I just bought a 97 accord last week, working on getting it right to be my daily driver.

I put in new plugs, NGK & adjusted valves to specs, that smoothed the rough idle, but the idle is too slow, & when I put in gear it almost cuts off from idling too slow.

what do i need to try? clean throttle body? iac valve? ill need to see video for IAC, or is there an adjustment/. I havent cleaned egr ports yet, was planning to for preventative maintenance but with so much rain im lucky I got done what I have

the engine isnt original, & unsure what year is in it.

I do have a very small exhaust leak I can hear in rear, ill get fixed in a couple weeks,

I smell a little oil burning? only place I see may be around distributor? what seals are there & what to do to replace?

Thanks

 

There may be an idle adjustment on the intake throttle. Take a look at that.

As for oil burning smell. check the rocker cover gasket. I had to change mine and that helped about 75%. the other 5% is little leaks here and there. But 20% is coming from the seal in the distributor.

 

oil leak is not from rocker cover / valve cover as I put in a new seal when I adjusted valves, & its dry all the way around it, so I know that isnt one presently, but looks oily around dist

 

Adjusting the idle screw is the last item you want to try.

What rpm does the car idle when first starting up? What is the idle when the car is at operating temperature?

On the 94-97 tachometer, the first mark past zero is 500 rpm, and not 250 rpm like you would expect. Take this into consideration when determining rpm.

 

understand, plus looks like a pain to adjust, 7mm nut? with a 2.5mm allen? I checked, that what appears to fit, I dropped allen & had to go hunting to retrieve, but figured I will try cleaning first which should be my best bet? I wont be able to do anything for a couple of days.

the idle I dont know exact number, but engine was almost cutting off to point I was having to pat gas pedal, or give a little gas when I shift from park to gear to keep from stalling out

 

I'd clean the both sides of the throttle plate and the bore. Clean the screen to the IACV. You don't need to disconnect the coolant hoses. Just spray the screen with some throttle body cleaner.

 

not took time to wok on idle yet, but wanted to mention that I am extremely glad I took time to replace O-ring on dist.

looks like I got extremely lucky, the heater hose under dist was swollen probably 3 times correct size, I guess from distributor leaking oil? extremely spongy, it could have blew at any moment. I was out of town yesterday on it, & was supposed to go today farther, but took different vehicle. bought the o-ring & found the hose tonight, whew. close.

I got a new hose but didnt get home to install it before dark. fingers crossed I am not missing anything else.

as for idle I watched it pretty good yesterday, when very cold, 900-1000, however when hot 500-600 sometimes up to 800, but usually under 750 line.

when I pulled dist, I also checked cap & rotor, cap had 1 terminal burnt & blackened pretty good, rotor was cruddy & needed replacing, I got that when I got my hose, hopefully get installed in morning & if idle still slow will precede as we discussed

 

i cleaned the iac, very dirty, screen was nearly blocked from the way it looked, I figured i would do throttle body later tonight, but when I cranked it, it is now way worse! I dont think I could even drive car.

50% of time when air conditioner cycles on it kills engine, & if I pat gas lightly, it drops probably below 400 & dies more times than not, it is now idling 500-600 at best, & when it was cold, it was close to 750 rpm.

I figure ill try throttle body after sun sets & if that doesnt help, ill have to do the last resort & manually adjust up to 850-900?

so it has new valve cover gasket, valve adjustment 200 miles ago, distributor o-ring, new cap & rotor, & cleaned IAC and replaced swollen heater hose under distributor that oil had ruined as well as new spark plugs

 

ok the throttle body cleaning didnt help, had to adjust screw, unfortunately, however upon turning it, the tamper resistant paint had been broken before?

crank up idle is 1250 for a few seconds, & drops to maybe 950, when put in gear is a soft engagement, & idle drops maybe another 50-100 even with air on, if doesnt change when i drive it, ill leave it here unless this isnt good & I need to adjust differently?

next question, my air hose to throttle body had a little oil in it, probably several ounces, it seems to have come from hose on valvecover that isnt on a pvc valve. is there anything in it to stop flow? or do I need to make something like a trap stuffed with screen, or foam & to drain back to itself from bottom? but still hook to inlet pipe? i am sure I could braze up something simple & easy quite cheap.

 

Here is how the idle should be adjusted according to the shop manual.

Start the engine and get it to operating temperature (both fans on the radiator should turn on if working properly). Unplug the IAC. Adjust the idle screw to 550 rpm (plus or minus 50 rpm). Shut off engine. Plug in the IACV. Reset the ECU by pulling the 7.5 amp backup/radio fuse in the engine bay fuse box for a minute. Then start the engine and allow it to reach operating temperature.

It also says to verify the engine timing is in spec.

As for the oil, I'd check that the PCV valve and hose is not clogged. Be careful, because the hose can get brittle over time.