I think I may have found the service connector....there is a clipped-onblue holder underneath the glove compartment...it contains two blueplugs; one 2pin and a 3pin. The manual says the connector wires should be grn/wht and orn/red...the 2pin wires are solid brown and red. I'm hesitant to do anything until i'm sure what is what

 

Yeah, i kinda feel that way...but, the FITV IS leaking....might as well clean and adjust it. I think I may have cleaned out the gunk that was keeping it together!

 

better to just replace it .... you're not actually supposed to adjust them even though you can.

 

The FITV can be cleaned and adjusted, but mine was a temporary fix when I did it. For diagnostic purposes, you can try the fix to see if it helps. Here is a pretty good link with pics http://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1564019.

If your car doesn't idle properly, you can also remove the IAC and clean it with throttle body cleaner (not carb cleaner). There is a screen between that and the throttle body that can get clogged with carbon.

 

Ok, cleaning and adjusting the FITV didn't change anything....still a trace of vacuum at the TB port. I understand this is normal. So, I started thinking that I must be missing something obvious...well, in the fully closed position, the valve plate is admitting air. It appears that the accumulated crud was acting as a kind of seal prior to the cleaning. Now, everywhere I turn I get these dire warnings "not toeven think about orattempt to adjust the stop screw". What am I to do?...wait until sufficient crud has built upto provide a seal or, disregard the warnins and attempt adjustment? DH"s opinion would be greatly appreciated

 

ok, at first you stated the idle was rock solid and 720rpm but there was a lack of power...idle speed has nothing to do with and engine power. how does it lack power?




second, the lower port on the throttle body should have vacuum when the engine is cold and no vacuum when the engine is fully warmed up. it's not normal to have vacuum there when fully warmed up. if it has vacuum there when fully warmed up, inspect the fast idle valve sealing o-rings for flatness or wear. try replacing them first or just replace the fast idle control valve after verifying the cooling system is ok and bled.

third, the base idle screw adjustment you did up top was spot on, no problems there. you did a good job. did you apply white out or touch up paint to the screw to 'lock' it in place? engine vibration can cause it to loosen up and change your setting. the scs connector doesn't need to be jumped on your model to set base idle.

did you check the coolant level? low coolant will mess with all the idle control systems since they rely on the coolant temperature to operate properly. that fast idle valve is simply a thermostat for air.



so, i'm coming to the conclusion that the idle speed is spot on but you feel a vibration. from what you are telling us i'm leaning toward another source of vibration(motor mounts? old stiff radiator hoses, etc?


what do you mean about what you said, "attempt to adjust the stop screw"? i just want to be clear what stop screw you mean before i go into that.

 

The interest is appreciated. I'm talking about the throttle plate stop screw. Perhaps i'm not been sufficiently clear. It is impossible to set the base idle. With the idle screw fully screwed in, the idle is near 1000rpm...instead of around 650rpm. Even though the base idle is that high, the ECU apparently makes the necessary adjustments and bring down operating idle to 720rpm....problem is, although the idle is steady it is very rough. To smooth it out, I backed out the idle screw one and a half turn, so the operating idle is now around 850rpm, but pretty smooth with good acceleration.

I take your point on the FITV but, i've read several opinions asserting that negligible vacuum is normal...your position is a more logical one and perhaps that's the ideal to strive for

 

backing out the base idle screw is a bad idea. the base idle could have been 1000rpm because of the leaking fast idle valve. like stated above it can be a leaking valve or leaking sealing o-rings.

so fix that leaking lower porton the throttle body(if leaking when it's fully warmed up) and then try setting base idle again. if the throttle is lightly open thats because the throttle plate stop screw is misadjusted and that will cause a vacuum leak also. does your scantool read the TP(throttle position) sensor? it should be .47v-.49v when fully closed. if it's not, that screw needs adjustment if possible.

 

It might be that the mechanical stop screw on the throttle needs to be adjusted. The warnings about never adjusting that are because some people try to use that as an idle adjustment.

The mechanical stop for the throttle should not hold the throttle plate open. It should justbe enough to prevent it from wedging stuck closed. (Also, the throttle cable must not hold it open either.)

 

It is been held slightly open....so, i'm going to bite the bullet and attempt an adjustment