91 Honda Accord EX-R(4 Cyl) loses power

Dmasmax · #1 11-25-2004, 01:56 PM

91 4 cyl engine starts ok; after approx 5-8 minutes of normal driving, it loses significant power; starts jerking; keeps doing it for between 20 seconds to 2 minutes; and then continues normally. Sometimes the yellow engine light comes on (not in many cases) and engine never stalls. After the initial power loss, it re-occurs sporadically during normal driving.

Have sprayed Throttle body cleaner on intake with no results.

Could you please provide suggestions or advice?

Thank you in advance,

Davo1111 · #2 11-26-2004, 12:24 AM

You might check the fuel filter. (be sure to relieve presure before removing it)

94tegRS · #3 11-26-2004, 12:31 AM

what the hell is an EX-R?

are you in a different country than the US?

when the CEL comes on next time, turn he car off and back on. did the CEL go off or stay on, if it stayed on, the next time it comes on again have the tool and be ready to read the code. shut off the car, jump over to the passenger side and jump the 2 wires in the (probably) light blue connector and then turn key to on and count the blinks (long=10, short=1) add em up and search or post em and someone will tell you what it is.

Igovert500 · #4 11-26-2004, 01:09 AM

Or take it to your local Autozone and have them read your codes for free...when a CEL comes on...it shouldn't be ignored, always try and run the codes to diagnose the problem.

AccordCodger · #5 11-26-2004, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Have sprayed Throttle body cleaner on intake with no results.

I know this isn't a lot of help, but that won't do you much good on a fuel-injected car.

Bottom line - do what the man says - pull the CEL code.

WhyteAccord · #6 11-27-2004, 04:15 PM

I keep hearing about this CEL Code but what does it actually do and what is it's purpose?

AccordCodger · #7 11-27-2004, 08:37 PM

CEL is the Check Engine light. When it comes on (and maybe at other times(, the ECU (engine control unit) stores anumeric code descibing the problem detected. The ECU has a capacity of some number of codes (I don't know how many) before it rolls around and starts overwiriign te old ones.

So, when the CEL (see above) comes on, by getting the numeric code (most painless way is to visit Autozone and ask them to use their "gadget" to read it) you know (pretty much) what needs fixing. (Always assuming you have a manual or web site to look up the numberic code, of course).

WhyteAccord · #8 11-27-2004, 10:13 PM

aaahhh.... Thank you for clearing things up.

91LX · #9 12-21-2004, 11:59 PM

-bump-

I have the exact same problem with my 91 Accord LX. Check engine light comes on sometimes but the ecu doesn't output any codes. Taken it to 2 different mechanics with no luck, can't afford to start replacing every sensor in the car.

thanks,
Alex

AccordCodger · #10 12-22-2004, 07:02 AM

If you had read the entire thread, you would have received some good advice about pinpointing the problem, so you WOULDN'T have to replace every sensor in the car.

Go back and read it.

91LX · #11 12-22-2004, 12:26 PM

My main problem in diagnosing the problem is that the ECU isn't outputting codes at all, whether the CEL is on or off. Both mechanics (using proper code readers) found the same thing. Does this mean a faulty ECU?

mpumas · #12 12-22-2004, 11:54 PM

I guess you need to change the ECU and see if you can read the codes. The ECU is what generates and stores the codes then outputs the information to the engine check light if the service jug is jumpered.

94cordvtec · #13 12-25-2004, 11:49 PM

check spark plugs or wires, fuel filter, and it might possible be ur egr valves that are dirty and in that case take it to ur local dealer and have them clean them, it'll take a hour or so or at least it does in the us, i dunno the workers in canada may not dick around as much as the ones in alabama but hope u get it runnin good again

91LX · #14 12-28-2004, 02:42 AM

Thanks for the help. The mechanic said the EGR ports definitely needed cleaning, which he did and checked the EGR valve. He also put on a new distributor, which includes a crank angle sensor (my first sensor guess).

Other things tried: The first mechanic that serviced the car for this problem replaced the fuel filter. The plugs in the car are new - <5k miles on them, and I re-checked the plug wires and everything seems fine.

Even though the check engine light comes on sometimes while the problem is happening, the ecu led will not output any blinks. The led has worked in the past, so I have no reason to think that there is a problem in that area.

I have found people reporting this problem all over the internet (at least 3 other threads), especially on 3rd and 4th generation accords.
I saw a few possibly solutions. I'm going to check out the connection on the main relay under the dash. There was also a suggestion about an ignition igniter (under the distro) so i'm going to look into that as well.

F23A4Racer750IL · #15 12-28-2004, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 94tegRS

what the hell is an EX-R?

are you in a different country than the US?

when the CEL comes on next time, turn he car off and back on. did the CEL go off or stay on, if it stayed on, the next time it comes on again have the tool and be ready to read the code. shut off the car, jump over to the passenger side and jump the 2 wires in the (probably) light blue connector and then turn key to on and count the blinks (long=10, short=1) add em up and search or post em and someone will tell you what it is.

EX-R's are the canadian version.

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