well i drove my car yesterday and it ran fine..drove abt 15 miles or so..my gas was on e..went home..rest for a bit..like couple of hours..n i went to start up my car..n it sounded really funny..never heard it sound like that before..so i drove it to fill up the gas..i was thinking it could be that there wasnt much gas..so after i filled up the tank..it still sounded the way it sound..while i was driving..the engine was shaking..not much but noticeable..when taking off..the car would shake a lil n the engine sounded like it was misfiring..or something..then after going back home..the CEL came on..i didnt really know what to expect....what do you guys think it could be? its a 1996 honda accord ex with like 212,000 miles..the oil was good..and i know it wasnt overheating..i juss did a tune up couple of days ago. i took a vid of me starting it up..in the vid..it didnt sound quite as bad as it did earlier..
the link to it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zTIrX8AM8w

if anybody might have the same experience i had please let me know..
thanks in advance..

 

Retrieve the CEL code from the ECU and that will tell you what is wrong with your car. No sense in guessing what might be wrong.

 

i will check the CEL code on sunday..n see whats wrong..iv been busy..so i might thought you guys would know wats wrong..cuz i thought someone could of had the same problem..as me n could give me a quick insight on the problem..so I'll c on sunday to find out the exact problem..
thanks for viewing anyways..

 

What did you replace when you did the tune up?

If you replaced the plugs and wires check to make sure that you didn't mix them up. Pull the plugs and see what the spark plugs look like. Check to see if there is anything different looking between them. If one is covered with excess carbon, white or washed with fuel.

 

spark plugs looks good..wires is matched up..i think the engine isnt going to last...it already has 212000 miles on there..i dont know if my cousin took good care of it..cause shes a girl..n doesnt know much bout cars..i know it was sitting at her house for a year.. when she was living wit us..her bf would use it to commute from sac to sf every day
she finally gave it to me..i had it for about close to 4 months..i might want to swap an h22 into it..if i found out that the engine is no good..im having my friend come on sunday..to check it for me..hes a certified mechanic..he might be able to fix it for me..but atleas i got the car for free esp. that its a coupe w/ manual trans..n all power
with leather seats..although..its soo hot down here the leather seats be burning up my ***..lol
it needs body work tho..n a new paint job..

 

Does the knock seem louder from the end of the exhaust or the engine block / head?

If it is more noticeable from the exhaust I would look at a fuel or ignition problem vs a mechanical failure.

If the noise is more noticeable coming from the engine you can use a long screwdriver placed against the engine as a stethoscope to pinpoint the actual knock. Move it around to see what part of the engine the knock is loudest in the top or bottom end. If you've never done thsi before it's easy. You place the metal end of the screwdriver against the engine and your ear to the handle and viola instant stethoscope. Remember to make sure that you remove any loose fitting clothing & jewelry that may get caught in a belt or fan blade while leaning into the engine bay.

 

If it sat for a year, you ran it on empty, drove it to get more gas AND it has 212k on it I would think the fuel filter is dirty or clogged. Running it on empty can suck debris in the bottom of the tank into the filter on the pump or ultimately into the fuel filter. This could intermittently starve the engine of gas making it sputter or shake. My guess is the fuel filter or some sort of fuel starving due to debris.

 

it sat for a year..and it was on e..but that was like 4months ago..it ran fine..when i went to pick it up..this thing just started happening now..i hear knocking from the engine.. i will try that thing out that GhostAccord said..whith the screwdriver..but im also kinda thinking that i might need to replace the fuel filter as well..i dont even know if its even been changed before..do you think i should also replace timing belt as well..i think the last time its been change was at
like 82,000 miles.. theres duck tape in the engine bay saying timing was change at 82,000 miles..im not sure its ever been changed after that...

 

Yes I would definitely change your T belt and balance shaft belt along with the water pump, tensioners and you should get the valves set while you have the Valve cover off.

 

ok..i will see how much its gonna cost..hopefully my friend can give me a good price on the labor..
thanks for your guys help..