As I recently purchased a 1991 Honda Accord LX, I've been doing some very basic work to bring it back up to acceptable running conditions. When I bought the car it had been sitting in a yard for about 2 months, and was horrible. I've replaced the distributor cap, rotor, spark plugs, spark plug wires (the old ones were sitting in an inch of oil), and valve cover gasket (and oil well gaskets). I also used a wire brush to brush out the dried, crusted oil from around the valves, and vacuumed them out with a shop-vac. I put a little ATF fluid in with the oil to act as a detergent to remove what was left of the crust. Now the questions:

It is an automatic (bleh...), and between the second and third gear it shifts very sporadically. I'll be driving around thirty in town and it will shift up and down very frequently, and with a slight jerking motion to the car each time it does. Is this something I can do with my open, but very empty mind?

Next, I'm currently in the process of fixing the driver side window, and would like to know if anyone knows what the stopper at the bottom of the window compartment looks like. As of now, when I roll the driver window down, it keeps clicking when it reaches bottom. I could disassemble the passenger side door as well, and just see there, but I just was wondering if anyone here knew what I needed to do to make it stop at the bottom.

Third: After I've done these things, where to next? How did you guys start to learn how to make things run better on a Honda. What are some simple projects I can do to make it smoother, faster, better, more fuel-efficient, etc... without spending too much money (I'm a high school student on a budget).

I saw all that jazz about changing to an H22 engine, and even talked with a guy who's done it, so I know projects like that are a millennia away, but I'd like to work my way up to projects like that. That and eventually I'd like to change my auto to a manual, god do I miss manual...

I want to learn, and this seems like a great place to start.

Thanks in advance

 

Let me welcome you to the world of Honda! The transmission issue you are having could be due to numerous reasons. But let me say this, for starters get your transmissions fluid changed ASAP. ONLY USE HONDA GENUINE ATF for automatic Hondas. People on this website swear by it. Visit the local dealership and pick some up.

As for everything else, I'm sure people on here will help you out.

 

Change the transmission fluid HONDA GENUINE for Auto Transmission and 1 lucas
it will calm the jerk when it shifts

 

Look on e-bay for a shop manual.they have them on cd for cheap.It will help with pics and trouble shooting different problems with your car.
Mark

 

I would suggest checking the oil return passages in the cylinder head to make sure that they are not restricted from a build up of sludge and crud. The oil has to get back to the oil pan or it will build up in the head possibly contributing to increased oil consumption as it gets suck down the valves and possibly not having an adequate supply of oil in the pan to keep the oil pick up covered.

I have a question about the stuff that you cleaned off of the cylinder head. Was the valve cover installed when you got the car? If so it sounds like sludge. If there was sludge up top there almost certainly would be down in the oil pan. Sludge down there can build up so that it restricts the flow of oil into the pickup/screen causing oiling failure.

I would give some consideration to dropping the oil pan and cleaning things out (and inspecting the oil pump while I was there. I know it is more work, but poor lubrication can cause major engine damage. I am suspicious that the oil was not changed as frequently as it should have been in this car.

In addition to changing the transmission fluid ASAP as the others have recommended I would suggest that you change the fluid again earlier than normally scheduled, probably in 6 to 12 months.

I would also flush out the brake fluid as the stuff in there is almost certainly old. Brake fluid attracts moisture over time which lowers the boiling temperature and forms some nasty stuff that can cause corrosion throughout the brake system.

If you feel like it, changing the power steering fluid would not be a bad idea, but I would make it a lower priority than the other things.

Cheers!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by radiuslight &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Change the transmission fluid HONDA GENUINE for Auto Transmission and 1 lucas
it will calm the jerk when it shifts</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

looks like your on the right track with all the tune-up stuff. check out the accord FAQ thread stickied at the top for some good info.