This is a 1990 Honda Accord EX (5 speed manual) with ~360k miles on it.

It has been sitting a good while. I am starting to work on it again to get it up and running as a project.

I let it run idle for a while just to get it warmed up and everything seemed fine so after a while I took it out for a driver. I took it around the block (probably 1 mile total) when I was half way back home after my second lap I was in second gear and giving the car gas and the engine just seemed to die. I would give it gas and the car just would not accelorate. I put the car in neutral and rev'd it a few times and the RPMs went up. After rev'ing it a few times I put it back in gear and it seemed to be ok for a little while, then the problem repeated. I never took the car above 3rd gear (and the problem didn't seem to happen in 1st or 3rd). I can't give you the number of RPMs because the guage has been broken for years.

What should I be checking out to try and track down what the problem is?

I'm not a huge car guy and this is my "learning" car because I refuse to scrap it just yet.

 

Since it's been sitting for a long time, I gotta ask HOW OLD is the gasoline?

What about corrosion inside the gas tank (above the liquid level)??

What about rodents making nests inside the air cleaner??

 

The gas is pretty old. I've been meaning to put some new stuff in there just haven't gotten around to it. The car really has been sitting since about August '08 when I started taking the metro to work. I think it was doing this BEFORE I let it sit (which is one of the reasons why i stopped driving it).

Checked for rodents and lizards and other good stuff and found none.

How can I check for corrosion in the gas tank?

 

I guess by changing the fuel filter & looking for crud? I haven't had this myself, but I've heard people talking about it on here.

 

Yea, that is what my dad suggested when I talked to him earlier today. Now just need to find time to do this :/

 

There's a couple round access covers above the tank, like #34 in the picture. They're probably underneath the base cushion of the back seat, or maybe way forward in the trunk floor (different years...)

Take them off & see the connections for the fuel pump & fuel gauge sender. By unbolting those, you get right into the gas tank. Look around inside the tank with an inspection mirror. No smoking...LOL

This may or may not be easier than checking the fuel filter, but it's direct visual of the inside of the tank.

If you have a fuel pressure gauge, that would indicate a loss of pressure at the injector rail, as the problem occurs.