'91 Honda Accord rough acceleration, erratic speedometer

Discussion in 'Accord' started by lance_dowdy, May 2, 2007.

  1. lance_dowdy

    lance_dowdy Guest

    I have read a lot of info online, but still have questions. Hope
    someone can help - please.
    Background: One year ago lost the Timing belt while driving and messed
    up 12 of the 18 valve. Car only had 58k miles (wife's grandma's car)
    so decided to fork over $1900 for repair. After the repair it ran
    great, better than new, I mean surprisingly smooth and fast. That was
    a year ago.

    Present - Yesterday driving to work it ran fine. However at lunch it
    would run rough if the accelerator was depressed until the engine came
    to speed then would run at constant RPM just fine. Acceleration was
    very rough. I pulled a spark plug cable and after about 10 seconds
    things got worse. It died and would not start, not even try to
    start. No spark that I could see. I replaced the Ignitor (ignition
    control module?), didn't help. Then I replaced the Coil; it then
    would start (yeah!) however it ran exactly as before it died - rough
    acceleration. I shorted the engine code diagnostic jumper on the side
    footwell for passenger, turned on key and read the Check Engine light
    flash: 1 long then 7 shorts. This would be 17, correct. This appears
    to be a faulty Vehicle Speed Sensor, which would account for the
    erratic Speedometer. But why is it running rough and why did the coil
    fix the no start condition?

    What I think: I think the no start condition was completely seperate
    than the rough acceleration issue. Maybe when I pulled the spark plug
    wire while the engine was running, I caused the coil (which is
    probably original, 16 years old), to fail. What do you think?

    But... what is the rough idle cause by. Bad fuel? If it was an
    oxygen sensor, wouldn't that throw a code?

    Sorry so long. Sincerely appreciate any help.
     
    lance_dowdy, May 2, 2007
    #1
  2. lance_dowdy

    Cousin It Guest

    Letting the car run too long with a wire pulled to check for spark killed
    your coil. You can do a very brief test that way, but the coil heats up
    rapidly and dies. Look at you dead coil and you will probably see a burn
    spot on the outer casing.

    If you have a code 17, the speedo is screwed up, and your sports shift light
    is blinking, you definitely have a bad VSS. Replace the VSS first and then
    move on to the obvious like plugs, wires, cap and rotor.
     
    Cousin It, May 2, 2007
    #2
  3. lance_dowdy

    motsco_ Guest

    ==================================

    When you pull a spark plug wire off, the high tension still has to go
    somewhere to ground, so it goes through the module and destroys it. Have
    you used injector cleaner regularly?

    'Curly'
     
    motsco_, May 3, 2007
    #3
  4. lance_dowdy

    lance_dowdy Guest

    Well, I found the problem and temporarily fixed it with electrical
    tape. While changing plugs, I realized the hard plastic case of the
    plug wire that goes into the head had a crack and a couple of holes
    that looked burned. Appears the wire was arc'ing into the head
    instead of getting spark to the plug. Wrapped electrical tape around
    it a few times and the car runs great. Obviously will have to replace
    the plug wires. The Vehicle Speed Sensor is going to have to wait for
    now. It doesn't throw a code often. Speedo works most of the time.
    Thanks so much for the good advice.
     
    lance_dowdy, May 3, 2007
    #4
  5. lance_dowdy

    Challenged Guest

    For the future, if/when you encounter dead speedometer...

    I had a similar experience on my 92 Prelude Si. My speedometer was
    working intermittently and stayed at 0 for 99% of the time. I noticed
    that when my speedometer is not working, my idle would be very rough.

    My guess: Since there is no feedback from VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor),
    the engine fluctuates to compensate for the lack of data.

    The fix: Had a mechanic replace the VSS, the symptoms went away.

    Cost: You can buy a VSS for less than $200 (www.slhondaparts.com), but
    replacing it yourself may not be feasible. The VSS can be located on
    top of the transmission, but my VSS was obscured by the engine.

    Note: VSS has nothing to do with your car not starting.
     
    Challenged, May 15, 2007
    #5
  6. I lost my speedo at about 30k miles on my 93 del sol. The speedo was out
    of calibration and the shop couldnt fix it without replacing the entire
    speedo. Is there a way to roll the new speedo forward to read the
    correct miles? My speedo now says 37K its actually about 67K ?
     
    Private Private, May 18, 2007
    #6
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