I have an 88 accord that starts when cold then when at running temp starts to run rough like out of time and dies. Wont restart.
Its a 4cyl with a carb. Hitachi distributor, 280,000 miles Has new wires, cap, rotor, ignition control module, new fuel pump. (pump is electronic in tank)
Distributor turns, has spark. Anybody have any ideas?

 

It starts ok but dies after the engine warms up? Accelerating, decelerating, or only while cruising? Might be a problem with the carburetor. Over time, all kinds of crap builds up in the bottom of the bowl, jets can clog and floats no longer work quite right.

Both my high mileage Accords with carbs needed work around 250k. The first time I ordered a new one for like $600 and next time instead of replacing it, I figured out how to clean one (opened up but still bolted to the intake) at little or no cost.

 

Thanks for the reply tmoor! Had a mechanic look last nite. Says it is something with the fuel or carb.... I havnt tried to drive it since it had to be towed, but it ran last nite. It just sounds like it has too much fuel then not enough.

How did you clean yours?

 

Hope you get it sorted out. Sounds carb related but it could be other things. My Accords never got to the point where it had to be towed. Usually what happened was the engine would quit at stop lights and then sputter when accelerating. Sometimes going downhill and breaking on a curve would cause it to die.

What I had to do was remove the top of the carburetor to get access to the fuel bowl because there was this layer of sediment that had settled at the bottom. Some of it looked like rust particles pumped from the tank which were too small to be caught by the filters. There was also a thin layer of brownish liquid in the bowl where clean gasoline should be - probably a combination of dirty gas, rust and water. After the sediment was removed, I sprayed all the jets and air passages with carb cleaner, filled the bowl with fresh gas and bolted things back up. Lots simpler than a complete rebuild and cheaper than buying a new carb. The only cost to me was the can of Gumout because the top gasket on the carb did not tear and was reused.

 

Sweet! Thanks tmoor. I will try that. Let you know what happens.

 

Ok... Tried cleaning the carb and didnt seem to help. Had the module tested for s**ts and giggles and it was fine. Now it wont start at all. When its cranking it will stop cranking for a second (even tho i still have the key turned) and when it stops cranking all the lights on the dash go out.... Think it could be the starter?... Then it will crank some more but never actually start.

Is it possible for the timing belt to skip a tooth?

PLEASE HELP!!!

P.S. Just bought a 2012 Toyota Camry!!!

 

Congrats on the new car! When the cranking stops and the dash lights go out, is everything else dead too - like the headlights? If so, that could be something as simple as a battery connection but you said last time the engine stalled and had spark and refused to restart when warmed up. A bad starter would not cause that. How much work was done on the carb?

 

dump some fuel into the intake through the carb (not a lot!) and try to start it.

It should sputter and run for a bit if your ignition system is functioning.

If it does then you know it's a fuel issue and you can try rebuilding/cleaning the carb.

as a last ditch effort get a rebuilt carb. i got one for my ae86 from http://www.carb-x.com/ for like $225 because it wasn't passing smog and it passed afterwards. i tried to rebuild it myself but it didn't work.

 

thanx a lot for this information dear....

 

Thanks for the info!.... I will try dumping fuel in the carb.... Took a look at all the vacuum lines again. looked good. Removed the spark plugs. Really dirty. Cleaned em up and put em back. Started right up!!! Ran at high idle (like it always did). Bumped the gas pedal to idle down (like i always did) then it idled so low that it died. Now it wont start again! WTF?!

Checked the timing belt and it still looks brand new.

Lobes on cam look good too.

P.S. Yes thank you. I love my new car!

 

K... Here's the update..... Put gas in carb. Changed both fuel filters. Started, hesitantly. Runs... Kind of. Test drove down the road about 2 miles then starts hesitating and losing power. Then dies. Had to be pulled home.....

How much is it to haul to the junkyard?

 

Cleaned the carb really well. Put new plugs. Still nothing. Ugh!

Any other ideas?

 

check the float level on the carb. it's probably the fuel pump unable to supply enough fuel to the carb.

 

Thank you. I will check the float... It has a brand new fuel pump and fuel filters.... Acts like it tries to fire out of time. Someone suggested a MAP sensor?

 

Carbureted cars don't have map or maf

 

Did you do a spark test before and after it stops working?

 

Just noticed the bit about new fuel pump. It sounds like the carb is still plugged. put fuel down the throat, start it up and race the engine at full throttle to try to unclog the jets