My '92 5spd Accord has ongoing issues which seem to be getting worse and worse.
However, when I tried to run the diagnostic codes by inserting a jumper wire into the
specified plastic terminal hidden under the dash on the passenger side, it didn't seem
to work. When I turned to the first position I got the usual single long flash of the lights on the
instrument panel, then nothing after that. It did not seem to enter any kind of diagnostic
mode as I expected it to. I tried about four times, but nothing seemed to be happening.
Any ideas what might be the culprit here?

 

Is the check engine light turning on while driving?

EDIT: Also, what issues are you having?

 

Here is a Honda flow chart for what to check if you’re having difficulty retrieving codes.

That said, keep in mind that problems are often not as complicated as we tend to think. Although useful, trouble codes don’t tell you what the problem is - they just give you a place to start looking.

 

The check engine light comes on when I move the ignition switch to position 1,
then it goes off when I move to second position and start the engine. I have
not seen it come on while the car is operating. Once the car warms up it
start's acting funny. Loss of power, erratic idling, lurching in 1st and 2nd gear.
sputtering noises from the engine. and the engine seems overly hot even
after a very short drive. When I try to start the engine again it only seems
to start halfway up and immediately rough idle, stalling, If I step on gas
the whole engine start shuddering.

 

There are several directions to go on this. First of all, when you say the engine seems overly hot, where is the temperature reaching on the gauge in the cluster?

When the engine is cold, remove the radiator cap and make sure the radiator is filled with coolant. Top off the radiator. Let us know what you find.

Do you have a compression tester?

 

make sure t-stat is opening properly, chk for coolant leaks and as PA Honda stated that there is plenty of coolant in radiator, if overly hot i would do a leakage test as well as compression test , make sure head gasket is not damaged

 

I'm wondering if I did it wrong? Here's what I did:
Underneath the glove box on pass. side there was a two pin push on connector
that's not connected to anything. I took a small piece of stiff wire that will fit into
the tiny little terminal holes, bent it over like a paper clip, inserted both ends into
both terminals, pushed them in as far as they would go. Then I turned ignition
to first position, nothing happens there. Then turn to second position and then
four lights come to life. They are 1 check engine 2 red battery 3 red oil 4 red abs or whatever
that one is called. After about three seconds, the yellow check engine light goes out.
but the the other two stay on. And that's it. Nothing else happens. No flashing
engine light codes like I was expecting

 

I don't have a great shop manual for the 90-93 accords. The connector should be on the passenger foot rest behind the kick panel under the glove box and near the front passenger fender.

re the wire colors to the connector grn/wht and orn/red?

 

The radiator has a very slow leak. It's been like that since I got the car.
I've always made sure to top of the plastic coolant reservoir every few weeks
and it's never been a problem. it's never overheated before. The temp. gauge goes to the center mark
and stays there once it's warmed up. But sometimes I can smell that sweet smell of hot coolant
after I get out of the car..

 

It's hard to tell what color the two tiny wires are, but I think maybe blue and white?