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Honda Accord (1990-1993) Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • mcerron1mcerron1 Member Posts: 1
    sounds like you may have an intake gasket on the manifold that may be leaking.. or some other type of vacuum leak.... based on the fact that the duct tape helped improve the problem...
  • romie35romie35 Member Posts: 2
    I am looking at the response you have been getting and they are more costly than anything else, before you messes with you TCU please try the elimination process there are two solenoids one is the "shift solenoid" the other is the "lockup solenoid"
    the are part of the shifting process and if they are not communicating with the computer then the computer goes into safe mode and the car starts off in fourth gear instead of first gear, those solenoids’ are on the front of the transmission both have two bottle looking heads, it could also caused from faulty speed sensors which is on the front right side of the transmission and the other is on the back side just follow all the wires that is on the transmission both speed sensors are easy assessable when you take off the front RH wheel and remove the plastic guard, but before you do all this the D4 light flashing or stays on means there is a code set in the computer, to pull the code from the computer there is a blue plug behind the passenger kick panel (that plastic cover at the corner of the door bellow the glove box you need a small piece of wire to bridge the terminals, then switch on the key so the light in the instrument cluster comes on (do not start the car) watch the D4 light how many times it flashes long stroke means ten short stroke means one ( example: two long stroke and three short stroke means code 23) depends on how it flashes that is your code, after retrieving the code you can search online for Honda trouble codes were you will find the answer or if you have a service manual example: Hanes, Chilton and others) hope this helps. :)
  • lizz1234lizz1234 Member Posts: 13
    Hi. I have a 1990 Honda accord ex. When I turn on my headlights, the dash lights & my running lights take awhile to turn on--sometimes 20 minutes. I've narrowed the problem down to a bad fuse, but I'm not sure where the fuses are, nor how to tell which one is for the lights. Any suggestions?
  • gojacketsgojackets Member Posts: 23
    If it was a bad fuse, they would not come on at all - ever.

    Sounds more like a headlight relay

    If you want to check the fuses, there are two boxes on the '90 - one is under the hood next to the firewall on the passenger side. The box is labeled on the top for the fuse locations. The other box would be next to the driver's left leg behind the panel.
  • riccardo2riccardo2 Member Posts: 11
    The latch that releases and enables me to adjust the angle of my steering wheel on my 1991 Honda Accord EX has become frozen. I don't want to force it or I might damage it. Is there an easy way to release the latch? Is the steering system otherwise safe although frozen in this manner?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You might try to squirt some WD-40 in there. I've never seen one of these break---they are fairly sturdy, so unless you are an extremely strong person, I don't think a pair of human hands could bust one of these very easily. Sure, if you used a ten-foot pry par, yeah, but I think it's safe to put pressure on it.

    Work safely.
  • snowslsnowsl Member Posts: 1
    I was driving down the highway and the car went completely dead, no lights, nothing. What could be the problem? Incidently, when I push the brake pedal, the dash lights would dim, this was before it died this morning.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Hmmm....I wonder if your alternator had died and you were running for the last day on battery power? You might try charging the battery, tightening up the battery cables and see if it starts. If so, then I'd check the charging circuit.
  • tangelatangela Member Posts: 3
    I am looking for help on a few issues I am having with my 1990 Honda Accord.

    Recently I noticed that my Honda wouldn't let me take the key out of the ignition and thought it was the break switch which had broke off...this has sense been repaired. So now I still have some issues with it getting stuck..but if I wiggle it some it will eventually click into Park and let me take key out.

    Also the car seems to be shifting hard and the check engine light comes on at about 50 to 60 mph...it will then go out once the car is shut off and doesn't come back on until around 60 mph again....today the S light came on at the same time and was flashing. I replaced the TCU about 5 years ago....but when it went bad I couldn't get it to go into gear at all....the RPM's would rev up and I would be going down the road and it would change to a low gear...I haven't had those issues so far. When I shut the car off the S light didn't come back on again with the engine light?

    I attempted to find the blue connector thing under the passenger side so that I could find out what the check engine code was but was not successful in find it.

    While looking for that I noticed there is a wet floorboard on the passenger side found another issue....the windows have been fogging up more on the inside lately but the heat is still working. Would a leaking heater core be the issue and would that cause me issues with the TCU possibly?

    Trying to figure out how much more money I should put in this old car….I have already did a good bit of front end work and it still needs tires balanced and struts…

    Thanks for any info you can give on these issues!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I sent you an e-mail with a photo of the data link connection so that you can find it.

    Visiting Host
  • tangelatangela Member Posts: 3
    Thanks...I finally found it! The service code I am getting is 43...would that cause issues with the computers? I believe it is fuel system issues? If not what do I need to do to correct that? So you think the computers need to be replaced...because I am having some shifting issues? Would the S light come on due to code 43 you think? Thanks!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I wasn't the one who suggested replacing the ECU, although this could be a possibility. You might try going to the underhood fuse/relay box, and disconnect the BACK UP fuse for 10 seconds, to reset the ECU.

    I'm going to e-mail you a diagnostic flow chart for Code 43, to show you all the things you have to check. It might be a bit hard to read, so you'll have to blow it up on your computer screen.
  • tangelatangela Member Posts: 3
    Thanks...yes I am having trouble reading it..but need to print it off too look at it better. The S light hasnt' come on anymore...just the check engine light every time I get to around 60ish MPH......then it almost feels like the car is going in and out of gear or something..the RPM's go up to around 3 and stick there.....just seems like the power is forced or something....and then it will almost go up and down the engine sound....just feels weird...but not sure what it could be. I also have a whole in my muffler do you think that would cause the 43 code? Thanks for your help!
  • rita49rita49 Member Posts: 2
    i have the same problem my 1990 honda accord dosint want to start, ive replaced the distrubeter but thats not the problem and my car dosint want to read the codes what should i do
  • worldecmworldecm Member Posts: 2
    edited January 2011
    My experience has been that the computers for the engine and transmission start to fail at about the same time. Usually around 100k and the reason why is mostly parts on the circuit boards have a lifetime that is around the same as 100k miles on the odometer... Give or take... Id consider the ecm and tcm at around 100k. If you need to get a mechanic to test the computers with a scanner and see what it says...
  • rita49rita49 Member Posts: 2
    so where would i go to get a ecm for my car, is the ecm is that what they call the brain
  • philip3502philip3502 Member Posts: 2
    Hello every one,
    I have Honda Accord 1993 automatic with 200k; it has idle surging problem when the car is getting hot, after about 20minuts it becomes normal, the temperature gauge is showing engine is very hot but the engine is not hot. I went to Honda dealer they charged me $1600 replaced idle control valve and to make extra coolant system diagnose , but did not stop and suggested me to change the cylinder gasket. Iam thinking is it worth of spending money on it asking for $1100!

    Now I have another problem is the transmission, it takes very hard to change gear from second to third and forth, seems to be it takes more time than the normal to change the gear. I have added one qt fluid but no change. But car runs very good, never stopped on me.

    Could you please suggest me what could be wrong in my car! Thanks in advance.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well the dealer could easily perform a cooling system pressure test to determine if the head gasket is bad---you don't have to "guess" about a head gasket.

    I presume you made a type and you meant that you were charged $160, not $1600 for an AIC valve?

    Checking the cooling system was a good idea, since air blockage could cause false readings on the temp. gauge.

    It's possible that the dealer can't deal with such an old car. Perhaps you need to take it to an independent japanese car repair shop and get a second opinion. These independent shops are used to working on older models---the dealer is not and probably his mechanics were 10 years old when these cars were built.
  • philip3502philip3502 Member Posts: 2
    Thank you sir, they charged me $1546, for diagnose the cooling system itself $240, replaced the fan sensor switch, the thermostat and the idle control valve including labor and tax. Yes, it seems I made a big mistake going to dealer with the old car.
    I was not satisfied and amazed that after spending $1600 they told me I need the head gasket replacement and the transmission; it is more than I bought the car.
    The transmission, it is just taking extra time to change the gear from second to third or fourth according to the speed.
  • tialolotialolo Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1993 honda accord ex, I've been having some trouble with my car while driving it, when I hit the gas it goes smoothly but out of nowhere it seems to loose power so I release the gas pedal and about 10 seconds later I hit again and car goes again, so I was told by a mechanic that it was the distributor I changed it but it seems to do the same thing. In the freeway it does the same thing but the check engine light goes on and the problem seems to stop.....can someone help me figure out whats going on with my car?
  • tominnctominnc Member Posts: 1
    I have a 92 accord that does the same thing. What codes are you getting? I get a 1 (O2 Sensor) and 43(Fuel Delivery). I have replaced the O2 sensor, still have same problem. I would love to narrow down possible items to check before replacing good parts for nothing. I would appreciate any input on this, this is my daughters car and I want to get the problem corrected.
    Thanks,
  • astorastor Member Posts: 30
    Here's what you need to do ASAP. Find an Independent Honda mechanic who works only on Honda's. The stealerships are a big ripoff. Not sure where you are located, but I've found a couple of very good Independent Honda mechanics in my area using http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/find.html

    Goodluck!
  • killakryzkillakryz Member Posts: 1
    I wanna know is what engines are compatible with my car. i have honda accord ex 1990 5 speed and i was looking at a f22b sohc for 94-95 will this work?
  • myscreenaliasmyscreenalias Member Posts: 1
    I would contact the Attorney General's office or the Consumer Affairs office for your state. They may have specific laws in place that criminalize fraudulent auto repair practices. They may also have investigators to look into your complaint. It sounds like you really were defrauded. Crooked mechanics target people they think are naive about cars, namely little old ladies, women in general, people from foreign countries, younger adults, and others who appear not to have speciific knowledge of cars or who are operating at a disadvantage for some reason. I would call the AG office and/or the
    Consumer Affairs office in your state.
  • kdboltshauserkdboltshauser Member Posts: 1
    i have a 1990 honda accord it runs fine when its running but sometimes with i try to crank it. it will not crank it seams like it is not getting any gas i have changed the fuel filter and the fuel pump the weard part is that if i wait for like an hour it will crank fine. so if any one knows or has any ideas i could realy use some help.
  • dadajidadaji Member Posts: 4
    I have 93 Honda Accord 10th Anniversary edition, 183300 miles, auto. I noticed today when accelerating, the needle on the rpm gauge jumps up fast and comes back to normal. This happens when I am accelerating gradually or at least thats what I noticed. Is there anything I need to be worried about? Any ideas on it please?
    Thank you.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well if the transmission is slipping, you have a lot to worry about...when this occurs, does the car behave like it's in neutral, or does it continue to accelerate normally?
  • kyaimtr2004kyaimtr2004 Member Posts: 1
    edited May 2011
    My Accord this problem, star and idle is no problem ,when I press gas pedal a litle this misfire, TPS, IACV, FITV , injectors, fuel filter, spark plug and ignition system is clean, Chek Engine Light no on, What this problem in my car ? HELP ME :cry::cry::cry:
  • snickers14snickers14 Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem. For a month if I loosen the gas cap and let the air out it cranks right up. It did this for 1 month and last night it would not crank at all. I went and bought a new gas cap put it on this morning and it fired right up. Maybe try a new gas cap/
  • dadajidadaji Member Posts: 4
    Thank you for the reply. When this happens, I think it does behave and accelerates normally.
    Second thing I have noticed that the 'maintenance required' is red. I have the oil changed on it, I had pushed the little thing next to the maintenance required light to green but in a month or so it came back to red. I have asked around and the mechanics are not sure why it might be and they cannot hook up the machine to check what is wrong because my car is too old (93 accord). I tried to get the light back to green but it would not come back to green.
    I am not sure if this is related to my original problem but just throwing out to you guys. Any ideas or if you need any more information, please let me know.
    Thank you.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited May 2011
    PURPOSE
    The Maintenance Reminder Indicator is a mechanical device which switches a colored tab from green to yellow, and later from yellow to red as the maintenance interval of 12,000km (7,500 miles) is approached and then reached.

    OPERATION
    The indicator is reset to the start of the maintenance interval by inserting the ignition key into the slot located on the front of the instrument cluster lens. When reset, the indicator's colored tab will return to green.

    RE: TACHOMETER -- in that case, it sounds like a malfunction in the tachometer itself---I believe this is a part of the speedometer so maybe not much you can do about it at this point.

    Any good repair shop should know how to read the trouble codes on an older OBD-I system.
  • dzwoman09dzwoman09 Member Posts: 1
    when you changed your distributor cap. Did that work?
  • cb7spac3mancb7spac3man Member Posts: 1
    if it is obd1 computer. the head and the block will work. but the obd2 distributor and some other sensors are differnt. you can change out with your old stuff. if you want power go to tigerjapanese.com i think and get an h22 dohc vtec and go from 130 to 200 hp. adding four wire from the motor to the ecu in the car is quite easy.i have one in my 92 accord four door. had it in a 90 accord two door till the body fell aprt. had it up to 147mph in fourth with pedal and another gear to go. makes the accord fun to drive.
  • bajajoesbajajoes Member Posts: 48
    I have an '01 Accord, 4cyl that will need engine replacement soon and would be very interested to know if you think I could go from a present 150hp to 200hp??
    Think Tiger can help me? :shades:
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Not unless you turbocharge it, or possibly do some serious internal engine work. You aren't going to get that kind of HP from bolt-on air filters and exhaust systems.

    Maybe a different type of Honda engine, but this gets pricey.
  • dnannerdnanner Member Posts: 2
    Hi, I'm just the wife of a very experienced mechanic, and for the past two and half weeks he has been diagnosing the PGM-FI, the low fuel pressure,the ECM, IAT, ground wires,blue wires,white and green wires, he replaced the 70.00 relay under the steering wheel but the original wasn't bad. He could not find ANYTHING that checked bad. He went thru all the service manual check list one by one w/his meter and jumpers and switch on and switch off etc... But the car refused to start, the brake lights would stay on then the d4 light would come on when you turned on the key over and over he took this car apart. The seats out, the dash out, the console in the middle out. Nothing was ever apparent everything always had the right current or voltage. This is what he did to fix the starting fuel d4 problem.
    The PGM-FI relay and terminals 4and5 He put in a switch between these two things relay and terminals and when the car will not start you can hit this switch(button)and it triggers the PGM to fire the fuel pump on which I guess is terminals 4and5. Starts every time. I posted earlier that I thought the cracked board was the fix he was looking for but I was wrong.
    That board is in the 70.00 part he replaced so that's not the problem he said. It still revs up and down in park and the dash lights didn't come on but it starts now every time and runs super. He will figure out the rest I'll keep you posted. 1994 Honda Accord EX
  • buddyridesagaibuddyridesagai Member Posts: 5
    Hello people, I am looking for some help here on the 1990 Honda Accord Gas Gauge. I have recently purchased the vehicle and the gauge was faulting to a point where it no longer works. I tried cleaning the wire contacts and even bypassing the Ground Wire and connecting a new one to the sending unit for the gas gauge. I think the empty tank light works it least it does in my tests but I have not tried to rin the tank dry yet.anyways the the gauge still does not work properly. Anybody with info on this issue please respond thanks.
  • susiejanellsusiejanell Member Posts: 4
    My 93 Honda does the in and out of gear and surging also. I have no problem starting it at all. Also, when it does this, it is very sluggish when starting to drive. Feels like almost no power, so I never pull out in traffic because it is so slow. My independent Honda repair guy said another guy had the same problem and just manually shifted all the time. My neighbor suggested that I manually shift it to see if it was a transmission problem, and it shifted and ran perfectly. I was in an accident Aug 2010 and didn't drive it for 5 months and of course the battery was dead. My son in law charged the battery and it drove like a new car. I thought someone had fixed it while I was not able to drive. All my family said no they didn't. As I was diving my now perfectly driving car, I tried to think of what was different now, and the only thing I could come up with was that the battery was dead. So the car drove fine for a couple of months and then started doing the in and out of gear and surging. Before my accident, I did the manual shifting, and manually shifted all the way to my daughter's house 15 minutes away. I had my son in law disconnect the battery for a couple of hours and then hook it up again. I left my daughter's house with a perfectly driving car again. I think it must reset the computer is all I can guess. It drives fine for several weeks and the problem starts up again. Son in law disconnects the battery for a few hours and I then have a perfectly driving car. ??
  • susiejanellsusiejanell Member Posts: 4
    I also have a 93 Accord 10th Anniversary Edition, and had the exact same problem. I suffered with it for about a year. I posted a msg on page 103, msg # 2035 with my solution, but I had forgotten that the tachometer did that awful thing and when the car wouldn't shift, the tach stayed there when I was driving and scared the stuff out of me. I thought the transmission might blow up at any second. My battery solution (Pg 103 msg 2035) keeps working for now, but I have no idea how long it will still be a good solution. I'll think of something else if it fails to fix the problem in the future. Good Luck, and if you manually shift, you will see that it isn't a transmission problem. I don't have an idea what IS causing the problem, I just have the temporary band-aid for a month or two fix.
  • fergusonrfergusonr Member Posts: 2
  • fergusonrfergusonr Member Posts: 2
    changed the front brake pads on my 1991 honda accord. Did everything by book. Test drove it and there is a rattle and the brakes arnt sticking. The two bolts that hold the caliper in place dont go in flush. There is a 2 mm gap, but i cant tighten them anymore. HELP!!
  • gabrielr1gabrielr1 Member Posts: 1
    I had this problem about two years ago. I changed a sensor in the transmission and it fixed the problem. Hadn't had the problem ever since. Sorry, I don't remember the name of the sensor, but it was located in the transmission on the bottom part.
  • susiejanellsusiejanell Member Posts: 4
    My instrument panel cluster light is dimly there, but the bulb that lights up the speedometer needle, and other needles, went completely out, my repair guy said..... anyway, he told me the console and all the dash has to come off to put a new bulb in.....that seems severe for a light bulb. He said it was more expensive than it was worth, so I just drive around at night wondering???? Does anyone know if this is the same as the cluster dimming or is it a different thing? I wonder if the whole instrument panel is going to go dark next. My car runs just fine, other than that. All of my console lights have been out for a long time, and occasionally, I go over a bump and they come on for a few minutes, or until I start up the engine again, and they're gone. The '93 accords have all sorts of electrical problems and I'm just guessing here, but it probably wouldn't be cost effective to get a new wiring harness.....may be cheaper to get a newer car. I will just keep my car and do without some of the lights. (and other things related)
  • cliff1010cliff1010 Member Posts: 1
    Have a 1993 Honda Accord DX w/Auto-Transmission. If you face car, a line from the transmission enters the bottom of radiator on the right side of rad(driver side). It leaks at the connection at the rad. It did not leak, until a mechanic replaced the rad. because I had a rad. leak. Took car back and the mech. tightened the connection at the botton of the rad. and said cannot tighten anymore or would break connection at rad. what do I do. do not trust same mech. to work on it. Did he mess up when putting new rad. in car?
  • lowsidelowside Member Posts: 2
    Hello,

    The Check engine light comes on and stays lit on the dash, next when I try to jump the diagnostic connector in-order to pull trouble codes it has no effect on the Check engine light,
    What I am experiencing is no gas or pump prime with no fuel at the injectors and no spark simultaneous, I have verified that the cam is turning but it seems like the computer is the culprit here.

    Any help would be much appreciated.
  • twcinnhtwcinnh Member Posts: 14
    I had a 93 with automatic and several years ago there was a slow leak under the transmission. At least 2 mechanics wanted to replace the transmission lines, which included the radiator.

    Finally, went to the guy who is my current mechanic and he suggested replacing the rubber (probably synthetic) tube connections as they might be 'weaping'. He did. No problem since.

    Not sure if this might apply in your case, but if the connection is something like rubber held on with something like a hose clamp, try replacing it.

    Pretty cheap solution for me.

    Tom C
  • ktingeyktingey Member Posts: 4
    I have a 1990 accord. It just went over 300K miles. When the weather starts to get cold (anything under 40 degrees and in the mornings when the car's been sitting all night) the car has a hard time starting. I just replaced the rotor, spark plugs and fuel filter. It will crank and crank but still has quite a hard time starting. Onces started it runs great! Any thoughts on what to look at or do? Thanks!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well with all those miles it could just be old age...have you replaced the battery in the last 5 years? If not, it might be getting too old to spin the engine fast enough. You could verify by trying a jump start. If it starts right up, then a more powerful battery may help a lot. Also you can switch to synthetic oil, which allows a cold engine to crank faster and easier.

    If nothing works, you might try a compression test and see what's what in that 300K engine.
  • ktingeyktingey Member Posts: 4
    Well, this morning was a cold morning with frost on the car. It would not start as usual. I jumped it from our truck and it still would NOT start right away. The cranking speed sounded the same. When it is cranking I eventually get a check engine light and then the car does finally start. Once it's started I need to let it idle and warm up for 5 to 10 minutes or it will die at an intersection. Once its warmed up I can turn the engine off and restart the car right away with no check engine light on. Could this be soming to do with fuel delivery, say the fuel pump or some type of sensor or something to do with the chock mechanism? I do need to check compression like you said. Does anyone else have any ideas?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Maybe a bleed down on the fuel pressure regulator overnight? That would mean your fuel pump would have to re-pressurize the entire system before the injectors would get fuel.

    Low compression would exhibit the symptoms you describe. So might tight valves. Have they ever been adjusted?
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