I just aquired a 1988 Honda Accord DX, carbureted 2 litre w/ 245000 miles on it that has sat for about 3 years. I paid nothing for the car. The car has a lot of new parts on it including a new timing belt, cap, rotor, plugs and wires but I am having some driveability problems. My first question is "Can a bad head gasket create an external oil leak and no coolant leak? I have cleaned the entire engine and let the car run for a while. The only place I can see that appears to be leaking oil is around the right front corner of the head where the head and block meet. Also, the car idles at about 3000 rpm. If I try to idle it down by quickly tapping on the accelerator the car will sometimes (but not all the time) idle down to the point where it dies. I have replaced the intake manifold and both upper and lower carburetor base plate gaskets and rechecked the timing to try and resolve this problem. I have replaced serveral vaccum lines also but the car still idles fast. (2.) Is it possible for a head gasket to cause a high idle? Please help. Thanks

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by trgibson &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I just aquired a 1988 Honda Accord DX, carbureted 2 litre
My first question is "
1.)Can a bad head gasket create an external oil leak and no coolant leak?
2.) Is it possible for a head gasket to cause a high idle? Please help. Thanks</TD></TR></TABLE>

The short answer is yes.
But of more interest is the oil breather chamber which sits in that same vicinity and uses rubber hoses and clamps to mount to the engine (#1)



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I'd get under there and check it out

P

 

Thanks for the help. What about the high idle? Any suggestions on that? Could the head gasket cause the high idle?

 

have you tried the idle adjustment screws on the carb, there should be 3 of them if it is an auto and I think 2 if it is a manual. One is for the car in neutral or park one is for the car in drive or reverse and one is for the A/C being on. I will try to see if I can find a guide online for adjusting them.

 

No. The head Gsaket will have no bearing on a high idle complaint.
One of the drawbacks (and the reason they went to a fuel injected version of the 2.0L (LXi)) is the extra amount of STUFF which has to be added to pass emmisions with a Carbureted set up.
Gulp Valves, Anti-backfire valves, thermo-vacuum switches and what seems like miles of vacuum hoses are enough to give all but the most die-hard autotech heartburn.
If any of what I mentioned developes a vacuum leak, it will introduce additional unthrottled air into the intake tract and raise the idle speed

P

 

Though P has proven to be a great resource around this board... in the future you'll find a lot more information specific to your make/model on http://www.3geez.com

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by P_Adams &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">No. The head Gsaket will have no bearing on a high idle complaint.
One of the drawbacks (and the reason they went to a fuel injected version of the 2.0L (LXi)) is the extra amount of STUFF which has to be added to pass emmisions with a Carbureted set up.
Gulp Valves, Anti-backfire valves, thermo-vacuum switches and what seems like miles of vacuum hoses are enough to give all but the most die-hard autotech heartburn.
If any of what I mentioned developes a vacuum leak, it will introduce additional unthrottled air into the intake tract and raise the idle speed

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


contrary to a fuel injected car......on a carburated car if you have a vacc leak the car will idle rough .. just like a miss....and not raise the idle but lower it

Clean the idle passage on the carb see if that helps the almost dying at idle. chk the accell cable and linkages for any binding or frozen. for the high idle. if choke pull off does not work car will not get off fast idle .

make sure you got vacc at hoses 18 and 19 at choke pull off, remove the air cleaner and see if high idle still persists,, ....There are a lot of things that can cause what you are experiencing, most are HANDS ON DIAGNOSE..
try these suggestions and see if it helps..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Honda-Master &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">contrary to a fuel injected car......on a carburated car if you have a vacc leak the car will idle rough .. just like a miss....and not raise the idle but lower it.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Depends on where it is. If it's sourced to a single intake runner, yes; it will induce a possible skip / lean condition. But if its sourced to a common area (plenum/Egr base gasket/PCV etc) you may see nothing with regards to rough running. (All cylinders uniformly effected)

 

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

Depends on where it is. If it's sourced to a single intake runner, yes; it will induce a possible skip / lean condition. But if its sourced to a common area (plenum/Egr base gasket/PCV etc) you may see nothing with regards to rough running. (All cylinders uniformly effected)</TD></TR></TABLE>

on a carburated accord , if you have a vacc leak , the car will run rough all the time at idle or should i say not smooth , and idle will drop,, especially a pcv valve leaking ,intake manifold gasket leak , and yes you are correct that all cylinders will be uniformly effected

 

Thanks for the help. It does seem to have a very rough idle whenever I do get it to idle down. I just can't keep it running long enough to adjust anything at a low idle. I'll continue to look for vacuum leaks.

 

get some pliers and squeeze the pcv valve hose,,,

 

A common problem with carbureted Accords idle situation is actually a leaking fast idle unloader. It leaks internally so it doesn't show up has a vacuum leak. It just will not allow the fast idle to fall to curb.