cptinjak

Hello everyone.

I've been searching this site for days and finally broke down and decided to post.

I have a 1997 accord EX with the VTEC 2.2with just under 60k miles. This is my winter car / daily driver. Last winter it started to stumble for a couple days, and just generally ran poorly. It cleared up on it's own and I drove it every day for a couple months before getting my summer car back out, and forgot all about the issue.

Fast forward to a month ago. I took my summer car apart, and started driving the Accord every day for about 2 weeks with no issues. It started to misfire again, same as before. It was a smallish issue that I could deal with at first, and has gradually become undrivable.

Symptoms:
- CEL with P1361 and P1381
- Bad misfiring resulting in "limp mode" 3k rev limit
- Tach signal intermittent when misfiring. If misfire lasts long enough tach will fall to zero before returning.

Notes:
- Runs really well when cold. Misfire starts usually within the first mile or so.
- Misfire seems affected by bumps/turning. Started out that it would clear up under right hand turns, then switched to clearing up on left hand turns.
- Can clear up on the highway and drive normally, even when hot, for many miles. No clear reason why it clears up.
- hitting a bump on the highway that unloads the suspension and gets the car "weightless" for a moment ALWAYS causes the misfire.
- When misfiring, the car makes almost no power below 2k rpm, but runs immensely better (not perfect) above 2k. Not sure about higher than 3k because it is always in limp mode by that point.


From my searching this forum, everyone that I've found with the two OBD codes I am getting talks about the distributor, but I've found no clarification on which sensors these codes refer to. I am leaning toward bad ground or connection from the way it acts, but I have not been able to find out where these sensors actually are to trace the wires and look for any issues. I have scoured the car, checking every connector, wire, and ground I can get my hands on. I was optimistic i'd just find a connector not all the way together, but it seems like I wont be that lucky.

Any insight our advice anyone could offer would be GREATLY appreciated before I just start throwing parts at the problem.

Jack

holmesnmanny

If it was me i would pull the distributor and open it up and check for loose connections and sensors. Then i would spray it out with electronics cleaner. Let it air dry then put it back in.

Be on the look out for red dust inside, which would indicate a failing bearing.

MAD_MIKE

96/97 cars have an additional harness(vs 94-95) that is an actual crank sensor mounted down low on the front of the engine. 90-95 cars had a 'crank' sensor mounted in the distributor. Since bumps seem to trigger this problem, look at that actual crank sensor/harness and connector going to the distributor. If the harness is loose there may be an intermittent or loose connection at the 4p harness.

I posted in the another thread regarding a '99 but I do not know if it is the same diagnostics for a 96/97 B1 as used on a 98-02 A1/A4/A5.


That is the crank sensor/harness.

Part 17 in the below diagram...

cptinjak

Thank you for the responses!

I ended up finding it last night. I feel stupid for not seeing it before, but when i thought the sensors in question were in the distributor, I wasn't looking under the car. This ought to do it eh?

Jack

MAD_MIKE

Yeah, that might be the problem there. Get a new axle too, your boot is torn/slinging grease.

holmesnmanny

What you need to do is have your timing belt done, along with all the seals. While you're at it and is possible only after removing the timing belts, clean off the crank sensor assembly.

Then, yeah, get a new axle. It's possible your timing belt gasket is gonna be drenched in grease from the axle. It might be best to get a timing cover gasket set.