Hi guys/gals, I introduced myself in the New Member fourm. I mentioned that I have two Accords, and the 1991 is the most troublesom (ironicly, it has less mileage than the '95).

Issue one: Idle surge. When first started, the engine will rev up to about 3,000 RPM, then back down to 850-900, then back up to 3,000, repeat, repeat. When placed in gear (like "R" or any "D"), it will still surge but not nearly as badly. It will accelerate on its own if I let it, making it very difficult to stop at a stop sign or red light. I have replaced the coolant temp sensor, as somebody suggested (noone from this fourm), but it didnt help. While driving down the road, I feel a sudden loss of power and notice the RPMs fall as if I just took my foot off the go pedal. Within a few seconds, it picks back up and starts going again. It never stalls, smokes, ticks, or overheats.

Issue two: Brake lamps. After parking the car for about four months, I jump started it today and drove it about 28 miles to my parents house. During this drive, the brake lamps became stuck on. I had to disconnect the battery to prevent it from discharging. Some damned kids were fooling around inside the car, maybe they were hammering on the pedals and ruined the switch. Is this common? Is there an easy fix? How hard is it to replace the switch, if you guys/gals think thats the problem?

Those are the two main drivability issues with the car. When I drove it four months ago, the "S" (for the"Sport" selection on the trans) on the dash would flash sometimes,and the speedometer would drop to 0 every once in a while. Neither happend today when I drove it, but the cruise control stopped working (it worked four months ago). I have a feeling that these issues are mostly due to the car having sat for as long as it has. I have bought many cars that have sat for years, and most had gremlins like this that eventually worked themselves out, or were easily repaired. Any thoughts would be appreciated, though.

When I got the car, the valve cover gasket was leaking so badly that the spark plugs had become soaked in oil. I replaced both the gasket and the plugs, and it runs fine now (aside from the surge).

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and opinions. I mainly just want this car to get good enough to sell. However, both Accords are listed locally on craigslist, so if one sells, I'll probably use the money to fix the other one to drive. I really like the '95 A LOT more than the '91, but really since I'm not a huge Accord fan anyway, either one would be fine.

 

fancy to catch you again lol but i think i might be able to help with the surge at least with ideas. it kinda sound like a vacuum problem. the vacuum because i know the cruise on these cars of the earlier years was eletronic/vacuum operated. check all your vaccum hoses and connections under the hood for bad ones. also since it acts weird while driving. i left a hose loose after some seafoam and my accord started to surge up and down. as for brake lights sorry.

 

In the DIY section, the online manuals thread has links to sites with a 91 shop manual.

Issue 1: Vacuum leak caused by low coolant, fast idle thermo valve (FITV), or the idle air control valve. There is a bleed bolt on top of the thermostat housing to let air out. Open that and the radiator cap. Allow coolant to flow until a steady stream comes out, then close that bleeder valve. Top of the radiator with coolant. The IAC has a screen that can get clogged with carbon that you can use throttle body cleaner on. You also might want to clean the throttle plate and bore to get rid of any buildup on there.

The FITV is known to come loose and allow too much air to enter the engine. You can just unbolt while leaving the coolant hoses on and clean it as shown in this site: http://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1564019 Use throttle body cleaner to clean it. When you tighten it, tighten it down until it is snug.

Issue 2: The brake switch is likely stuck. Look for a switch on the brake pedal. There will be one for the cruise control and on for the brake lights. The brake light switch is likely stuck. Try spraying some wd-40 in there to get it to unstick.

Issue 3: The S light coming on an the speedometer dropping to zero is likely a faulty vehicle speed sensor.

 

i agree with Pahonda on issue # 1 ..

however issue # 2 .. look at the brake pedal where the brake switch plunger is, there should be a rubber stopper , if it is missing or badly worn, it will let the brake switch plunger stick out as if when you are depressing the brakes all the time, thus brake lite stays on ,,, chk this out first ...if it is the rubber piece you can get it at the dealer around 2-3 dollars

 

I agree with the posts above .... my thoughs are:

1) Surge likely to be caused by vacuum leak.
2) Check the switch that makes contact with the armature of the brake pedal. Test it with a multi meter or continuity meter. Pressed in should give an open circuit. Also look for smooth actuation and alignment (with the rubber thing that DH mentioned)
3) Most likely a bad VSS. Go to the DIY section for more details.

 

Thank you guys so much, I'm going to print out this information and go from there. I dont have any money to throw at these problems, so I am very happy that your suggestions do not involve "take it to a shop" or "buy ____ for $1.5 million and it'll fix it", because thats just not possible right now, lol.

I just realized that if the brake lamps are stuck on, of course the cruise wont work (it thinks I'm holding the brake pedal!). Duhh!

 

deserthonda: I think you are correct. I just went out and looked under there. I saw the switch and where it is supposed to make contact with the brake pedal. There is a hole in the brake pedal at that exact spot, like something was fitted there before but is missing now. Therefor, nothing is pushing down on the plunger and thus the lights stay on. I'm going to try to find something to put in its place to make it work for now. Thanks a lot for your suggestion, it led me to the problem and (hopefully) the solution!

UPDATE: I found the piece (or parts of the piece) that is supposed to be there. I think was right aboutthose kids, pretty sure theywere screwing around and broke it. Anyway, its destroyed now. Any ideas as to how to go about finding a replacment? Should I just try to super glue something else in its place that would do the same job?

 

if you scroll back a couple of posts i wrote that you can get that rubber piece at the dealer ,, 2-3 dollars

if you do not want to spend the money just put a bolt through there with a nut on the other side to hold it on ..make sure that you adjust it properly so lite comes on when braking and off when foot off the brake pedal

 

You'll find that most of the recommendations on HAF are for diagnostics, tests and DIY fixes. Nobody here wants to spend more than necessary on repairs. That said, there are recommendations for better parts that may add a little cost when it makes sense (ie. - I'd recommend spending about 200-300 on springs when I know there are springs out there for 125)

 

Yea, I understand that car problems usually require money, there's no denying that. I'm just pleasently suprised as the DIY-type attitude here (and I was complementing you guys on it). [sm=smiley20.gif]

When I had a 1999 Saturn with some annoying issues, everybody's answer (on the Saturn fourms) was "take it to the dealer". I was born on a day, but it wasnt yesterday, lol. If Iwas rich and had money just to throw into cars like this whenever there was a little hick-up, well, quite frankly, I wouldnt be driving a base model Saturn or, in this case,anolderAccord.