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88 civic wagon surging/stalling

My 88 honda civic wagon surges intermittently( feels like the car is rocking back and forth rythmnically like a heart beat every second when at around 1500 rpm at lower speeds) and recently began stalling at highway speeds. I can go a full 2 hour drive and not have a surge, or at least not one that I notice,or a stall but then it will act up.

When it stalls out it will sometimes start right away and keep running but more often will stall back out. Sometimes it wont start at all after its stalled. The fuel pump was not turning on after the stalls. I took it to the mechanics and they checked fuel pressure, Checked IAC, checked for vacume leak, replaced the fuel filter, o2 sensor, air filter, fuel pump, fuel pump relay,cleaned the throttle body and disrtibutor and checked/cleaned the fuel injector.

It still is surging and I don't want to go through the scare of taking it back on the HWY to see if it will stall.

My mechanic is at a loss. Anyone have any ideas? I just bought this car used a month ago and already spent a wad of cash trying to get this issue fixed.

Thanks for any advice/help

Reply to
XiliaFaye
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Carbureted or fuel injected?

When was the last tuneup (plugs, ignition wires, distributor cap and rotor, fuel filter, air filter, ignition timing check)? Were genuine Honda parts used for the electrical parts of the tuneup? I am not trying to waste money. But if these inexpensive parts are not well maintained, the running problems a Honda will have are pretty astonishing.

Last time coolant changed and coolant system purged of air?

Is the oxygen sensor OEM? How old?

How many miles on the car?

See also

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wrote

Reply to
Elle

Has the distributor been updated or is it still the original '88 version? The pickup coils on the early distributors would come loose and cause running problems. Honda redesigned them but I don't remember which year that was.

Eric

Reply to
Eric

Its throttle body fuel injected. Tune up was done at the same time as new breals, fuel pump and fuel filter and new relay and new exast installed.

Not sure about honda parts.. will ask when I talk to the mechanic later tonight.

173,000 miles are on the car

THanks for the advice!

Elle wrote:

Reply to
XiliaFaye

Reply to
XiliaFaye

wrote

Take the OEM parts seriously. Even something as seemingly innocent as using plugs not listed in the owner's manual can noticeably affect car performance.

All the other items I listed are also candidates for causing problems.

Reply to
Elle

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