Hi everyone,

im new to fixing cars (and to this forum) and just bought an automatic 94 Honda accord lx. I had noticed a leak coming from the valve cover gasket area and was able to knock off some of the cost. 157K miles and clean title, only 3 owners before me.

I drove it for about five minutes after buying it and the engine began sputtering and I seemed to lose some power. I pulled it over to the side and called a friend who’s a mechanic to see if he could diagnose it over the phone. I tried driving it home as it would start if I revved it, but it broke down on an inclined on-ramp as it didn’t seem to get enough power and wouldn’t accelerate. The car ended up shutting off after that. It has been able to start up and drive very minimally (just to park it) since then but the engine is still sputtering and the car ends up shutting off. I also noticed it squealed on a cold start.

My friend thinks it could be the fuel pump. I’m going to start by replacing the valve cover gasket and spark plugs. Any other suggestions on what could be happening?

 

I would not replace anything till you know what the issue is, if you suspect fuel issue, connect a fuel pressure gauge and see what pressure you are getting

 

First post. I know this is an old thread, but ...

Selling a car as cheap as you probably paid, the gas tank may have been almost empty. It might just need gas. Hope that was it, and this helps someone else one day. Don't rely on the fuel gauge. Also if the car sat for a while, the gas could be bad, causing similar problems.