goes, if you think it has to do with the carb, then I don't know. These cars are tempermental when it comes to carburation, but if it's a vacuum leak, then it would act somewhat like you are describing. Check the vacuum lines around the brake booster. They are notorious for leaking. Could be a number of things, if it is the carb causing the problem. Good luck.

Mr_Shiftright

I agree--check for vacuum leaks first off. These carbs are very hard to rebuild (very narrow passages inside make them difficult to get clean) so if all else fails, and you've checked for vacuum leaks, bad compression, done a thorough tune up and valve adjustment, etc., then you might have to spring for a new carb---which is quite expensive. I would not attempt to rebuild the old one.

nfs480

The steering wheel on my old 89 Accord vibrates whenever the car is idle in drive. Honda dealer says that the rear engine mount would have to be replaced to fix this problem but claims that it would be far too expensive to be worth it. He refused to give me an estimate and i'm just curious, how much should replacing the rear engine mount in an 89 Accord cost and what would be involved?

wanger1

The engine mount can be bought for $19.99 @ thepartsbin.com. They range from this price up to $54.95 on there, depending on the brand you buy. The labor is what cost so much. Mechanics get anywhere from $45.00 to $75.00 an hour depending on the job. It is not that hard to replace. You have to put a jack under the motor to hold the engine up while you remove and replace the mount. The hard part is the location of the mount. If it was a side or front mount, they are easy, but the rear one can be a bear to get out. It sounds like to me if he isn't willing to give you an estimate, he doesn't want to mess with it. Find another shop to do your repairs. I'm sure someone out there wants to make some money. Good luck.

nfs480

Thanks for the help, turns out there are bigger problems with the engine that they've found so I need to do $2000 in other repairs to keep the engine from dying in a few months. He says they have to remove the engine from the car to do so which to me makes it sound like that would include most of the labor for the engine mount anyway. So I guess I could talk him into doing that while he's at it.

chevyman63

Just brought a 89 accord 4cly,auto trans,carb with 50k true miles. Real weak coming thru 1st gear till we get to about 2300rpm. had a little cold spell (45-60) and power coming out of the hole seems much better. Is there an o2 sensor on the carb models? Anybody got any good ideas as to why weak power in the low end?

nfs480

According to Honda the exact problem with my accord ('89, Automatic, SE-I, 179000 miles) is that oil is leaking from the main seal and oil pan gasket. According to them this is a major problem and the car will not last more than a few months if I don't fix it. I'm going to have them go ahead and do it but I admit I don't exactly understand what all this means. What can you guys tell me about this issue?

thegraduate

I think you'd be upside down with the car spending $2,000 on a car not worth that much. I'd go car shopping.

mrbill1957

Is the car leaving puddles of oil wherever you park? If not, I question the doom and gloom statement that the car is only going to last a few months without the repairs. You can add alot of oil for $2000, and as long as you don't run the engine too low on oil, you should be able to continue driving the car "as is". The only bad leak I can think of is if the oil is leaking on the timing belt side. The oil will attack the belt, shorting it's life. That side of the engine can be serviced without pulling the engine out.

Mrbill

nfs480

I really do love the car, it has been a great car for as long as i've had it. But while it does leave very small puddles of oil wherever I park it really doesn't seem like that much. And I do check the oil frequently and it doesn't seem like the level drops that fast. It seems to be able to make it 3-4 months between oil changes without the level dropping too far. They wouldn't be starting on it until the end of next week and it does seem like he's backed down on the statement of doom. Now he says he wants to take it slow and see exactly which parts are broken. I'm starting to wonder if he was trying to scare me into buying a used car from him,

annc1

my car was runnung great until yesterday. it idles very smoothly ,but, as soon as i accelerate it starts to run a liitle rough and sometimes it acts like it wants to die but it never does. could this mean that i need a tune up?

chevyman63

Atta boy to the guys talking about seafoam cleaner along with plugs,wires cap and rotor sure has changed alot of this around

arlanb

I have a nice running 88 Accord, (carbuerated, 5-speed), that occasionally races at 2500 to 3500 rpm for about 15 minutes after starting, then slows down to idle on it's own.

This seems to be a random occurence,, independent of outside temp. etc. Today, while it was racing, I pulled the air cleaner, and progressively disconnected the vacuum lines from all five of the dashpots that seem to control the throttle, plugging each line as I took them off. The engine continued to race! As usual, it idled down after 15 minutes. Anybody had this problem?

8690honda

Just bought an 86 Accord LX (carb). After replacing fuel filters it starts great cold, but as soon as it gets warm enough to idle, it stalls out. You can pump the gas, no start. If you wait 5-10 min, pump gas, starts roughly, stays running a minute or so, then stalls. If i pour a shot of gas down the carb throat, it starts and idles a minute. I can hold it at 1500 or more rpm endlessly, but if you let it idle, it stalls. Any ideas? thanks

annc1

HELP! I HAVE REPLACED ALMOST EVERYTHING ON THIS CAR IN THE PAST 2 YRS. IT WAS RUNNING GREAT UNTIL IT STARTED LURCHING. IT ONLY DOES THIS AFTER THE MOTOR IS WARM. IT REALLY IS BAD AT STOP LIGHTS. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT NEEDED A TUNE-UP THAT WASN'T IT. I ALSO SMELL GAS RIGHT AFTER I START IT. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT ELSE I NEED TO REPLACE

wanger1

The car is either idling too low, (adjust idle screw) or you have a vacuum leak somewhere. These cars are real bad to develope vacuum leaks. Check all the hoses around the carb and at the vaccuum booster for the power brakes.

8690honda

I visually checked and checked with carb cleaner the vacuum lines everywhere, got no slowing of engine. I did adjust the idle speed up, and got the car to idle. However, if you turn the car off, it starts only with a lot of cranking, or after 5 min. of waiting. How do I know if the carb may be bad? thanks for the advice.

thomason

We have a 88 honda lx that has the engine changed, after that engine overheats. Had the same problem with the previous engine. Changed the thermostat, radiator, checked all fluids, hoses and radiator cap. Any help would be appreciated, cannot find the reason for the overheating

chucko3

Water pump?

corkscrew

A quick way to troubleshoot:
On a COLD engine remove the radiator cap and start the engine. If the coolant does not flow, bleed the air out of the system. If the coolant flows with bubbles, and/or smoke comes out the exhaust, suspect the head gasket. Replace the radiator cap and feel both upper and lower radiator hoses. If one hose is hotter than the other check the thermostat.

Regards
Corkscrew

8690honda

I've have the car where it runs normally, but if you step heavy on the gas, it speeds up, then stalls and dies. It will not restart immediately after dying, but if you wait 5 min. it starts and runs normally. I'm thinking I have loose dirt in the carb, and after it settles, the car again runs normal, until heavy throttle sucks the dirt back into jets, etc. Let me know if this sounds sensible, and any easy way to clean out? Car is not plated yet, so these are alleyway tests. I plan on taking to the open road, and see if some of this clears up. Car had plugged up fuel filter when purchased, wouldn't start at all....thanks

kiawah

Are your radiator fan's turning on?

wanger1

I have an 88 model that does this. Either the fuel filters are dirty or the strainer in the fuel tank is picking up dirt or water and clogging the rear filter.

chevyman63

Been playing with this one and got down to skipping the timing light and just tweeted the distriputer a little bit.

mrslate

1989 accord lxi 5-speed, loses power at any speed. tach goes immediately to zero. it can be restarted at once while still moving. it does this 3-4 times a week. also have brake indicator dash light that goes on when stepping on the brake after starting the car. it stays on until i turn the car off. brake bulbs are ok.

thegraduate

The "BRAKE" indicator lamp is not for the brakelights on the car. It indicates a problem with the brake system, or that the Emergency Brake is set. I don't know if the 1989 had this, but in the 1990-1997 models, there was a seperate indicator for "BRAKE LAMP" below the indicator for doors open. I can't help ya much, as I'm not a mechanic, just a multiple-Accord owner. Good luck, and welcome to the boards!

wanger1

The loss of power sounds like you may have a wire grounded somwhere. Check around the battery and also make sure the negative or ground is still attatch on the bolt to the valve cover. Check your brake fluid and look around the master cylinder to see if it's looseing brake fluid. If no, check around the rear wheel cylinders and the front calipers for leaking fluid. If no leaks then it's the light itself or the switch to the emergency brake sticking.

corkscrew

Does the brake pedal slowly sink to the floor when you are waiting for a red light to change, or do you pump the pedal to stop the car? These are symptoms of a bad master cylinder.
Regards
Corkscrew

thegraduate

Yep. Mine started to go in my 1996 Accord and I had it replaced before the light even came on. I'd get this "sinking" feeling everytime I sat at a light.

Good luck.

mrslate

Thanks for responding. No about the brake pedal. It's the "brake lamp" light that goes on and stays on. It's probably the switch under the dash, but that's $60 I don't need to spend now.

thomason

We have a 88 honda accord. Everything has been changed on it, plug wires carberator kit been in the shop three different times, rebuilt motor, When I say everything I mean everything to find out why it still has a miss to it. The idle has been set by three of the mechanics, the last one worked on the carberator and set the idle, the timing has been set, all has been according to specs but if it is idled up to keep it from dying at a stop sign then it is idling too fast in park. It has a miss in the engine sound but cannot find the problem, Help please

nfs480

Have you taken it to a Honda dealer? If not I would give that a try next. I had a miss with my 89 Accord and it was bad fuel injectors, but since yours is carburated than I'd assume it's carb related.

mrbill1957

Did you try the PCV valve? My 88 wouldn't idle, and after chasing what I thought was a vacuum leak, I found the little check ball inside the PCV valve was missing. That solved the problem for me.

Mrbill