Hey guys, got a weird problem with my dad's accord (94 4dr ex no mods). It's been good for the past year but the past few weeks the car would seem to miss or stutter intermittently. I tested it and It happens cold or warm. The car would start and seem fine but then stutter (or miss) and when it's at operating temp the rpm's get real low, and when it stutters it's almost to the point of shutting off. The funny thing is that when it does stutter or miss, the rpms aren't affected. I would think it would fluctuate or move or something. In the cold morning i stared at the exhaust so i can see the air and when it missed i saw a space in between the gas smoke.

It happens while driving, in neutral, park, etc. When I popped the hood i heard a clicking sound (different clicking other than injectors, not something i heard of before). It doesn't happen all the time, it can happen one right after another then stop for 20 seconds then do it again. When it clicks the car stutters. I'm almost positive it came from the dizzy so i put in a new cap and rotor. my dad said it was fine for a day then it started again. I had put in new wires and spark plugs about a year or so ago so it can't be that either. checked for vacuum leaks too but didn't see anyting.

Kinda stumped as to where to start looking, of course trying all the cheap solutions first lol. I'm not a noob to using a wrench so i can't pretty much tackle any job, just need some thoughts.

thanks.

 

bring it to advance and see if it reads miss fire on cylinder __ you need a tune up...means one of your sparkplugs arent sparkin...dizzy cap, rotor, wires, plugs, air filter, oil change, etc.

 

i would start with that too always check the basics and never assume just cause you changed them recently that they are still good. especially if you ever add any type of additive(s). remember new things can break too.

on my old maxima i did a full tune up and about a month later going up a hill and all of a sudden complete loss of power started stumbling than died, started it back up and drove another 100 feet or so and it did it again to me 3 times in a row. turn around headed back to my buddies and was fine on flat roads and down hill. popped the plugs out and the points had melted even with the porcelain on the plugs. changed them out and ran like a dream

 

yea you have a good point, i'll re-check all the ignition parts and see if i find anything. I have a feeling it's 99% an ignition problem but not sure what. I'll report back tomorrow after i pull the plugs and such.

 

I have an obd reader and i rarely take it to a service place unless i don't have the tools to do the task cuz i can't pretty much work on anything.....i haven't taken my gsr to a service since i bought it 4 years ago lol. I would pull a code but the cel isn't on. Would it still be able to read something even if the light isn't on???

 

couldn't hurt LOL. especially if your ECU went out your CEL might not come on. not saying it did but just saying never hurts to check stuff like that when you can't find a good answer to your problem and especially when you don't have a CEL but still have a problem

 

Well just comes to show that it might be the simple/new items sometimes. I figured it was an ignition problem so i was going to work from the spark plugs and work my way back til i found the problem. I pulled the plugs out and for w/e reason they looked worn especially one of them so i put new ones in and since yesterday morning it hasn't stuttered/missed since then. So far so good so i guess that was it, lol i shoulda checked that in the first place.

 

well glad to hear it was something simple and cheap. yeah i made the mistake in the past and started with the worse case scenario and work forward and that was almost always a waste of time. as the old expression goes "its the small things that cause the biggest problems"

that and hate to say it it but.. told ya so LOL j/k

if you have been adding certain additives (like octane boosters) lately they can burn your plugs out faster depending on what kind of plugs you run. what brand of plugs do you run? personally i will never run champions again since it seems to me that he foul easier. i personally run NGK platinums, never had a problem with them