im am getting a 91 accord coupe with 5speed

from the craigslist ad:
new exhaust with aftermarket pipe new cat new timing belt plugs throttle body with tps newer power steering pump runs good idles ruff

while talking to the current owner i was told the balance shaft belt was cut to add 5hp?(i plan to replace it asap)
the CEL is NOT on

i am not sure what type of rough idle yet(searching/low/surging?) and unsure if rough idle is only while cold or warm but am told it runs fine while driving

i will be doing updates when i get back with the car to my apartment pending more talking with the owner and experience or driving it home(30-45min ride)

i have read many threads about cleaning/checking/adjusting(if needed) both idle air valves and checking the EGR valve (i dont have a vacuum pump so idk if i can test that(any ideas to shortcut that, like my mouth to hose and pulling?)

what tools would i need to check/adjust valve lash?

thanks for reading/ideas/assistance

edit to add:anyone have a carfax account i can run the VIN with?

 

Maybe the "rough" idle is simply vibration from disconnecting the balance shaft belt? After all, that's exactly what the balance shafts are for.

IACV & FITV problems would normally be called "surging" idle, not "rough".

 

please delete this thread
the car never made it home......it fired right up with a very rough idle from cold then when it warmed up it would run(with some surging/jumping while in gear) but stumbling worse when you let off the gas to cruise but stumbled less if at all when you gave it gas pedal and once warm and if the rpms dropped anywhere near idle it would die right there whether moving at any speed or not and then taking a few seconds of cranking to start again wile gassing it a lil to fire it up
while on the highway doing 55-60 it died cause i let the RPMs drop near idle but started while still moving in neutral
it died one last time so i pull over and the overflow hose snapped off the cap of the overflow tank and was hissing so i tried to let it cool for 30min-45min and tried starting it again and was acting like before of how it didn't want to start so i tried the gassing it a lil and that made but no difference as i hear some firing not like it was trying to start like before when it first got warm

so needless to say i gotta find a way to tow that car back to the guy i got it from. he is a good guy and said he would take it back cause he said it ran for him and his friends(knowing about the rough idle) but yea.....

so im back on the hunt for a car...again

 

The bit about the overflow hose steaming sounds like a headgasket. If he takes the car back, fine. Headgasket is a big job unless you bargain the price to reflect that.

 

well, come to find out it had a SOFTBALL SIZED HOLE in the block when i got it back to the guy i got it from.
wish i had the tools to swap in a newer 'lude engine but not atm so ill still be hunting a good deal