I have a 1993 Accord SE, and once the car gets to normal operating temp the idle is really low, almost to the point of stalling. I saw a post to reset the base idle for a newer accord, and was wondering if this was the same procedure for mine? Here is what I saw. The car has 165,000 miles and probably has been driven 1,000 in the past year. The car is in the garage waiting for may daughter to turn 16. Thanks for the help in advance.

Run the engine up to full operating temperature. Turn off all loads like A/C, headlights, etc.

Unplug the wire from the IACV, on the back of the intake manifold. The engine should almost stall. (Well, YOURS might still be high...)

Above the bore of the throttlebody is a needle valve. Recessed into a hole, it takes a flat-blade screwdriver. Adjust for 550 rpm. If the cooling fan comes on, you may need to use the throttle to keep it running, then finish adjusting when the fan's not running.

Turn it off. Plug the IACV back in. Let it cool down. Reset the ECU by pulling fuse #13 in the right-side end of the dashboard (near the passenger door hinges). That's for 98-02, other years probably different fuse number, or disconnect the battery.

After it cools down, start the engine WITHOUT TOUCHING THE GAS PEDAL. Let it idle to warm up without touching the gas pedal. This forces the ECU to re-learn the behavior of the idle control system.

 

I think I wrote that...

Pretty much the same for your car, but look earlier in the instructions, about cleaning the TB & IACV. YOURS will also have a FITV bolted under the throttlebody, so clean that too.

Your ECU won't reset with fuse #13. Whatever number, it's probably labeled as "BACKUP" or something like that. Or just disconnect the battery, but you'll need to have the security code for your stereo, & re=program all the radio stations, etc...

 

You did originally writh that, and thanks for doing so. So what is the FITV, and what would I clean it with? Just carb cleaner?

 

Yeah, just carb cleaner.

IACV = idle-air control valve. Controlled by the ECU, it allows air to bypass the throttle to control a steady idle speed.

FITV = fast-idle thermo valve. Not controlled by ECU, it responds to coolant temperature and allows more air to bypass the throttle to give fast idle RPM when cold. When the engine is warmed up, the FITV is supposed to be completely closed.

Sometimes the innards of the FITV can get loose. But that causes HIGH and surging idle rpm.

 

Thanks for the help, I'm going to work on it tonight.

 

That did the trick, thanks for the help!!