ReFracture

Hey folks, got a problem I am looking for some input on.

Car: 1997 Honda Accord 2.2 4cyl (Non V-tech), Automatic transmission, 188k miles

Problem: Intermittent misfire at start

I would say roughly 80% of the time, my car starts right up and everything is just peachy.

Sometimes however, the car misfires horribly, with the revs fluctuating up and down a bit. About 10 seconds later it clears up and the car runs smoothly until I shut it off. On an even rarer occasion, the engine misfires so badly that it will not stay running and I will be unable to get it running until I try again later. Sometimes when it mis fires it will produce a code stating that 2 of the cylinders are mis-firing. I parked the car for the winter due to an unrelated issue, and the battery didn't survive the cold. Had to replace that so now the code is gone. Today it mis fired for the first time in about two weeks of having the car running again. (No code produced).

Also of note, is while the car generally fires up just fine while it's warm, it does sometimes give me trouble. More often it is when the car is cold however.

So, what have I done?
Some of these changes are just for the sake of maintenance as I bought the car last year with no in depth knowledge of it's history, others were suggestions made by shop mechanics which didn't solve the problem.

Done in relation to the problem: (Though some motivated just as general maintenance)
Spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, distributor, fuel filter, fuel injector cleaner.

Done otherwise: Timing belt and cover, oil changes (10w30), new battery, tires, some other misc things I don't recall off the top of my head.

My next thought was maybe fuel injectors, but I don't want to start throwing parts at the problem. I'm not really going to take anymore advice from that same shop as they have screwed things up enough with other cars we have taken there, so now I turn to you folks.

Any advice would be appreciated.

yungmulacrx

I had a problem with my car missing on cold starts due to the valve lash too tight which is weird because it didnt miss when it was warm.. I would say check valve lash and if you can check to see if your fuel pressure drops any when it starts missing.. Good luck hope this helps.. Report back

wwcrxww

When you replaced your plugs and wires did you notice any signs of oil on the old wires and/or plugs? Its very common that the valve cover gasket will leak oil into the spark plug tubes causing it to miss. This is usually a more consistant miss.

I know you said you replaced your distributor so im assuming it came with a new coil and rotor as well....did you get an aftermarket one or an OEM Honda one? I have had issues in the past with aftermarket coils acting up right out of the box - some of these cheap aftermarket coils are famous for producing intermittent, weak, or no spark at all. very unreliable

ReFracture

I did not notice anything on the wires or plugs. As for the distributor I think it was an aftermarket one. The behavior did not immediately change when we replaced the distributor. It did indeed come with a new coil and rotor.

To be honest at this point I think that extra bottle of fuel injector cleaner I put into the tank when I filled it up last may be helping out, as the one misfire I had when I first created this thread was the last time it's happened.

wwcrxww

Try cleaning the injectors. ...over time they build up gunk around the nozzle and that will absolutely cause a miss....its not difficult to do, you can use a clean rag and some gasoline and each injector has a little screen you can remove and clean.. Just be careful not to lose or break any o rings...probably not a bad idea to go ahead and change them

ReFracture

Thanks for the advice. I'll report back when I can.