bringing power back

i have a 96 accord 122k miles, it just seems to lack the power it once had. how can i bring this engine back to the way it was 2 years ago? plugs , wires oil and fluids are not due for a change, i stay on top of that, so what is the secret, and how easy would it be to do myself?

i would try Seafoam http://www.seafoamsales.com/motorTuneUpConsumer.htm

quote:

ORIGINAL: joninja

i have a 96 accord 122k miles, it just seems to lack the power it once had. how can i bring this engine back to the way it was 2 years ago? plugs , wires oil and fluids are not due for a change, i stay on top of that, so what is the secret, and how easy would it be to do myself?

Is the check engine light on? Hows the ignition timing? Hows the cam timing? Done a compression check?

there is no check engine light on , and i dont know how to check the timing on any part of the car.

i checked out the sea foam website, its worth a try. but the car runs great except for some shaking when idling, and when first accelerating there is some pipe or the manifold is vibrating. it s just lacking the power it once had i dont know if that would help this problem. thanks for the advice.

how do you do a compression check, and how do you check the valve timing ?

A compression check is done with a tool that goes in place of a spark plug then you turn the car over a few times to see how it's holding, valve timing is done with a timing light pointed at your flywheel...  If you've got a slight stumble at idle I'm going to guess that your fuel economy is down a bit too, this may be partially clogged EGR ports, look in the DIY section for a write-up on how to do that.  Also, have you done your cap/rotor recently with the plug wire change?  Here's my list:

Make sure you have NGK Plugs
Change the Cap/Rotor if not done recently
(these bottom three can be found in our DIY section)
Sea Foam (3/4 can through the brake booster line 1/4 can in 1/4-1/2 tank of gas)
EGR Port Clean
Clean the Throttle Body