Would appreciate any advice that could explain why my '99 Accord momentarily hesitates after startup. The vehicle starts and idles fine but after placing in gear it hesitates for a short time then runs as advertised. Cap / rotor / NGK plugs / wires visually look fine. The car does have 83K on it....I'm thinking fuel filter. Does this sound logical?

 

i think you might just not be waiting long enough for the transmission to engage. before you step on the gas just hold the brake down and wait a second. you will feel the transmission engage.

 

I have this problem with my '98 Accord LX when I head home from work. Once I'm up to speed it is fine, but when I am accelerating from a complete stop, it hesitates likes it's not getting any fuel for 1 to 5 seconds.

 

You guys might need to get your injectors cleaned. I would go to Honda for a fuel system cleaning. Now if your accelerator sticks or sluggish when you first start up (I know that was the problem that I was having) it is due to deposits from bad gas. The fuel system cleaning that I had done was a miracle. And, you are right Gary a fuel filter wouldn't be a bad idea to replace. I know that gas is a lot cleaner people say than it used to be, but I still feel there's a lot of bad gas out there! Personally, I think that the 98-02 Accords have the best body style. I actually like the 98-00 body styling better cause I think the lights they added on the back look bad. Hope this helps you guys. My 1999 is a dream, need some body work done though. It was banged up before I got it.

 

I don't know what kind of lag time you are experiencing but...

Honda had quite a few issues with 99 trannies.. you might want to call dealer and have them look at it..
fuel filter is inside the tank, in fuel pump,,, very unlikely that you got a bad filter

 

Thanks to everyone who posted a reply. Having the fuel system cleaned sounds like the most logical solution for my problem. I bought this car new and have never had any problems except for the clock light burning out... 50 cents for a replacement!!! Anyhow, stay tuned and I'll let you know how the cleaned fuel system works out.