I like my 91 Ex 2 door so much I bought a 92 LX wagon 5spd yesterday. But....

I jumpered the blue connector on the passenger side just like I remember doing on the 91. CEL is on. Very on. Stuck on. It won't even go off or blink. No blinking. Nothing. I pulled the negative battery cable and the hazard and backup fuses. Let the car sit for a minute. No change. So is this the kiss of death for my ECU with the CEL stuck on? The CEL in the dash should be blinking on a 92 accord, right?

1) The reason for looking at the CEL is that the engine gets to exactly 3300 rpm and starts to misfire and loose power badly. It doesn't matter if the car is sitting still or driving when it hits exactly 3300 rpm.

2) Also as the engine is accelerated right off of idle, it has a noticeable hesitation weather driving or sitting still.

3) When the car is started cold, it runs rough and sometimes dies.

4) Engine idles just fine.

I used a vacuum pump on the egr valve to see if it would affect the engine when the egr valve received any vacuum. It would make the engine idle rough then die. Just like you would expect.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mike

 

I was on my way to the junk yard to see if I could find a used ecu for the wagon. I checked the prices on the web and $60 just was too much. So I took the computer out of my running 91 Accord EX and dropped it into the 92 wagon. All of the problems just went away. The car runs very well. No CEL codes or light. Then I put the bad computer into the good Accord and it ran exactly like the wagon had been. Didn't cost me much and now I know there is a bad wagon computer. I'll leave the good ecu in the wagon so I can get some driving time and ring out any more issues.

There is a mode of operation that I read in the 91 factory service manual that describes ecu internal failures make the ecu run with different hardware in a limp around mode. Apparently one of the features of that limp mode is the rpm is limited to about 3300 and the check engine like is stuck on.

Took the wagon out on the freeway and there is a vibration I'm trying to find. It does need a torque mount. Now it's just a matter of getting all of the small things fixed as with any used car.

Mike

 

90% of the vibration was a tire that had serious cupping. I should take this car in for an alignment. Replacing the tire took care of it. Now I have to find the other 10%. I went to a couple of cheap tire stores. Makes me wonder if their tire spin balancers were calibrated. I did replace the torque mount. Didn't help the vibration.

The next step is to get the carpets clean. They are badly stained. Any practical experience out there? Products?

The wiper blades were smacking each other. Turned out the bushings were worn out at the arm pivot points. Probably $5 parts from Honda. A guy was parting out his Accord so I bought his entire wiper assembly and dropped it in. It was very slop free.

The wagon passed smog just fine at 167k miles, but it had the California computer in it from my 91 accord.

The valve cover leak badly and it's new. Time to do it right.

There is a whine in engine compartment. Maybe it's the alternator? Not sure of the source. I'll have to look for it with my stethoscope.

Mike

 

The carpet and upholstery cleaners from the auto store work pretty well on most stains if you don't mind scrubbing and the smell - they won't get them all IME. We use them in the house on pet and junk that my kids spill sometimes. I have also used hot water, a plastic bristled scrub brush and a shop vac to get out some nasty junk.

 

I'm trying Some Blue Coral product right now based on a review saying it had the least offensive smell. It's cold enough here that it's taking forever to evaporate so I can vacuum it up. I'll try hot water.

Mike

 

Take the seats out if it is really bad - it will help.

I usually do this every 50K since I eat in my car on the road while working every day and stuff gets spilled.

After you clean all of the carpets, let it run with heat on high (out in the sun if you can) and turn it into a mini furnace in there. Then, when the carpet is more dry, open it up and let it air out. You will smell the smell for a few days or even a week, but it is not unbearable.

 

This interior is so dirty I don't think I can handle all of the labor to clean it up. I am looking into some of the pro shops around to see what they want to clean it up.

Mike

 

I got the interior done by some pro detailers. $205! Much better!!

I replaced the bad California ECU with a Fed ECU. Runs fine.

The onlky issue with engine besides oil leaking like a sieve, is that there is a distinct whine coming from the engine that varies directly with rpm. I hope it's not something to do with the timing belts that were replaced 13k miles ago. I think the shop that did it were rookies as the new gaskets leak oil badly.

Otherwise I'm just gathering parts to replace damaged trim or a missing bracket/screw here and there.

This wagon does not get the good gas mileage that my 91 EX did. I say did because I sold the EX and my 69 Plymouth wagon. Too many vehicles.

Mike