Hello, I am beyond stumped. I have a '99 Accord 2.3 vtec automatic trans. I was driving home from work the other day, when my car started hesitating on the highway. Made it home but not without a struggle. Now when I start the engine, it will rev(in park) above the 2k threshold. But once i start driving or it warms up, I can't get the thing above 2k rpm. It will slowly accelerate, but is so bogged down that getting to 20mph is a massive struggle unless i am going downhill. I have changed the spark plug wires, distributor cap, rotor and timing belt recently. I even just changed the stupid ignition switch the other day(Thanks Honda Accord forums!)Here's the best part....NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT! I also have no stored codes. I don't feel any misfiring and have very little other indicators as to what the problem could be. It idles fairly normally too. Any ideas? Thanks a lot.

Edit:Just swapped out the o2 sensor, but it did nothing.

 

Any recent work done to the car or "this just happened"?

Unbolt the cat and see if the same happens.

 

Thanks for the speedy reply! The only recent work done was replacing the ignition switch and interlock a couple of weeks ago. I had thought the cat could be a possibility, but wouldn't it make a ton of noise, or at least throw a code? What's so frustrating is that i have no codes past or present. The idle fluctuates and if i hold the gas down, it fluctuates as well...even when i hold it completely steady.

 

Cleaned egr valve, nothing still, and can't get under the car for the cat as I do not have blocks or a lift

 

Are the tune up items (cap, rotor, plugs. ect) up to date?


One more thing, just sitting in the driveway. As the car gets to normal op temp, does the same thing happen even with the car in park?

 

Does the Check Engine Light come on when keyswitch is first turned to On, stay on for 2-3 secs, and go off?

If not, you may have either a burnt out Check Engine light, or possibly defective ECU.

good luck

 

ok finally got it...Poorman wins the prize! It was the cat. Got a new one for $175.00 (magnaflow) and my car runs beautifully. Let's just say the old one wasn't in the best shape, and by that, I mean it was a complete mess. Only bad part was the heat shield didn't fit around the new one.

 

Thanks again for your help, man. The cat idea helped a lot because I started trying everything else and got nowhere.

 

Glad you got it and it wasn't too bad of a fix

And a BIG THANKS for coming back with the "answer" no matter what it was - too many times these threads just end without anyone ever knowing what the answer was.

 

Yeah, it's really frustrating trying to find a fix, only to never see a solution in a thread. It's one of the only ways to "give back" to the community here. I am not a mechanic, so any help I can give, I will.