hi everybody....
one of my first posts so hello and thanks for having me. I have come in search of advice from all you who know a lot more about accords than i do.

i just recently bought this car, a 91 accord lx 4 door automatic with 142k miles. i have been having some problems with it starting and rough idle. also, the green "S" light for the sport transmission has been flashing, which im sure is never a good thing, so i took it to my mechanic. he says i need motor mounts, and the ones i need for this car are $107.80, $158.66 and $400. then i need a new computer for $600 and pay them to put it in of course. So about $2000 later my car will be ok (unless of course the transmission has problems, or i need new suspension, so on). does this make any sense to you guys??? what should i do???

 

new ecu? what is the mechanics reasoning behind that?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .bagged &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">new ecu? what is the mechanics reasoning behind that?</TD></TR></TABLE>

were have you been bagged??

i think hes just throwing money at it right now...get a second opinion

 

he didn't say. He never did explain the motor mounts either in relationship to why the car doesn't start all the time and idles rough. I figured the comp was because of the flashing "S" light, but I have also heard that this is the car's way of relaying codes but I have to short it out first. The motor mounts I thought "ok, makes sense if the engine is bouncing around it could knock some things loose and maybe cause some cables to not connect..." but the mechanic didn't say that.
I'm not familiar with these engines, (not too familiar with any engines ) if i had the car for more than 2 months i could tell you a lot more.

I should get a second opinion, these guys are pretty honest imho, based on past work they've done...
hey any suggestions for mechanics to take it to in tucson???

thanks

 

Yes, Do yourself a BIG favor and get a second opinion. Preferably from a shop that will give you a written estimate, and is willing to discuss trans codes and the reasons why something needs to be done. It's still the age of the consumer, stand up for what you deserve. I get the "*******" whenever a shop starts throwing out $$ estimates with no explanation.
The mounts have no relation to why the car will not start sometimes.

P

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fw190bvi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">were have you been bagged??

</TD></TR></TABLE>

&lt;thread jack&gt;

traveling with work. they promoted my stupid *** to a regional trainer so now im on the road 90% of the time.

I miss you ******* though...

 

you might need motor mounts... as for the starting problems.. maybe your starter going out its not that big a deal... but i dont any reason why you should have you ecu changed... i've never heard of that before...

take it to another guy... and dont let him know you been to any other shops.. just get an inspection.. and hopefully you'l get a better price.. teh other day i was out with my friend geting differnt oppinions for his lude.. (got side swiped) teh first guy we went to wanted to charge 6k for the fix.. LOL i laughed to myself ans said "OK sir... i'll get back to you.. thanks for the help..." we then went to a shop less than a block down the streat and the guy said ok with parts in labor it should come out to 2k .. 2k OK! well be back in a week soo you see its always best to shop around..

 

The quote for the motor mounts sounds WAY out of the ballpark (considering it's possible to replace just the iso-insulators (rubber inserts).
The '91 can make for a decent daily ride. It's got the upgraded suspension, the larg(er) motor and some other stuff. And although there's not an infinite choice of aftermarket performance parts, there's enough stuff out there to make it truely "your" ride (if you want). If the body's straight, and the paint's intact there are incentives for fixing it up (no property taxes) etc.
The proof will come with the recommendations of your 2nd opinion garage as to how you want to proceed.

P

 

true, I will get a second opinion....
I like the car. I just bought it and went through the whole driving around and classifieds and websearching looking for it, plus the whole go to the DMV 3 times in one week to get it legal, and I'd like to just keep this one and fix it, but I paid close to $2k for the car itself. I'm not paying close to that for the repairs. I like this car because $20 in gas lasts me like 3 weeks. I don't want to mod it or do anything to it like that, i just want it to run well. thanks for all the replies and so fast. and its cool to jack my threads lol....

 

get 3 oppinions and dont let any of the mechanics know youve already been to a shop...

 

rough idle and hard shifting can be indications of bad mounts. It is highly unlikely all 3 mounts have failed on the care at it is usually the rear one (it takes most of the grunt of the engine) that bites the dust first. ECU is hardly ever a problem unless someone shorted something out on it. I would take it to a shop that only works on hondas and see what they say.

 

2g'z can get you another motor, an h22 at that...

but you can find all those parts for like 1/2 to 3/4 of the price that your mechanic lists, just gotta look in the right places.. like ebay, junk yards, car-part.com, etc...

 

i agree with the guys in here and their advise get at least 1 or 2 more opinions and i want to add that even if u do need an ecu u can get ecu rebuilt for around 100-150 dollars ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,if u can find out the code for the S lite flashing and post it here ..
i am also assuming u did not have a pre-purchase car inspection??? best 50-75 dollars anyone can invest ,,how recently did u buy the car if u bought it from a used car lot u could return it depends how much time as passed by or at least have them help with repairs
the price for the mounts are not that far off ,,,rear mount is around 250 dollars from dealer it is liquid filled and vaccum operated thus the high price ,,,,,but it is not the cause for hard starting u got other issues which u did not post the shop ever mentioned ......
before i would sink a lot of money into this car i would have it throughly inspected just in case as u you mentioned it might need additional expensive work

 

hey guys sorry it took me so long to follow up....i took it to a different mechanic. i decribed my problem to him and he immediately said it needed a speed sensor ($150) and thats it. i then told him about mechanic #1 and what he said. he checked my motor mounts and said theyre not in the best condition but sees no real need to replace them.
Also, mechanic #2 found a vice grip on my transimssion line. what was it doing there? mechanic #2 wanted to know, so i called #1 to find out. it wasn't left there on purpose, they tell me, and if they can have it back they'd appreciate it

 

In the south we'd call mechanic #1 a YAHOO (YAY-who) .

 

All I can say is wow...

I'd keep the vice-grip; those things are always handy to have around

I guess I've been spoiled by having good mechanics my whole life.

 

mechanic #2 just called to let me know my car is ready. in addition to the speed sensor, they also replaced a relay switch that was causing it not to start on occasion, changed the oil and a brakelight for $197. No charge for the relay switch since they had one on hand, and they realized that my aunt is also a customer of theirs so they cut me a break even though i told him i was expecting to pay about $300 or more.
so its Legendary Automotive in Tucson, AZ if anyone happens to come out here or be out here and needs a really good mechanic.
im so haaaaaaappy

 

Hind sight is beautiful. A main relay would make sense for not starting sometimes.

I left a digital thermometer in a car once and saw the lady a couple weeks later but didn't have the ***** to ask her for it back. I checked in the glove box for it but figured she was using it for cooking by now. lol

Definately keep the vise grips tell them thanks for saving you hundreds of dollars on non essential repairs.

Keep up the good work guys (#1 Mech)

 

Had the same problem, the original first encounter with repairs...I have a 1991 Honda Accord SE, with the heated leather seat.
Here goes.....Speed sensor....onced that is replaced, no more green Sport light on the dash...I remember since at time the car would like hesitate in knowing which speed to go into....The speed sensor goes for around 180$, and don't try to replace it yourself, it's in a very ackward position and place to fool around....

The flashing "S" will cause the speedometer to stay at 0mph, the other possible, is the cruise control....but check the sensor first....

Also check your Shifter cable, it's under the transmission, bend under the car, you will see it, it's like a 10 speed bike wire, see if that is ready to go, you will see the fine wire stranding if ready to go, that makes it hard to shift, that you can change yourself, but you have to remove the whole console between the seats, and watch out for the heater switch, the wires are real short, and the screws are well hidden under a flap, so don't rush it, be patient, look real good, find the screws and proceed carefully, oh yes, remember how the gear tabs are set, that's where the light is to see which gear you are in....Good Luck

By the way, I got this information long ago from "SickHonda" a member of this site, and he was right....so I am just handing you the correct information that I have tried myself.

I am also moderator of the honda 90-93 Group in Yahoo,

Paul

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PuffZilla &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">mechanic #2 just called to let me know my car is ready. in addition to the speed sensor, they also replaced a relay switch that was causing it not to start on occasion, changed the oil and a brakelight for $197. No charge for the relay switch since they had one on hand, and they realized that my aunt is also a customer of theirs so they cut me a break even though i told him i was expecting to pay about $300 or more.
so its Legendary Automotive in Tucson, AZ if anyone happens to come out here or be out here and needs a really good mechanic.
im so haaaaaaappy </TD></TR></TABLE>

Glad you got it fixed man . Something tells me you won't be going back to mechanic #1 for a while .

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .ken &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Glad you got it fixed man . Something tells me you won't be going back to mechanic #1 for a while .</TD></TR></TABLE>

no shyt, sherlock

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by goowakjai &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

no shyt, sherlock</TD></TR></TABLE>

Was that REALLY necessary?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .ken &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Was that REALLY necessary? </TD></TR></TABLE>

...no*looks down at feet ashamed*

 

...a few days later, still running fine. yes my speedometer did go all crazy and as soon as i told mech. #2 about the flashing s light he was like "oh and i bet the speedometer is going all crazy". my mechanic charged 150 for the speed sensor and 0 for the main relay since i guess they had an extra one lying around (sweet)...so anyways...hopefully this will help someone else......

 

Can i have the vise-grip? lost mine...