Mis'behavin Accord

[daviepancakes]

Hello!

I have a 1992 Honda Accord with 203 000km on board.

I've been having lots of problems with the car since I bought it in May of this year.

There is intermittent no starts (this resolves EVERY time the car gets off the tow truck at the mechanic, starts up right away) and occasionally, I will press on the gas pedal while driving and the car suddenly loses all forward motion I pull off the side of the road, shut the car off and when I turn it back on, it works fine.

Then in the last few months, the check engine light will come on periodically and then go away. FINALLY, last week the engine light stayed on while I was on the highway and I was actually close to a honda dealer. They checked the code and i had a failed 02 sensor.

Because this all happened on Dec. 23, I had to wait until today (28th) to get it fixed. From the 23 to today, the car's performance has been getting worse and worse!

I'm not sure if the previous owner had ever had a tune-up, but I got that done today as well with the o2 sensor. I could not believe how wonderful the car felt on the way home from Honda!!!!!!!!! It didn't shake while idling, it shifted gears beautifully and was overall a dream to drive.

I just have one remaining question that I forgot to ask Honda about. On the dashboard, there is the legend with all the gears on it. Whatever gear I am in lights up on the dash. The only one that doesn't light up is D4. Could this be a burnt out bulb or is the absence of this light the indicator of a transmission problem? I really hope not!

Thank you so much!
Jen

(PS: do all the problems I described above sound right if the o2 sensor was failing?)

[mpumas]

By moving the shift lever, can you get it to light up even briefly?

[AccordCodger]

One passing comment, Jen. When the check engine light comes on, it stores the code. I don't know how much history it keeps, but it's a fair amount. Provided you don't wait, like, months to check it, the dealer (or Autozone) can pull the code even though the light isn't on any more.

I've been having lots of problems with the car since I bought it in May of this year.

I hope you didn't pay much for the car

[daviepancakes]

Hi there! thank you for the quick replies!

No the light never lights up, not even for a second.

thats good to know about the engine light. My mechanic (not Honda) said they couldn't pull the code after it came on and went off again. I switched to the Honda mechanic!

Yes, I paid $6300 for the car

thanks again!

Jen

[AccordCodger]

HOW MUCH???

Even Canadian, that's a HUGE amount for a '92 with 200k+. Do they REALLY cost that much up there? I live in Florida, and paid US$2800 for a '93 EX with 140,000.

My mechanic (not Honda) said they couldn't pull the code after it came on and went off again.

What an idiot. Even my '81 Oldsmobile stored trouble codes!

[daviepancakes]

Yes, I know. It was expensive.

When I bought it, it was @ 198 000km. I spent that much because I wanted a good reliable car I'm hoping now the o2 sensor is fixed it will be a good car. I looked around and this was one of the cheapest hondas around of that year and older.

Any more thoughts on the D4 light? Could it just be a burnt out bulb??

Thanks so much for everything!
Jen

[AccordCodger]

200,000 km is a lot better than 200,000 miles, but it still sounds like a lot of money. Maybe I should do all the math, convert CDN$ to US$, and km to miles, and see if I'm talking through the back of my head! Anyway ...

Use the tach to see if it's actually shifting into D4. The Accord shifts pretty smoothly when it's in good shape, but you should be able to feel - as well as see from the tach - when the shifts take place.

Get on a quiet highway (where you can easily get up to 40-50 mph) and accelerate moderately. There should be 3 upshifts (the transmission is 4-speed).

Also, check the RPMs at a STEADY highway speed on a level-ish road. While in D4, it should be roughly along the lines of the following (I'll leave you to convert it to km/h!)
40mph 1800 rpm
50mph 2300 rpm
60mph 2400 rpm
70mph 3200 rpm

[mpumas]

As for the D4 light. The shift lever position switch provides a ground for the light. It also provides a ground signal to the TCU. "So it is important that this ground signal is made when it is in D4 position for proper shifting. It could be the light bulb or a dirty switch contact. Remove the center console and with the key on and the car in D4 position, short the grn/black wire to ground. If the light lights, it is the switch, if not the bulb. The switch is easily disassembled and the contact cleaned. The dirty switch problem usually manifests itself in the P position and then you cannot remove the ignition key.

[AccordCodger]

Remove the center console

Not a big deal if you've done it before, but not exactly self-evident!

If you can be sure it's shifting OK, then, based on mpumas' comments, the TCU must be working correctly. That'd mean it's the bulb (and I have absolutely NO idea how to pull the dash apart -- if it were MY car -- and assuming it IS shifting OK -- I'd just do without the light!)

Jen, are you OK with stuff like "key on, in D4, short the wire etc"?) If not, be careful --- (a) if you short the wrong thing you will, at a minimum, blow a fuse. And (b) the procedure described means the car will roll downhill -- set the parking brake (but you can't get the console out with the brake set all the way ---- sigh!)

This is minor dismantling and trouble-shooting for many of us, but I get the sense (from your biography etc) that you may not be accustomed to working on your car yourself.

[daviepancakes]

Yes, regrettbly, I know next to nothing about cars. This is my first car so I'm not even vocabulary saavy. I'll keep an eye on the car. I know all last week it was shifting HORRIBLY on the highway, but this was before the o2 sensor was replaced. It seems to be running great now.

Thanks again. Sorry I'm not able to give you more information.

Jen

[daviepancakes]

I hope this is MINOR!

My DRL warning lamp was on while I was driving this morning. I checked to make sure the parking brake was down and that I was in gear. Seemed fine.

It stayed on until I went over a small bump in the road and switched off.

I know that a DRL warning lamp signals and burnt out headlight but would that be the case if the light went off when I went over a small bump?

Thanks again!
Jen

[AccordCodger]

Whoa, hold it, Jen!

Since this is your own thread, I guess we can't call it "hijacking" but the subject (or your problem, if you prefer) is NEW.

So you'd be better off with a new thread (and a more descriptive subject line -- about 90% of the threads here could be referred to as having to do with a misbehaving Accord)

And, BTW, I don't know what a DRL light is.