chsmurphy

Have a 2001 crv lx. An engine light came on and a few days later, engine light began flashing and car ran horribly. I bought a code reader and it had 3 codes, cyls 1, 2 and 3 had misfires. Real quickly, I changed wires but no change. Will do comp test and change plugs today. Has anyone else had this? Any ideas?
Thanks

Chiny

My 2000 CRV engine light came on, it was struggling to take off from a stop between 1-2.5RPMS. Changed spark plugs and wires, runs fine now.

ihaterust

timing belt might have skipped

jujuCO

have you ever done a valve adjust?

do a comp test, try adjusting the valve. if not better....you have some burnt valve buddy

i see it all the time

ihaterust

valve adjustment wont do ****.
try a compression test
check distributor cap and check each cylinder for spark
check timing.

chsmurphy

will change cap, rotor and ignition coil tomorrow. thanks to you all for the help. i'll post results tomorrow.

allmotorbubble

I had the same problem. Adjusted the valves problem solved.

m_shake

valve adjustment, and if its been out of adjustment for awhile probably gots some burnt valves

jujuCO

updates?

EL Vap133

Does it overheat?

T_ypEr

I have a very similar problem. My 2000 CR-V EX has an idle problem with it, though. I've replaced the distributor rotor and cap (both were in bad condition anyway) and the spark plug wires (plugs are relatively new). I have noticed that the idle is a bit higher than normal when the car is fully warmed up. The O2 sensors have also been replaced. I'm getting a couple misfire codes including a Random Misfire Code. I also have a CEL that sometimes blinks and then stops blinking. The idle also surges like crazy when I turn it on and/or drive it, turn it off, and turn it back on again. I've noticed it only really happens when the car is warmed up. I'm going to do an air bleeding on the coolant tomorrow and see if that helps and also check for a vacuum leak. I've also suspected the Fast Idle Control Valve and Idle Air Control Valve. The problem is that I don't know exactly where they are. If anyone can tell me or show me with pictures that would be awesome.

fast2camciv

if your getting misfire codes, odds are you have burnt valve(s) been there done that. do a compression test first. if that comes back acceptable, do a valve adjustment. the exhaust valves get very very tight (valve seals get pushed into the head) and if left that way too long it will burn up the valve, causing very rough idle and eventually misfire codes. from my experiences with it, if your getting misfire codes its probably too late. but doesnt hurt to test it and do a valve adjust, you might get lucky.

Good luck!

fast2camciv

Oh and the fast idle valve is the little box under the throttle body that has the 2 coolant lines going in/out of it. its actually part of the throttle body. (i think, some are, some arent...would have to go look at mine to know for sure...either way, location is the same) and the IACV is on the firewall side of the intake manifold, it has a black cylindrical "solenoid" looking thing on it (easiest indicator because its the only thing bolted to the intake manifold that looks like that lol)

its good maintenance practice to clean those out...but im still putting money that you have valve issues. extremely common with the b20's that are in our crv's.

T_ypEr

Thanks for the advice! I take a look at the valves and see how they are. Do you know what the gap is supposed to be for the exhaust valves?

fast2camciv

This thread has some good information you will find useful to answer your question, .16mm-.20mm (.006-.008)

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-cr-v-element-156/first-gen-cr-v-exhaust-valves-you-2836371/

T_ypEr

Thanks for the link! My dad and I checked for air in the cooling system and it was all clear. We then checked for vacuum leaks and found nothing (using a propane tank and a hose). Then we adjusted the valves and found that a few were tight or loose (mainly intake valves were loose). We did find that both cylinder 4 exhaust valves were tight (there's the cylinder 4 misfire code). After the valve adjustment, we reset the ECU and cleared the CEL codes and let the engine idle for 10 minutes to relearn the idle pattern. Then we took it out for a drive and came back to find it still surging when we put it in Park. I also notice that the idle speed (when it's not surging) is about 500rpm higher than it normally was.

The thing is that these problems never started until we got it back from a mechanic who cleaned out the throttle body and "checked the valves". Before taking it to the mechanic all we had was a CEL.

T_ypEr

I took the Idle Air Control Valve off and cleaned it out with some Simple Green (poured it in the holes that the coolant lines go on, swished it around, and poured it out), let it air dry for about 20 minutes, and then put it back on. I fire up the car and it begins to surge IMMEDIATELY. It's never surged immediately before, only when it's been driven and warmed up. I have no idea what to look for next.

eghatch4sale

Start the car then pull one plug wire at a time ....... if the idle does not change on any of the 4 wires you have a burnt valve which should result in your random miss fire codes it is a very common issue with the Crv 's

fast2camciv

a burnt valve will show up on a compression test. that should be one of the first things you do in these cars based on its history of burning valves.

compression test stat!

T_ypEr

So I figured I'd bleed the cooling system today since I took the IACV off to clean it last night (and disconnected the coolant lines to do so). Coolant is clear, but now the engine goes from a slow surge to a fast surge upon startup. Also, the CEL came back on and we're getting Idle Air Control system codes. No more misfire codes.

T_ypEr

So I did a compression test and it all checked out. However, my dad and I think that it could be the throttle body gasket. We're going to get one tomorrow and replace it. Otherwise, a hardware store nearby us makes gasket material so we can just trace it and cut a new one.

T_ypEr

So I replaced the throttle body gasket, cleared the ECU codes, and reset the idle. Just as the 10 minutes was up, the idle began surging again. What's more is that white smoke began pouring out of the tailpipe. We figured it was just the oil in the cylinders from the compression test we did, but it kept coming out! It doesn't smell like coolant either. We have no more ideas on what it could possibly be.

Orangegsx

Pretty common for these crvs to have valves out of adjustments. Not sure if it was a problem when they made the heads or what.

T_ypEr

The valves are perfect, and I made sure of it when I adjusted them a couple days ago.

boostedteg909

srry for hijackin the OP but i figured id try nd help a guy out

alrighty. so from wat i read u fixed the misfirin wit the valve adjustment but now hav a surging idle. common cause is a vacuum leak. to check that a very easy way is to start the car nd let it run till it gets to operatin temp, then unplug the iacv. yes this will throw the light. the rpm should drop so low the engine almost dies or shuts off all together. if it doesnt drop extremely low then air is gettin in some how. diagnose from there. another possibility is a bad or contaminated iacv. u say u already cleaned it so u should check the harness for voltage nd valve for operation. grab a volt meter nd unplug the iacv. turn the key on nd check voltage between the yellow/black wire on the harness nd ground. if u do not c battery voltage its a wirin issue. if that is fine now check the iacv for operation. use a pair of jumper wires nd connect straight to battery power. it should click everytime voltage is applied. if it doesnt, replace it. if the problem still persists let us kno