1989 Accord revs and shuts off

Carbureted or fuel injected?

Mike

-----------------------------------------

Sounds like a _ H U G E _ vacuum leak.

'Curly'

Mine had a similar problem. My problem was compound, due to sitting too long without running. The main thing was that the float valve needle o-ring was dissolved. In other words, the fuel pump floods the bowl, and soon the engine has too much gas and dies. Look at the bowl indicator window--is it flooded? Pinch off the gas after a second or two--does the car run for longer than 5 secs?

Eightupman wrote:

According to his first post, it's a FI model. Could be a big vac leak, but in a way I kinda doubt it. It would stay running at high rpm, but gag as soon as the car warmed up and the idle dropped down to normal. His cuts out while it's doing a smooth 3k rpm. To me, sounds like the fuel is being cut off, or the ignition is dropping out. I'm leaning more a fuel starvation problem at this point in guessing. Which would probably be a relay, pump, etc problem. But I'm just guessing too.. Need to have a pressure gauge on it to tell if the fuel pressure is dropping out. MK

Injected

Car does not run longer than 5 secs....is FI, sorry all for not mentioning that in my second post

Ok, went out to toy with it yesterday. The sumbich started up and ran FINE.....until I took it around the block.

I got some history on the car from previous owner. Lets see if some of this all makes sense. The car did the same thing BEFORE the timing belt change...long before I even got under the hood. He said it (the stalling problem) would last a couple days and then quit for a while. While talking to him, (and after reading some suggestions) I asked if he noticed if the car would do it at a certain fuel level (ie when the tank is close to empty) He said that he did not pay attention to that.

Some additional info....I can DRIVE the car all day long...up and down the gears as long as I do not have to stop or let off the pedal.

So that sort of eliminates some things logically I would think. If it was a fuel pressure issue, I would think it would cut off any time it liked. If it was a H_U_G_E vacuum issue it would not have run mysteriously for several days at a time.

So my thought is now...EGR valve...if it is allowing exhaust in at idle, that would surely shut it down. The plunger is working properly ON the car, but that does not mean that it is seated properly....will check that tomorrow.

Thanks to all and keep the ideas coming....I AM going to figure this one out....sumbich.....LOL

John

"Eightupman" wrote in news:eMT%g.12279$ snipped-for-privacy@tornado.southeast.rr.com:

OK, so it goes vaROOMMMMMMMMM then dies, right?

First thing I'd be looking at is fuel pump operation. Does it run continuously as this drama is unfolding? Have a helper sit in the trunk with his ear to the floor while you try to start. The pump makes a humming noise.

"Eightupman" wrote in news:VUT%g.12303$ snipped-for-privacy@tornado.southeast.rr.com:

you could eliminate the main relay as a problem by taking it out and resoldering it,

check the grounds in the engine compartment.Maybe they are corroded and not making good contact.

Do you think this might have been a "flood car",one that's been under water at one time?

Bad throttle position sensor? Maybe a bad segment(wornout) on the sensor,at the end near idle,so if you keep the throttle above that point,the motor runs,but when the throttle moves below the bad segment,it has no signal(or wrong signal) to the ECU;thus the motor dies. Info in my Haynes manual for my 94 Integra says you can use a voltmeter to check the TPS,output V runs from 0.5V to 4.5V,with an input supply(reference) of 5V. It seems to be a potentiometer(variable resistor),that's why it sounds like a bad segment at the idle end of the pot. The output voltage should be a smooth increase from low to high,no jumping.

Sounds like a sound theory. except the fact that I am in the electronics profession, and if the pot were bad...it would be bad all the time, and not mysteriously run/idle fine when it wants too. Will check it anyway.

John

Sounds like a bad fuel pump to me. I had one on a 1984 Accord that worked fine most of the time, but would just stop pumping every now and then.