My 1997 accord 4cyl se will only go 50 mph and thats it. It idles rough and shakes and sputters. Any suggestions?
Thanks

 

Any CEL codes?
Any Main't ever been done on the car?
Timing?
Spark plugs?
Timing Belt?

 

It's my sons car and he said it has been maintained, I told him to drive it to autozone for a code check ,since the check engine light is on. He said he was just driving on the highway and the light comes on and it starts running like crap..

 

Definitely have him check the code, then post the code on here. It will start with the letter P and have 4 numbers, like P1234. It will likely lead him to the source of the problem.

 

1399 is the code that came up

 

My son is at an autozone outside of pittsburgh and that is the code they gave hime. I told him to change the plugs and call me back, ( He actually had to by a socket set) Thanks for your help.

 

I grew up outside of Pittsburgh, so where is he at?

Anyway, that P1399 is not showing up as a code in my 97 shop manual. Just from searching the web, it looks like a misfire code. Have him inspect the spark plugs when he replaces them to see if anything is drastically off on one of the plugs. He should get the NGK zfr5f-11 plugs. They are only ~$2 each and are the OEM plugs for the car. Most stores stock them.

He can check his error codes another way. There will be a blue two pin connector under the passenger glove box (see dhost.info/accordinfo/howto/cel.html). Have him use a thin paperclip or a piece of wire to short the connector. Turn the key to the II position. Have him count the check engine light flashes. A long blink =10, short =1 , so LLSSS = 23.

 

thank you very much. He will baby the car to his house and try again on sunday. He did get the plugs but it's getting dark and he can't see.
Thanks agian

 

He finally changed the spark plugs and it's running better but still acts up. I think maybe water in gas? He made it back to Pittsburgh (south side) I told him to add dry gas. Although the plug wires look good I mentioned that changing them as well as the cap and rotor would be a good idea. We also will try searching the codes.
Thanks again for all your help.
John

 

Factory plug wires seem to last forever. Here's a test for them...

Let it get completely cold, and completely dark. 4am after being parked overnight works well, if you can wake up.
Open the hood & turn off ALL the lights. Start the engine & go out to look for arcing around the plug wires. Damp foggy morning works excellent, but also you can spray water on em from a windex bottle.

Any blue glowing means the insulation is deteriorating & your spark is leaking out.

Bad gasoline is still a possibility? Don't know how to rule that out except tolerate it until you burn it up & re-fill.