So here is the scoop,

99 Accord EX 2.3 Automatic

I drove my car for about 3 hours straight (all highway) in down pouring rain. The next day i took my car to a friends house and noticed that it was idleing very low. The day after that, she started "stumbling" and then stalling out every time i would put it in PARK or NEUTRAL. (In drive-reverse it only idles very low, no stalling)

*note* stumbling only happens with a warn engine.

So far, i have replaced... to no avail ...
spark plugs
spark plug wires
EGR valve

Any other thoughts?
I was thinking a slipping belt could be a possibility..
maybe a throttle body or a base idle adjustment?

thanks

 

Clean the throttle body before replacing it. There's nothing particularly magic about the throttle & you'll be able to see whether the throttle plate & bore are nice & clean.

Is it throwing a check-engine light? If so, get the error code.

How does it run when it's not idling? A skipped timing belt should make it run quite poorly.

... Which leaves the base idle adjustment. I've written something about that over in the DIY section.

 

Thank you very much, I will clean the throttle body and update.

It had a code and i ran it a few weeks ago. It was something to do with the EGR valve. (i cant remember specifics but i want to say it was insufficient lift,) but i have to wait for it to throw the code again considering i disconnected the battery.

she runs perfect when not idling no hesitation nothing. The problem only happens at idle when the engine is hot

 

Cleaned out the throttle body... same thing.
does anybody know of what vin numbers were effected in the 99" ignition recall
any other thoughts?

 

Any dealer can tell you if your VIN is subject to the recall, and they'll know if it's already been done to your car.

Doesn't really sound like the ignition switch. A bad switch shouldn't make it stumble, sputter, & then die. It would be like turning off the key - runs OK then stops. But still... can you make it happen by wiggling the key?

 

I tried wiggling the key and couldn't make it stall, nor could i save it from stalling.

I've read posts about belts slipping as they get warm? Any thoughts on that? my serpentine belt gives off a nasty squeal for about 2 seconds after i start it cold.

Thank you JB for all your help so far. its very much appreciated.

 

Belt noise when first started cold might be the belt is getting old, or it's just not tight enough. Don't OVERtighten it & hurt the alternator bearings.

But that belt noise shouldn't be related to the other problems.

How about the base idle adjustment - tried that yet?

 

Finally got a code pulled.
1) P1166 (Air fuel ratio sensor 1)
2) p1167 (heater system malfunction)
What is the chicken or the egg here? is it stumbling because of these codes? or are these codes being thrown because its stumbling. Any way to tell?

And as far as the base idle adjustment goes, i have not done that yet but what should the base idle be?
and how do i adjust it?

 

AHA! with those codes you must have the ULEV engine. I don't have a complete list of the codes that are "special" for that engine but I think I know what those are about.

The air-fuel sensor is up front in the exhaust manifold. Unplug it & look for the 2 same-color (black?) wires from the sensor. (not from the car's wiring)
Use a multi-meter to measure resistance (ohms) between those 2 wires. It should be 10 to 40 ohms. A bad heater will usually read open-circuit. If that's it, you buy a new sensor. But be aware it's not the same sensor that goes on a non-ULEV engine. If the resistance is OK, we'll have to figure out what's wrong with the power-supply for that heater.

Base idle setting goes something like this...
First check out a few things:
Fix any vacuum leaks.
Make sure there's no air in the cooling system.
Throttle cable must go slack - cannot use that to adjust idle.
(already cleaned the throttle body)

- Warm up the engine completely.
- Turn off ALL accessory loads - AC, electrical, everything.
- Unplug the IACV (#9 in the picture)
- - (it'll almost die, so nurse it back to life with the throttle)
- Adjust the idle-air valve (#1 in the picture) for 550 rpm.


- Turn if off, plug the IACV back in, & let it cool down.
- Pull fuse #13 in the passenger-side dashboard fusebox (near door hinges) for 20 sec.
- Start the engine without touching the gas pedal.
- Let the engine warm up without touching the gas pedal.
(These last 3 steps forces it to re-learn the behavior of the idle-control system)