So I got into my 2001 2Dr V6 Accord today after not driving it for about a month and found some problems. The first thing I noticed was that he check engine light came on about ten minutes into the ride. Then I notice that when in neutral (or park) the engine revs between 1 and 2 K. If I am in drive the engine seems to sit at about 1.5k when stopped. These seem to be pretty high idle rates and yet when the car is in neutral and the tach is bouncing the idle is pretty rough when it dips near 1k. I guess I am looking for advice on what to to and what this could be. I think that since the check light is on I can take it and get a diagnostic but I wanted to get some opinions first. What should I be paying for a diagnostic? or should it be free? As you may be able to tell I am not really mechanically inclined and probably wouldn't be able to fix the problem myself but I don't want to get ripped off either. So please help me out and if you need any more info about the car let me know.

TenPercenter

Update:
The surging seems to start once the engine is warm. When not surging the idle is right around 1.5K. When I turn on the AC the surging stops (in all gears) and the idle drops to 1-1.2K. The engine seems to run the best when the AC is on. Any ideas on this one guys?

 

Be sure your coolant is full 1st

 

Engine coolant is full and other fluids seem fine

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tenpercenter &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Engine coolant is full and other fluids seem fine</TD></TR></TABLE>The real question is whether there's any air pockets in the cooling system. The idle control valve can get confused when an air bubble comes thru.

When it's cold, try squeezing a radiator hose. If you hear any sloshing noises, there's air pockets.

Many Hondas have bleed screws in the cooling system, maybe near the thermostat housing. I don't know if the V6 has that...?