> For about a week or so, I had noticed a scratching sort of noise coming
>> from somewhere under the hood, but was unable to pin-point its location.
>> There were no changes in engine performance or behavior. One morning, I
>> was sitting at a stoplight, the engine stumbled very hard, and almost cut
>> off. The Check-Engine light came on, and idle RPM level returned to
>> normal. (I also noticed the scratching noise had stopped) Upon trying
>> to accelerate, I noticed the car would not rev any higher than 3,500RPMs.
>> (This is a classic symptom of the auxillary fuel injector not working) I
>> checked the ECU and the LED was blinking 16 times, which corresponds to
>> the "Fuel Injector or Fuel Injector Circuit". I called a few mechanics
>> that were supposed to be "Honda specialists" and they all told me to
>> change the throttle body because the Throttle Position Sensor had gone
>> bad and that is what was causing the Check Engine light to come on and
>> making the Fuel Injector stop working. I bought a throttle body from
>> Beaver's Honda (junk yard) for $65 and changed it myself. Now, when I
>> crank it up, it idles at almost 2,000RPMs. The idle adjuster screw is
>> all the way out, so that's not causing the high idle speed. When the
>> accelerator is pressed, I can hear the engine suck in a lot of air, but
>> instead of revving up, it bogs down, and then back-fires through the
>> intake. Aside from changing the throttle body, I have not changed any >> other parts.
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>>
>> Jonathan
>
> you don't say age/model of honda, so using my magical mind reading powers
> & the fact that you refer to code 16, i'll conclude it's a manifestation
> of a typical symptom of the main relay giving out on a 88-91 civic - which
> they do all the time. it may indeed be an injector, but gotta tell ya,
> it's real rare for honda injectors to fail. you can therefore conclude
> that code 16 is a wild goose chase. [needs to be fixed, but not a cause
> of this problem.] throttle position sensor is a crock too. that gives
> code 8, iirc, and that'll only affect you at lower revs where the throttle
> usually sits at highway speed, not idling at a stop light.
>
> much more common cause of "bogging down" is a problem with the tandem
> valve. the auxiliary injector only usually operates for acceleration
> enrichment. the engine will idle perfectly as well as run at high rpm
> with the auxiliary injector disconnected - if the tandem valve opens
> properly. take the top off & look down the throttle body, with the engine
> running. then blip the throttle. you can see the auxiliary squirt if
> it's working. you'll see if the tandem valve is operating too. if the
> tv's not acting snappily, check the vacuum hoses, and the tandem valve
> diaphragm for leaks. also check the brake power servo for vacuum leaks -
> a sudden surge of excess air kills idling engines easily.
>
> excess idle speed now you've changed the throttle body? again, check for
> vacuum leaks. check the idle air control circuit too. should hear the
> servo click as you disconnect the power leads.
Any idea what could have been making that scratching noise? Like I said, the scratching noise stopped immediately when the problem started.
Thanx for your input, I'll check the main relay & for vacuum leaks.
Jonathan