I have a 1/90 Accord coupe with the F22A4 engine..
Problem is ever now and again when she wants she wont start. When she does run SOMETIMES she runs rough like she is misfiring The other day she finally died in the yard when I could play with her for a min before the rain came. I checked and she had spark, She had gas coming out of the filter. I dont have a fuel pressure tester yet but before I purchase one I am wondering if anyone has had this problem. Also what else should I look at after pressure and if injectors. Also every once and again when she seems to have this misfire and lose of power but not total lose she will have a distinctive smell. Its not a gas smell and its not a rotten egg smell. I dont hear any rattling in the converter.
The exhaust from cat back is about 6 months old and I just did the plugs cap rotor wires and filters. The Alt is about a year and half but that doesnt have anything to do with it. She is cranking fine just not firing. No check engine light either.

PLEASE if anyone can point me in the right direction. Im hoping that at this time next year she will become my street legal race car. But for now she is my Daily driver unless its snowing out..

 

sounds like a sticking valve. which causing misfire and rough ride,also could cause smell of wrong air/fuel mixture

 

Thanks accordmatt I would have never thought of that but it does make sense. I will add that to the list of stuff to check soon as this rainy weather leaves.
On another note I have been reading this forum for a bit of time now and do enjoy it and thats why I decided to finally make an account here.. I will have lots of other questions coming between now and next fall. Unless I somehow become rich and than the question will come much sooner.

 

You could also test the ignition coil and ignitor/ICM (ignition control modal) wile your out there. Another place to look would be the EGR valve. It could be stuck open. Just a couple suggestions.

Making sure there is proper fuel and fire are the first places to look.

Did your check engine light ever come on during these episodes?

 

Check the ignitor and the main relay. Had the same issue with my 92. Replaced the main relay and all was well again. Good luck

 

Thanks guys... I really hope its anything but a Sticking Valve. She is my baby, yes she is an old lady but really I like everything about this car. I will get photos up of her soon, she is not a pretty lady right now but will be. She needs a drivers door(accident) After months of searching I got one, just want to paint it before it goes on. I see four doors everywhere but only seen 3 other 2 doors in the year and half I have had her. She also has the "Honda rot" behind the rear tires but being a body man I can fix that easy. Between this work and the hundred other car/ house projects I have going one I really dont need another one right now. Save the engine work till next fall when I want to turbo her. If it is a sticking Valve cause the problem is only here and there and a lot of time after it sits for an hour or so it will start is there a quick fix I could try to get me to next summer or fall. I will also put that I just did the valve cover gasket and when I had it off the rocker seemed a bit loose to me. She "ticks" when really cold out(winter) for the first min or so when she is started. Its not a loud tick and my 04 Accord(4cyl) has the same tick.

 

Was able to check for spark before it started raining the other day when she wouldnt start for anything. YES to having spark. No to never having the check engine light on. It does come on when you turn key but that doesnt necessarily mean it works. Im still going to see if I can get a code out of her but really dont think I will.
It started a year ago I was diving her pretty much all day and stopped at a store real quick. Never shut her off there but I did. I got back in and she wouldnt fire so I opened the hood and checked the ignition wires and for some reason I pulled the bottom closest to the front and it started right up(Just luck.??) It did it a few more time and each time I would pull a wire and it would start. About 3 months ago I had a doctor app which is a 45 min ride down the highway(normally wait an hour before I see doc but this time I walked in and was able to see doc right then) I went out and she wouldnt start. This went on for around 45 min before I started seeing about getting her home somehow. I got on the phone with my Sis to get a ride and a trailer to bring her home, anyway she started. She was running rough with spurts of driving good and it was more than time for a tune up so I did it and she runs a little better but like I said sometimes after a quick ride on the highway she has a distinct smell. Sometimes there is no power in 5th other times she wants to be a race car. Sometimes she chocks on hills other times not a problem. It happens at all different car temps, sometimes it acts up when I have been driving 5 min others it when its been running for an hour or two or it runs fine. Also weather doesnt matter either.
Sorry for the book but would like to give you all everything I can to help you better help me. If anything else comes up I will surely add it.

AGAIN THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP, I can fix things and check stuff but cant diagnose good at all

 

obviously something is loose or broken. basically like a spark plug wire jumping on and off the plug randomly.go get a helms haynes if u cant find helms. get a voltmeter and start finding all the proper voltages for all ignition componets. also how many resistance olhms. once u have all those stock measurements. start checking and checking something is not connecting correctly or possible arching on something. and sorry l couldnt read but pieces of that lengthy post. so thats should be ur 1st start to diagnose

 

So far I have checked a few things and its checking good, nothing major. I havent got into it deep yet, hope Wednesday at latest. Poor weather, extremely busy with work and lack of time has slowed me down.

Anyway she is starting again. However she is running really ruff until it gets to about 2000- 2500 RPM and them she is "normal" she is sputtering, hesitating and doing the same on return to ideal. When I hit the gas real quick Im getting an "air" sound that I never got before. Kind of like she is sucking to much air. Maybe a totally different problem, I do expect finding a lot as she is old.

I will keep you all posted on what I find, THANKS FOR THE HELP

 

Mine had the exact same symptoms and it turned out to be a bad Oxygen Sensor that never put a code in the computer, so there was no CEL. It drove like it was missing, but it was really choking on the bad air/fuel mix the bad o2 was directing the computer to direct the IACV make. The problem ended up frustrating me for almost a month. I removed and cleaned the IACV, FITV, EGR, etc., but nothing seemed to help. Then one night after one of the rough drives I turned the key off and the engine made a chugging noise before coming to a complete stop. I also smelled the funny smell at the same time. Then I knew it was air-fuel problem; that same chug had been happening under load. I decided to replace the o2 despite there being no code. Perfect running ever since.

The whole thing made me not count on OBD1 to tell me what is wrong. Like my 170,000 mile o2 sensor, a part can deteriorate so gradually that the computer never notices it is dead. I should have put in a new o2 as higher mileage maintenance, but in this age of waiting for CEL's its hard to make myself replace a part that doesn't seem to be broken.

 

THANK YOU............
The O2 sensor would be the last thing I would think to check with there being no light. I dont know the history on the car so I dont know how old it is.

 

You're welcome. Yeah, I felt pretty dumb after it was all over. I had done so much work trying to track the trouble. Days checking the ignition system (I was sure the choking was a miss), days taking off emissions parts and cleaning them. Fortunately, the only real money I spent was on a new fuel filter and eventually the Denso o2 Sensor. The fuel filter was a pain to install. I also multimetered the TPS and checked voltage and ohms on a lot of other stuff. If my Honda hadn't done that little chugging exhale that night when I turned off the ignition, I might have spent more weeks searching.

 

Maybe just maybe, I can finally get a few days in and find a problem with my baby. Its going to be nice the next few days and I hope not to have to work.
The good part is I can take my time and fix it right and not have to worry about not having a car. I sure do miss her tho.
Hopefully Im able to get some time with her and find the problem. Would like to be back in here in a day or two telling you all that she is fixed because of something one of you said to look at. I can repair but diagnostics is where I lack, I dont always know where to look.