Quick question: I have an 88 accord with a carb & 5 spd manual. Lately it hesitates and chugs when I am starting out in first gear. The chugging goes away above 3000 RPM. I have also noticed that it is starting to get really bad gas mileage. Could this be caused by a bad EGR valve? If so, is it possible to clean the EGR valve from this model year? I saw the writeups in the DIY section, but it looked like they were for 1990 and newer Accords. THought I would ask for opinions before taking anything apart. Thanks for any info.

 

Check the choke pull off diaphram top front passenger side of the carb;undercold condition, engine runningpinch off both vacum lines going to it and the choke plate rod should pull back.
Check for vacum leaks.
When you have the breather off; to run the engine plug the vacumhoses/connections on the passenger side of the carb.
The connection on the drivers side is just a vent doesn't need plugged.

 

i believe that year might have an electric pump, but i might be wrong. i remember some had a fuel pump driven by the cam gear. then the diaphram would start leaking over time causing terrible engine performance(pcv valve sucking up the raw fuel) and poor mileage. so if your fuel pump is cam driven, check it out.

 

you are correct accord had electr pumps,,
you might be thinking of the civics up to 87 they had a cam driven fuel pump ,, only the civic SI had electric fuel pump back then

 

OK hondadude(or anyone else), I started the car when cold, and pinched off the two lines going to the choke opener. The choke plate was closed when I started the engine. When I pinched off the lines, neither the choke opener linkage nor the choke plate moved. I also re-checked for vacuum leaks, cracked lines, etc. and did not find any. Could this mean a bad choke opener?

Here's some more diagnostic info in case it would help: In the recent weeks I have replaced the thermovalve(or ported vacuum switch, whatever it is called) that is located beside the distributor. I also put in a new PCV valve, plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor, and put in a new throttle cable. I also replaced any vacuum lines that were cracked or worn.

Regarding the bad mileage, I noticed the exhaust is really "smoky", and smells like unburned or raw fuel. I'm on target to get just over 100 miles to this tank, so something is very wrong because I was getting around 27 mpg a few weeks ago. Thanks again for any advice.

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1988 Accord LX
4-dr sedan, 5 spd MT, carbureted engine

 

A little more info: I removed one of the hoses from the choke opener (hose to the left of the one labelled "choke opener"). With the engine off, I applied vacuum. When I applied vacuum, the choke linkage moved and the choke plate opened. So it seems to me that the choke opener is OK (correct me if I am wrong). When I start the car when it is cold, it idles very rough, at around 750 RPM. Then, when the car warms up and the temp gage reaches normal operating temp, the idle rises to around 2000 RPM. It stays there for a few seconds, and then falls back to around 1200 RPM, where it stayss and runs rather smoothly. I am guessing that this problem is somewhere in the fast idle/choke/thermovalve circuit. I have read through Chilton, Haynes, and the Honda Service Manual, but I still don't understand how this system operates, and what the functions of all the various thermovalves are. I don't mean to be a pain, but could someone explain this to me? I have heard a lot about "thermovalve A" needing replacement, could that be the problem? Thanks for any help you guys can provide.




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is your choke moving at all? or is it in a wide open position all the time?

 

Yes, the choke plate does open a bit, maybe about 1/8th of an inch.

 

when you first start the car is it in that position? or does it open up to that position?

 

With the engine off, the choke plate is closed. When I start the engine(engine cold), the choke plate opens to somewhere between 1/16" and 1/8". It does not open any further than that.