Guzerdad

My 93 civic dx has intermittent stalls, usually when you give it some gas to turn left or go up a hill after slowing or stopping, and after it is warmed up and has been running for a while. It starts up again but usually not immediately (takes anywhere from 2 tries and 20 seconds to 10 tries and 5 minutes). Runs fine for a few days then it happens. Sometimes before it happens you notice that when going up a hill you give some gas but the car doesn't pick-up. Reminds me of when older cars weren't warmed up and you tried to give too much gas (but this happens when car is warmed up). Any ideas or typical problem others have encountered with this model? Tune-up and fuel system cleaner didn't help. Usually have a small child in the car so don't want to get stuck on a left turn across traffic. Service station says could be a lot of things and can't tell unless it happens for them. Any help appreciated.

instructor74

How does the car idle. Is the idle stable or does it bounce around a little, almost like if you forgot to turn the choke off on an old car with a carb? If the idle hunts or surges you could have a problem with the iavc (idle air control valve) or the fitv (fast idle thermo valve). As far as the intermittent start when you turn the key on do you here the fuel pump prime? These cars are known for the fuel pump relay having problems. No prime of the fuel pump poss bad relay

Guzerdad

Thanks for reading and the suggestions. Seems to have a steady idle. Intermittent starting is only after it stalls. Otherwise it seems to start up right away. Don't know if fuel pump primes (don't know what to listen for). Never get any check engine light or anything like that so don't know how to track problem (sorry for my lack of experience). Since it seems to happen when giving a little gas to turn left or after you notice a definite lack of pickup when starting up a hill, I get an impression that it floods a little (at least that is what I would call it in an older non-fuel inected car). But don't really know.

instructor74

The fuel pump priming you will here a winning sound from the back of the car. This sound will only be there for a few seconds until the pressure builds up then it goes away. When you did your tune up did you change out the fuel filter on the fire wall? You might have something as simple as fuel starvation from a clogged fuel filter or bad fuel pump. I would change out the fuel filter if you haven't done that yet. Then have the fuel pressure checked by a mechanic you trust

Guzerdad

Thanks, I'll try it over the weekend and let you know what happens.