Here is my car:
1995
Honda
Accord LX
4 cyl 2.2 liter
California emission
126k miles

Noticed the car was running a little rough one day and boom CEL light came on. I had just driven it across the country so I figured it at least needed an oil change. Before the trip I had Honda do a 90k service on it and tune up.
To be honest the car ran a little rougher after this, but I wasn't going to drive 4k miles back to fight the issue.

Back in May I was getting 450 miles on a tank of gas. Now I barely break 300.

Took it in for an oil change and the CEL came right back on so....

What I've done:

Checked code: came up as 12 EGR lift blah blah
1. Cleaned the ports and case: 3 of them were entirely blocked.
2. Checked all hoses for blockage.
3. Replaced PCV valve. $5
4. Replaced EGR valve. $120
5. Added marvel mystery oil - lol.

What has improved:

The car no longer threatens to die when I come to a stop and have the A/C on.

It seems less rough and quieter engine.

What has not improved:

Gas mileage still sucks even with premium.
When I accelerate slowly, the engine/exhaust responds with a sad WHAAAAAAUUUUUHHHHHHHH sound. It sounds like it's not getting enough air, or love or something.
The CEL came back on. Code 12 again.
It feels like the engine is louder and rougher than it should be. I can feel it in the steering wheel as a strong thud-thud-thud-thud vibration at highway speeds.

What I'm doing next:

I have an appointment tuesday to get the fuel filter replaced. It hasn't been done for 6-7 years and wouldn't hurt.

After than, I don't know. I checked the egr vacuum solenoid and w/e it is attached to. Both visibly looked okay with no gunk or rust. The tubes connecting them had a little bit of white powder but wasn't clogged.

Any tips or help on what I should do next would be appreciated. Thanks

 

the EGR issue is more than likely just coincidental. won't reduce your mileage and won't affect drivability to the extent you are having at cruise. if they did a "tune-up" i would start looking at the work that was done...sounds like you have an ignition system issue...start from there. also, how did it run before the 90k service.

 

If timing belt was part of 90K "tuneup" then have the timing (crankshaft and camshaft should align to TDC at same time). Misaligned timing belt could cause poor gas mileage.

Also check Fuel Pressure Regulator for rupture by removing vacuum refeence and sniffing for strong gas smell. If yes, the vacuum diaphragm is ruptured allowing raw gas into the intake system.

Was O2 sensor replaced during tuneup? This item is due at your mileage and occasionally this component can cause poor performance w/o setting a code.

good luck

 

If you know how to clean the fuel injectors this would not only give you a smoother ride but it also will help out on gas mileage!
I cleaned out my entire intake,throttle body and injectors,and what a difference it made not only on engine performance but i noticed a huge change in gas consumption!

 

How do you clean fuel injectors?

 

I dont know how to post a thread showing how to clean them but i do know that autozone will be happy to sell you a repair manual for your car for around $25 and in that manual it will show you not only how to clean injectors but a whole lot more its a good investment not to mention the knowledge you will gain from owning 1

 

I understand there are repair manuals out there. Thanks. I find forums like this one a better resource. A manual offers usually only one solution. By using, and doing research on a forum, a person can get a range of opinions, and sometimes other ways to make repairs. This saves me time.

 

Saves you time and money now! But just think if you had a manual you could save yourself alot more time! I'm not saying your waisting my time!thats why I'm on here to share my knowledge with all who wants hear it? And 25yrs.ago it all started with a Hayns repair manual

 

Release the fuel presure from the fuel rail,i do it by taking off the fuel presure regulator its eaiser or less mess with gas then by loosing the reliefe valve.
After you have done that remove anything in the way of the fuel rail,wires,hoses etc.then you will need a small flat head screw driver to remove the electrical connectors from the injectors,now remove the mounting nuts holding down the fuel rail i believe there are 4 nuts then pull the rail up off the injectors being careful!
Now you just pull out each injector from the intake bores and where you pull out the injectors each injector has 2 rings replace them!
Now you get alil gas and a toothbrush not the 1 you use get an old 1!lol just alil humor anyway scrub away all the black crap clean with a clean rag and installation is in reverse.

 

i've never seen a manual that had a fuel injector cleaning procedure...