Stats first ... 1993 Accord, 2.2L, 5 Speed, 4 door, 186K miles, no problems or work recently.
I felt a little rough when I started it this morning - it hadn't been started since Friday. Overnight temps were in the 30s, car is not garaged. Full tank of 87 octane.

Once on the road it seemed to run fine - with maybe one fleeting stumble. The, about 2.5 miles down the road the CEL, battery and oil light came on and the engine died. Car would then crank fine, but not start. Something I noticed is that this is right about the point where I start to get heat on cold mornings.

I got a ride back home and took the truck into work. Drove back over lunch to see if I could pull a code or anything to make the decision whether to tow it home or to a shop. First, I couldn't find the plug to short to read the OBD I codes - supposed to be a light blue connector somewhere under the dash on the passenger side. Can anybody tell me more exactly where to find it? And second - it started right up! No CEL either.

So - suggestions where to start looking? And more specific location of the OBD 1 plug?

 

see http://www.dhost.info/accordinfo/howto/cel.html

The 93 plug is under the glove box and is brown. It has two wires going into it and it is likely plugged into a dummy connector.

A car stalling like that sounds like a problem with the electrical part of the ignition switch. When the car stalled, did the main fuel relay start clicking like it does when you initially put the key in the ignition?

The yel/blk wire should have 12V when you turn the key to the II position. If not, then suspect the ignition switch. If you can get the car to stall by shaking the key while it is running, you pretty much verify the ignition switch as the problem.

 

Didn't notice any clicking sound when it stopped, but the radio was on and the kids were loud. Somebody else mentioned water/ice in the gas - it was below freezing last night - and by noon when I went back and tried it again it was in the low 50s. So I'll throw a can of dry gas in as well.

 

The link given shows a 94-95 service connector, on the 90-93 the service connector is aBLUE 2 pin and is located about the top of the passenger side kick panel.
As far as diagnostic...you'll have to be prepared when you can 'catch it in the act'.

 

Well, I got it home last night. Stopped on the way home and dumped a bottle of dry gas in and started it briefly. Then went back down with a neighbor, prepared to tow it if needed. It ran all the way home - but not well. Again, felt rough, power kind of faded in and out. But it got there. No CEL either - but there could be stored codes right? I'll take another look for the service connector tonight.

I'm really wondering if I got some bad gas - I just filled it up friday afternoon, then didn't drive it all weekend. It's probably due for a fuel filter, so I'll try that also.

Thanks guys.

 

Ok, I decided to replace the fuel filter - was due anyway - and check fuel system pressure as part of this diag. Checking the fuel pressure @ the filter I'm reading just below 40 PSI - which is in spec according to my Haynes manual. Of course, the car is running at the moment also. Would a bad or dying fuel pump show reduced pressure?

 

Are you maintenance items up to date or in good shape (spark plugs, distributor cap, rotor, spark plug wires)? Check that all ends of both battery cables are clean and secure. Also check the wire harness and connections going from the alternator to the battery.

It would be worthwhile to have the battery and alternator checked at O'Reillys or an Autozone.

A bad fuel pump should show reduced pressure. Can you route the pressure gauge so you can see it while you drive? If you see big drop in fuel pressure when it runs rough, then you know you are dealing with a fuel problem.

I would definitely check for codes stored. That can help pin-point a problem quickly.

 

Yea, some maintenance items probably need doing - I've had the car for about 25K now, and haven't done much to it. I guess I wasn't convinc3ed it was a charging issue because it cranks fine - so spark or fuel. Fuel seems OK at the moment. The fuel pressure gauge I got doesn't have an adapter to fit the service port on the fuel rail - I checked it at the filter. So I'm going to try to get an adapter to run it right off the fuel rail, and maybe prop it on the hood or something to watch the pressure if/when it stumbles. Haven't gotten to the codes yet.
Thanks

 

Before we get into some other diagnostics, you should do the maintenance items first. In the long run, it will save you time, money, and frustration.

 

Well, I've been driving it all week, and it hasn't let me sit again. Though the engine did cut out for a few seconds 2 or 3 times. Running smooth other then that.

I did some PM on it today - new distributer cap & rotor (looked pretty worn), new plug wires and plugs and a new PCV valve. There was ALOT of oil in the tube for the first plug (closest to distributer), and some in the other 3. What's up with that? Bad valve cover gasket? Smoked like hell when I started it!

The other thing that was a little weird was the plugs - at least two of them had kind of a greenish color/deposit on them - like corrosion on copper. Any idea what that is?