Hi all,

I have a 1990 Honda Accord DX. My check engine light has come on for the last 3 days only in the morning when I'm going to work. I checked that when I turn the key to "on", the lights come on and the CE light then goes off. When I start the car, it turns over longer than normal. If I were to immediately turn it off, it will do the same thing. The light will stay on for the duration of that first drive. Then it will remain off for the rest of the day (even after sitting at work for 9 hours). The car will also start faster for the rest of the day. I pulled everything out of my trunk so that I could hear my fuel pump. I can hear it humming for a brief moment and it doesn't seem to have any bad sounds. I've also checked my fluids. I checked with a couple of auto parts stores and they do not have a machine to check the light, they've never heard of a CE light just going off like that, and they're telling me that the codes will only show when the light is on (I was hoping they might be stored). I was hoping that someone out there might have some suggestions or a direction to point me in. I have an emissions test coming up soon and I have limited tools.

One side note: this began the day after I got an oil change. Don't know if they're related, but I got under the car to see if anything got bumped. I didn't notice anything.

Any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

 

The codes are saved, so check for codes. It is simple to do and only takes a piece of wire or a thin paperclip.

The common diy thread on top of the gen tech help forum has a link to check engine codes. Post the codes you find on here.

 

Thank you for the reply, PAHonda. I found the LED and I counted 8 short blinks.

 

Is your car an automatic or a manual transmission?

 

it's a manual

 

Ok, a CEL code 8 indicates a problem with the top dead center (TDC) sensor that is inside the distributor. I would start off by removing the 7.5 amp backup/radio fuse in the engine bay fuse box for a minute. This erases the codes stored by the ECU. Drive the car until the CEL returns, and check for codes again.

IF a code 8 returns, this could be a problem with either the sensor, the wiring or the engine computer.

Start simple. Unplug the distributor and checking the electrical connections. You may want to remove the distributor cap and see if any wiring is messed up inside.

There is an important ground bolted to the thermostat housing. Unbolt that ground, clean the bolt and eyelet with a wire brush or sand paper, then reattach.

There are some resistance tests you can do with a volt meter. Do you have one?

If the sensor is bad, then the whole distributor housing needs replaced.

 

I found a loose wire on my distributor and cleaned it up a little. I reset the CEL and did not have the light occur this morning. I really appreciate all the help, PAhonda. You just saved me a lot of time. Thank you