'99 Accord V6 hesitation 1500-2000 rpm

My 99 Accord V6 (90 k miles) has been hesitating/stumbling under very
light throttle load around the 1500 to 2000 rpm range.

I reported here earlier that a Honda (dealer) Service Manager who
drove the car was fairly certain that it was an EGR problem. Google
searches confirmed that this was a likely cause. I gave the car to a
Honda tech for a few days. He agreed that it was likely the EGR, but
upon removing the intake manifold he discovered that the port was
fairly clean. He thoroughly cleaned it out and tested the EGR valve
(which was fine), but the problem did not go away. He also told me
that my car was up to date with the most recent EGR TSB (I had it done
in December 2002).

Additionally, all 90 and 105k maintenance items have been perfored
(after the problem started), including all fluids being replaced,
timing belt/water pump, distributor cap, rotor, wireset, plugs, and
air filter, and probably a few other things I am forgetting. The air
intake is free of obstructions, and the throttle body has been
cleaned. The timing is and was correct. I have also burned through
about 5 tanks of gas since I noticed the problem.

A fuel delivery problem doesn't seem very likely to me since other RPM
ranges, or a heavier right foot make the problem go away, but I could
certainly be wrong.

Any guesses as to what the problem could be? Could it be a fuel
delivery issue? Another bad transmission?

 

id quadruple check all vac hoses, unplug all wiring going to the fuel
system parts and clean with electronic contact cleaner, tighten all the
nuts on the manifold and throttle body, then replace the fuel filter.

if that *still* doesnt do it, id start the engine and spray carb cleaner
around any places where 2 intake parts meet. if theres a bad gasket
somewhere, the carb cleaner should get sucked in and cause the idle to
change.

 

Sounds alot like the same problem I had with my 99 V6 - the torque converter
problem. It took several trips to the dealer - complaining about the
problem (they kept telling me it was normal) before they replaced the
transmission under warranty which fixed the problem. There WERE two TSBs
describing the problem but they are mysteriously no longer on the alldata
site.

 

Funny, but the torque convertor was my first suspicion. Initially,
the hesitation was only noticable when the trans was in 4th. If I
left it in D3, the hesitation was not present - or at least so subtle
I didn't notice it. In my paranoia, I took the car to the Honda
dealer that did my most recent trans replacement. (a justified
paranoia as this is my 3rd trans and I had about 100 miles left on the
12k mile trans warranty - how nice of Honda to trust their
transmissions for 36k, but their remanufactured junk for only for 12).

Anyway, after fighting with the service advisor who had been to "Honda
Transmission School" and claimed what I was describing was just torque
convertor lockup (which I know it isn't since I've driven all but a
few of the 90k miles on the car), explaining 2nd grade math to him
(since he insisted the trans was out of warranty), and leaving the car
for their "transmission expert", I was told that the transmission was
fine.

Now, about 2000 miles later, the hesitation, slipping, misfiring, or
whatever it is, is still subtle, but present at an increasing RPM
range, and certainly 3rd gear as well as 4th. Does this seem to jive
with what you experienced?

Thanks for the input!

-James

 

I will double check all of the nuts and hoses (they should be OK, but
it won't hurt to check again). Cleaning the contacts makes sense, and
hopefully the fuel filter won't be all that bad.

Sounds like a plan - any danger of carb cleaner doing anything nasty
to the plastic or rubbery bits around the intake?

Thanks for the advice!

-James