1993 honda accord EX tach/wont start issue

darkvision · #1 Mar 2, 2009, 10:37 AM

I have a 1993 honda accord EX(automatic). I first noticed the issue while doing 70 mph at 2800 RPM's on the interstate. all of a sudden my tach jumped all over(mostly up to ranges of 5-6k RPMS) yet my engine did not rev with it(in other words engine pitch stayed the same). I got off at the next exit and my car did not respond to acceleration correctly(felt like it wasnt sparking or not getting gas). I got into a gas station by idling turned the car off and proceeded to check fuses and spark plug wires for good connection. i then got back in and cranked the car, it responded fine though tach still jumped around for a few minutes, but then went back to normal. so i drove home. two days later i was driving again and the tach started acting up again. this time it died while going around 40 mph and would not start again. after sitting for about 15 minutes it cranked and immediately died. I've been searching the net for about an hour and found one other person with this same issue but so far no solution has been posted on his. I know their is a screw that i can remove to test for fuel pressure(fuel pump) but dont know its exact location. I also have not yet tested for spark. (i havent been able to get out to my car again as i dont have the money to have it towed to my house/ a ride to my car) so im currently trying to get as many ideas as to what could be the cause before i get back out their so its not a wasted trip.

Also i recently replaced my head gasket before this started happening, could it be due to some foreign material even though everything was thoroughly cleaned and no oil gunk was noticeable? also timing belt/water pump are new(less than 5k miles on them) so timing should be fine as this is first time ive noticed the issue. And as i havent stated it yet the engine does turn over. battery is new. i havent yet pulled the distributor cap to look for corrosion. spark plug wires/plugs have not been greased and to the best of my knowledge never have been before. should i go ahead and grease them in case this is the issue?

Stratmando · Mar 2, 2009, 10:42 AM

You came to the right place, TXgreasemonkey has a lot of info for the Honda's:
http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-tr...les-46563.html
If he see's this post, he can probably answer off the top of his head.

darkvision · Mar 2, 2009, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stratmando

You came to the right place, TXgreasemonkey has a lot of info for the Honda's:
http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-tr...les-46563.html
If he see's this post, he can probably answer off the top of his head.

yeah its what made me come here, i saw what all he had posted on a similar issue and have been reading up on all of this for a while now. i hope he does see this because he seems like he is a god when it comes to hondas. Ive already been looking through their but frankly i dont know enough to understand half of what he wants to test.(in other words where the parts are). from some other sites ive seen other things to test with a voltmeter so will be doing that either later today or tomorrow. my friend/mechanic told me to remove a pressure screw that will let me see if im getting fuel but i havent been able to figure out which one(from searching i finally found the part name that i believe its on so gonna search some more to see if i cant figure out exactly which screw i need, but i believe its on the fuel rail). that in essence if this screw is removed and the key is turned to the ON position fuel should shoot out from the fuel pump kicking on. anyway off to do some more googling to see if i cant find exactly which screw i need to remove to do that test.

darkvision · Mar 4, 2009, 12:17 PM

Ok, i still havent had a chance to fully disassemble(i got back out their today but my philips was to long to reach the 3rd screw so i was screwed) but i was wondering could i /should i(funds are very tight) just go to a junk yard and pull the whole assembly off of another car? keep in mind that if i dont get this car up and running and come up with about 500$ by the end of the month im homeless. so im willing to deal with a part of the new distributer/coil going bad 3 months down the road and then replacing with new parts when i can better afford it.

secondly i did check for fuel in my fuel rail and had plenty, tested my fuel relay switch and it was in working order as well. Fuel pump is also turning on. so it is defiantly spark. though i havent yet tested the coil to see if its getting spark to the distributer.

and thanks for all advice. also txgreasemonkey i havent ignored the rep factor, it will be a plus its just till i replace the part(s) i dont know what the exact outcome will be so i dont want to write a message that could be "wrong"

darkvision · Mar 5, 2009, 05:31 PM

not running yet, friend is bringing me a new one tonight, i used a parts store to test the part and it came back bad, so even if i have an additional problem to that(doubtful but possible) at least i have gotten most or all of it diagnosed. Again thanks for the help.

darkvision · Mar 7, 2009, 01:17 PM

Ok got the part in it today, it went a mile no issue, then tach started acting up again, another mile or so and its now dead yet again. My friend is thinking its the alternator, so i will be replacing it and the coil monday. If its not that, then i have no clue

darkvision · Mar 7, 2009, 02:31 PM

no it was used from a known good car and we tested two different ones in it. From what ive been reading online it looks like the most likely problem is my coil, and as it only costs about 6$ from a junkyard its my next step, id already have one on it but the first junkyard i went to was fresh out of them(how dare they!). Also from reading, supposedly it could be a ground issue. but im not sure where all the ground wires are. so i suppose if my next step(distributer/coil) doesnt work that will be what i need to check next?