del sol stalls, loses acceleration on turns, electrics die
10-29-2009, 09:17 PM
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del sol stalls, loses acceleration on turns, electrics die
hey guys, just bought a new '95 del sol SI, automatic
car has a few issues. i've been working on fixing the idle, as it stalls about once every week. not often, but enough to be bothersome.
its the other issues i need help with. tried searching but came up with nothing. I only mention the stalling in case its related.
1. when making sharp turns, the car revs higher but the higher revs don't translate to faster speed. this seems to occur every time, but seems worse when making left turns than right turns. most noticeable when trying to accelerate. engine will rev up from 2k to 4k but car is going the same speed. once steering wheel is straight, all back to normal.
2. I can start the car, but all the electronics are dead. tach reads 0, speedo 0, no lights are on, and i cannot shift out of park. I can use the shift unlock to shift to drive and drive the car, but electronics are dead. my fix to this was to smack the right side of the gear shifter, in the center console, by the passengers knees. i dont know why i did it, but it worked. my question is what electronics are in that general area that i should clean. im assuming its a dirty connection or somethin. this only occurred 3 times since i owned the car, once while driving ( 2 weeks now)
just to describe my idle issue in case its related, car starts up fine. tach reads 600 rpm. when i come to a stop, it has stalled a few times, always when the engine is warm. sometimes it drops to 400rpm, thinks about stalling and goes back to normal. pushing the window up button when the windows are already closed brings the idle up to 1100 momentarily. engine used to idle between 600 - 750 but has been better with a new air filter and pcv valve.
things i have replaced so far in trying to fix the idle.
pcv valve
spark plugs
spark plug wires
air filter
and cleaned the throttle body
i plan to install new engine ground wires, clean iacv, clean fitv, and replace vacuum lines next.
oh, how many vacuum lines are there and how many engine ground wires in a D16z6
also have a small leak under the car. I assume its engine oil but wonder if its power steering fluid. both are full. leak is really really slow. about 3 drops a night.
oh, coolant seems to have dipped a bit since i got the car, but the fluid is not coolant. no smoke, so i'm not burning it but can't find any evidence of a coolant leak.
oh, one more thing to note, it looks like there used to be an alarm in the car but looks to be removed. not sure if it matters, but can't hurt to mention it.
thanks in advance. i'm a saturday mechaninc thats used to VW/BMW/Porsche and this is my first honda.
car has a few issues. i've been working on fixing the idle, as it stalls about once every week. not often, but enough to be bothersome.
its the other issues i need help with. tried searching but came up with nothing. I only mention the stalling in case its related.
1. when making sharp turns, the car revs higher but the higher revs don't translate to faster speed. this seems to occur every time, but seems worse when making left turns than right turns. most noticeable when trying to accelerate. engine will rev up from 2k to 4k but car is going the same speed. once steering wheel is straight, all back to normal.
2. I can start the car, but all the electronics are dead. tach reads 0, speedo 0, no lights are on, and i cannot shift out of park. I can use the shift unlock to shift to drive and drive the car, but electronics are dead. my fix to this was to smack the right side of the gear shifter, in the center console, by the passengers knees. i dont know why i did it, but it worked. my question is what electronics are in that general area that i should clean. im assuming its a dirty connection or somethin. this only occurred 3 times since i owned the car, once while driving ( 2 weeks now)
just to describe my idle issue in case its related, car starts up fine. tach reads 600 rpm. when i come to a stop, it has stalled a few times, always when the engine is warm. sometimes it drops to 400rpm, thinks about stalling and goes back to normal. pushing the window up button when the windows are already closed brings the idle up to 1100 momentarily. engine used to idle between 600 - 750 but has been better with a new air filter and pcv valve.
things i have replaced so far in trying to fix the idle.
pcv valve
spark plugs
spark plug wires
air filter
and cleaned the throttle body
i plan to install new engine ground wires, clean iacv, clean fitv, and replace vacuum lines next.
oh, how many vacuum lines are there and how many engine ground wires in a D16z6
also have a small leak under the car. I assume its engine oil but wonder if its power steering fluid. both are full. leak is really really slow. about 3 drops a night.
oh, coolant seems to have dipped a bit since i got the car, but the fluid is not coolant. no smoke, so i'm not burning it but can't find any evidence of a coolant leak.
oh, one more thing to note, it looks like there used to be an alarm in the car but looks to be removed. not sure if it matters, but can't hurt to mention it.
thanks in advance. i'm a saturday mechaninc thats used to VW/BMW/Porsche and this is my first honda.
10-29-2009, 09:49 PM
#2
Re: del sol stalls, loses acceleration on turns, electrics die
1. when making sharp turns, the car revs higher but the higher revs don't translate to faster speed. this seems to occur every time, but seems worse when making left turns than right turns. most noticeable when trying to accelerate. engine will rev up from 2k to 4k but car is going the same speed. once steering wheel is straight, all back to normal.
just to describe my idle issue in case its related, car starts up fine. tach reads 600 rpm. when i come to a stop, it has stalled a few times, always when the engine is warm. sometimes it drops to 400rpm, thinks about stalling and goes back to normal. pushing the window up button when the windows are already closed brings the idle up to 1100 momentarily. engine used to idle between 600 - 750 but has been better with a new air filter and pcv valve.
This may be related to your idle problem. Any CEL codes? Cleaning the IACV may help. The ECU normally responds to a high load on the power steering pump by raising the idle speed. Perhaps the IACV is over responding.
2. I can start the car, but all the electronics are dead. tach reads 0, speedo 0, no lights are on, and i cannot shift out of park. I can use the shift unlock to shift to drive and drive the car, but electronics are dead. my fix to this was to smack the right side of the gear shifter, in the center console, by the passengers knees. i dont know why i did it, but it worked. my question is what electronics are in that general area that i should clean. im assuming its a dirty connection or somethin. this only occurred 3 times since i owned the car, once while driving ( 2 weeks now)
Pry the dimmer switch out of the dash, unplug the connector, and install a jumper wire to connect the red wire to the black wire in the connector. Do the cluster lights now work reliably? If so, the dimmer switch is bad.
For the gauge problem, check whether fuse 15 under the dash or connectors at the rear of the cluster are loose.
just to describe my idle issue in case its related, car starts up fine. tach reads 600 rpm. when i come to a stop, it has stalled a few times, always when the engine is warm. sometimes it drops to 400rpm, thinks about stalling and goes back to normal. pushing the window up button when the windows are already closed brings the idle up to 1100 momentarily. engine used to idle between 600 - 750 but has been better with a new air filter and pcv valve.
This may be related to your idle problem. Any CEL codes? Cleaning the IACV may help. The ECU normally responds to a high load on the power steering pump by raising the idle speed. Perhaps the IACV is over responding.
2. I can start the car, but all the electronics are dead. tach reads 0, speedo 0, no lights are on, and i cannot shift out of park. I can use the shift unlock to shift to drive and drive the car, but electronics are dead. my fix to this was to smack the right side of the gear shifter, in the center console, by the passengers knees. i dont know why i did it, but it worked. my question is what electronics are in that general area that i should clean. im assuming its a dirty connection or somethin. this only occurred 3 times since i owned the car, once while driving ( 2 weeks now)
Pry the dimmer switch out of the dash, unplug the connector, and install a jumper wire to connect the red wire to the black wire in the connector. Do the cluster lights now work reliably? If so, the dimmer switch is bad.
For the gauge problem, check whether fuse 15 under the dash or connectors at the rear of the cluster are loose.
10-29-2009, 10:01 PM
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Re: del sol stalls, loses acceleration on turns, electrics die
awesome, thanks for the response. i'll try all that tomorrow. let me know if anyone else has got ideas.
no CEL lights btw
no CEL lights btw
10-30-2009, 01:27 PM
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Re: del sol stalls, loses acceleration on turns, electrics die
CEL works, no codes.
as stated, I cleaned the IACV. no time for the FITV. after driving her around, i noticed an improvement in acceleration when i take sharp turns, or rather a smaller increase in revs during a sharp turn.
Definitely not right still
Revs actually go down to 500 MORE OFTEN now...?????
Will clean the FTIV on monday, hopefully that helps some more.
I checked the fuses as you mentioned, and they all look good and secure.
I did notice an alarm installed in the car. I was never given the alarm fob. anyway to get one? It looks to be still installed in the car... I would imagine not, but doesn't hurt to ask
Other reason I didn't have much time was that I fixed the leak in the trunk. took more time than i imagined, and I broke a lot of the tabs as they were rusted. Some of the tabs are plastic tabs inserted into metal holders. I would reco some wd-40 first. to hopefully soften up the rusted metal holders......
as stated, I cleaned the IACV. no time for the FITV. after driving her around, i noticed an improvement in acceleration when i take sharp turns, or rather a smaller increase in revs during a sharp turn.
Definitely not right still
Revs actually go down to 500 MORE OFTEN now...?????
Will clean the FTIV on monday, hopefully that helps some more.
I checked the fuses as you mentioned, and they all look good and secure.
I did notice an alarm installed in the car. I was never given the alarm fob. anyway to get one? It looks to be still installed in the car... I would imagine not, but doesn't hurt to ask
Other reason I didn't have much time was that I fixed the leak in the trunk. took more time than i imagined, and I broke a lot of the tabs as they were rusted. Some of the tabs are plastic tabs inserted into metal holders. I would reco some wd-40 first. to hopefully soften up the rusted metal holders......
10-30-2009, 01:43 PM
#6
Re: del sol stalls, loses acceleration on turns, electrics die
Did you try jumping the dimmer switch connector?
Idle problem:
A clogged FITV won't cause a low idle speed for a warmed up engine. You replaced the PCV valve, but did you check whether the PCV or breather hose is clogged? You also might want to try bleeding the cooling system and adjusting the idle screw on the throttle body:
------------
Bleeding the cooling system:
1) Park the car on an inclined driveway with the front end higher than the rear.
2) Push the dash heater lever/**** to MAX heat.
3) Follow the directions in the diagram below (hint: the bleed bolt is located where the upper radiator hose connects to the engine):
----------------------------------
Idle problem:
A clogged FITV won't cause a low idle speed for a warmed up engine. You replaced the PCV valve, but did you check whether the PCV or breather hose is clogged? You also might want to try bleeding the cooling system and adjusting the idle screw on the throttle body:
------------
Bleeding the cooling system:
1) Park the car on an inclined driveway with the front end higher than the rear.
2) Push the dash heater lever/**** to MAX heat.
3) Follow the directions in the diagram below (hint: the bleed bolt is located where the upper radiator hose connects to the engine):
----------------------------------
10-31-2009, 09:04 PM
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Re: del sol stalls, loses acceleration on turns, electrics die
so much good info! thanks!
gonna try everything on monday if i have time. i thought idle speed was supposed to be around 600. guess i was misinformed. it seems to idle the smoothest at 550 - 600 as I can't tell the engine is on. at 450 or at 700, i can feel a bit of idle vibration.
so i need a handheld tach for the idle adjustment?
gonna try everything on monday if i have time. i thought idle speed was supposed to be around 600. guess i was misinformed. it seems to idle the smoothest at 550 - 600 as I can't tell the engine is on. at 450 or at 700, i can feel a bit of idle vibration.
so i need a handheld tach for the idle adjustment?
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11-12-2009, 10:11 PM
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Re: del sol stalls, loses acceleration on turns, electrics die
thanks for the help again!
so here's an update
cleaned FITV. while putting it back together, I apparently overtightened the screw and it broke. glued it back. yes glue. well, JB weld. either way, still ran like crap. but ran good enough for a day while i ordered a replacement. bought a new FITV, installed. ran beautifully.
bleeding the coolant - the d16z6 doesn't have a bleed screw so its a pain to bleed. well not really, just isn't as convenient as having a bleed screw.
found out while running the car to bleed the coolant, that my radiator fan doesn't work. that's next on the list.
either way, car runs great now. from looking at the FITV, it looks like the valve opens/closes depending on the temp. this may have been bad, causing problems even if the engine was warmed up.
the coolant level never went down while bleeding the coolant though, causing me to wonder if my water pump is bad. but its new, and my car doesn't over heat so i think im good. not much coolant leaked out when i disconnected the FITV and IAVC so maybe that's why.
either way, i'm happy except for the radiator fan....
drove a lot in lower gears to get the engine hot, without going fast, but fan never kicks on. pretty sure its just the fan.... unless its the thermostat....damn.
so here's an update
cleaned FITV. while putting it back together, I apparently overtightened the screw and it broke. glued it back. yes glue. well, JB weld. either way, still ran like crap. but ran good enough for a day while i ordered a replacement. bought a new FITV, installed. ran beautifully.
bleeding the coolant - the d16z6 doesn't have a bleed screw so its a pain to bleed. well not really, just isn't as convenient as having a bleed screw.
found out while running the car to bleed the coolant, that my radiator fan doesn't work. that's next on the list.
either way, car runs great now. from looking at the FITV, it looks like the valve opens/closes depending on the temp. this may have been bad, causing problems even if the engine was warmed up.
the coolant level never went down while bleeding the coolant though, causing me to wonder if my water pump is bad. but its new, and my car doesn't over heat so i think im good. not much coolant leaked out when i disconnected the FITV and IAVC so maybe that's why.
either way, i'm happy except for the radiator fan....
drove a lot in lower gears to get the engine hot, without going fast, but fan never kicks on. pretty sure its just the fan.... unless its the thermostat....damn.
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