90 Accord problems

First I would like to say that I love the 90-93 model; up until very recently,
my next car was definitely going to be a 93 Accord. But...I'm finding them hard
to come (in northern Ontario that is). The other discouraging thing is the rust
problem...I think the engine will go forever but the body won't!. But recently
I've been experiencing a number of problems peripheral to the drivetrain,
namely,

1. the two rear brakelights, and center high brakelight don't work. The dealer
fix for this only lasted about 2 months. It seems to me it was a grounding
problem..I wish I had gotten them to show me how they fixed it. I think this
problem relates to poor rubber seals on the trunk lid which allowed a lot of
moisture to collect on the underside of the trunk lid...noticed this for quite
some time but never did anything about it. Another Accord owner told me there
is a relay within the brake light housing/lens unit which could be the culprit.
Is this possible?

2. Heater fan doesn't work on any speed setting. Initially, the problem was
intermittent, but now it has quit for good. Before I tear the dash apart to
test the fan switch, I'm wondering if there is a most likely culprit here...for
instance the blower motor itself?

3. Power steering leak..checked it out...looks like the line from the pump..a
$330 part from the dealer <ouch>

With winter approaching my main concern is the heater fan. If anybody has some
advice it would be greatly appreciated! I'm hoping to make it to 300K...am at
281K now (on original clutch, third timing belt and burns no oil, well virtually
no oil!)

TIA
Rich

 

Almost certainly your heater fan motor is gone. On my '90 Accord the
fan was working intermittently...if I banged on the dashboard on
passenger side it would start up. When I removed the motor and looked
inside the brushes were completly gone and the armature was damaged.
I replaced with a replacement motor from NAPA (approx $100). Note
that you have to remove the entire blower assembly to replace the
motor...if you have air conditioning it is a very tight fit to remove
and replace the blower...requires pulling back carpet on passenger
side and disconnecting some sockets on the ECU to move it out of the
way.

 

Thanks for your help...the intermittent behavior of the fan had me doubting the
switch was the culprit...glad I didn't tear the dash apart! I'll check the
motor first.

 

ok I removed the blower assembly (with some difficulty) but when I connect the
blower directly to 12v (the car battery) it spins like a banshee! Should I
bother checking the brushes/armature or assume all is fine and move on to
checking the fan switch and or relay....any thoughts?

 

I did the same thing (removed and successfully operated with direct
connection) and then reinstalled the blower assembly only to find it
stopped working again....nothing worse than trying to diagnose
intermittent problems. My blower motor went at 265k so if you're at
281k on the original blower motor my guess is that it's running on
borrowed time. When I took apart my blower motor there was
considerable debris inside it that I'm sure contributed to it's
demise. Debris is sucked into the motor through a rubber vent tube.

Because of the way they have the motor taped up; it is difficult to
take apart and reassemble again so if you take it apart you're almost
committed to buying a new one. Note I was advised you can't purchase
replacement brushes.

I doubt whether the problem is the switch or relay. The only other
thing I would suggest is to check the ground wire...a bad ground can
cause the same problems.

 

Hi Rich,

I think this is your problem...go here:
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=3977904B.56BCC7C2%40NOSPAMbellatlantic.net

Maybe there's a quicker way, but you either have to replace the contacts,
or clean them.

Good luck, post back if it works,
Arthur

 

You're right about the relay, it checks out fine. Next I will check for power
at the connector to the blower...If power is present there, the problem should
be with the blower or bad ground (?) I assume the resistor pack is off the hook
because all the fan speeds don't work (if high still worked then suspect the
resistor pack...correct?). Would you happen to know where the ground connection
is? The Haynes manual schematic shows a Junction Conn B (Ground) and Ground M
(below right side of dash). A DIY friend of mine says that he would suspect
the switch because of "all the arcing" that goes on...this doesn't sound right
to me. Anyway, I'll be waiting till tomorrow to continue...had a wee bit of a
snowstorm today and its a little chilly outside!

Thanks

 

Wow, sounds like the exact problem I have. I suspected the bad trunk seal and
moisture to be the root of this problem. I'll post back if your solution
works.
Thanks
Rich

 

As I recall, the ground is below the right side of the dash...it comes
off where the blower assembly connectors are and is grounded to a
metal piece of the frame. Removing the glove compartment makes it
easier to access. Check the 2 wire connector with a continuity
tester. With the key turned off (or ideally with battery
disconnected) touch one lead to a metal part of the frame and the
other to one of the contacts in the 2 wire connector. You should have
good continuity (no resistance between one of the connectors and the
frame)...if not you have a bad ground.

But...I still suspect the motor. Although the knobs are prone to
stripping the switches weren't prone to failure and even if they did
fail you should be able to jiggle the switch to make it work at one of
the speeds. attached is another post I found which is similar to my
experience:

From: Big Bad Bob ()
Subject: Re: 90' Accord A/C fan shuts off and on

View this article only
Newsgroups: rec.autos.makers.honda
Date: 1999/08/28

My blower motor did this about a yar ago. It was acompanied by very
little output. When I set the switch to high, it didn't blow as
strongly as it used to. And then one day, right SMACK in the the
middle of summer by the way, it quite all together. It turned out
that it was the blower motor itself that had gone out. The brushes had
worn down and started to tear into that copper thing that the brushes
rub against (can't rmember what it's called). I had to replace the
motor (obviously). It wasn't as expensive as I had expected.
But that motor was a B**CH to get in and out! You can check to see if
this is the problem by removing the blower motor cover plate. Its on
the very botttom of the motor and is attached by two screws. If this
isn't the problem, I would suggest cleaning the contacts in the switch
(not an easy task either, but FAR easier than removing/installing the
blower motor!).

Best of luck!

 

Yep, your right, the motor was the problem. I now have heat again, just in time
for another northern winter!

Thanks for your help.

Rich

 

Bingo! right on Arthur, my brake lights are back!

I did utilize a bit of a shortcut....I only extracted one of the pins from the
plastic connector...the most corroded of them. Before doing this though, I
soaked the connector in diluted (10%) muriatic acid (get this at any hardware
store...its hydrocloric acid) for a couple of hours. This cleaned up the
contacts pretty good...but one looked alot worse than the others so I removed it
for some extra cleaning. I didn't use any lithium grease, but gave the contacts
a spritz of wd-40. I still have to address the water leak..otherwise as you
say, the problem may come back. But at least now I know how to fix it.

Thanks alot!

Rich