Hi,
Car doesn't accelerate fast enough at red light. RPM doesn't rise as fast. Gears are changed at right speeds. At 60 mph - 2800 RPM.
The exhaust system, fuel system, and engine are all clog and leak free. One thing is that fuel pressure is 32 psi even at giving gas. Factory value for Y7: 38 - 46 psi.
1 -> 2 gear: done at 2500 rpm, and spontaneous and smooth.
2 -> 3 gear: 3000 - 3200 RPM and acceptable behavior.
3 -> 4 gear: usually done at 40 mph, after that, I have hard time speeding up to 50 mph.
4 -> 5 gear: usually at 60 mph, it has enough power to speed higher.
Mileage is 20 mpg. 150 k. No light. Squealing sound from "P" to "D" or "R".
The thing is that, it's Not like rpm is 3000 and the speed doesn't pick up. It is that, the rpm itself doesn't rise very fast, when I step on the gas pedal deeper - also, that's when the fuel gauge drops noticeably.
Honda ATF replaced. All fluids on level with fine condition.

Thank you for reading. I'm asking this because I need to drive 250 miles to New York in the near future. Do you think it is possible to go back and forth that long miles like this? (sorry for this kind of question. Just being worried).

p.s. A trans shop test-drove it, and said they didn't find anything wrong with it. But that mileage and not good acceleration are there.

 

When was your last full tune-up? What exactly did it entail? What color is your spark? Have you checked ignition and mechanical timing?

 

Timing belt has been replaced properly, and wires put in order. Plugs replaced two months ago.

 

Just realized I skipped your question...no, that isn't slipping. Slipping is when the engine revs, but doesn't accelerate.

Your answers are entirely too vague, though. If you want real solutions, you're going to have to give us real, solid answers. So your last tune-up was just the timing belt and plugs?

Check your ignition timing - it is capable of slipping.
Check your spark color - it should be white, or white with a slight tint of blue. Any other color is bad

When was your fuel filter last replaced?
When was your oil and oil filter last changed?
When was your air filter last changed?
When were your spark plug wires last changed?
When was your distributor cap and rotor last changed?

 

I apologize for that.
Wire order was double checked. I'll check again. I'll check for spark color. Fuel filter changed within six months. Oil and filter changed one month ago. Air filter changed one year ago. Wires changed one year ago. Distributor cap and rotor reused after HG job and ICM testing - they looked fine visually, if this counts. I'm ready for any kind of multi-meter testing if needed. The idle is at 500 and car shakes. Idle screw turned all the way to the end.

While at this, I need to drive 250 miles to NY tomorrow and come back the same day. Am I on the safe side for this slow acceleration matter specifically - any opinion? I'm kinda nervous now, that's why I ask.

 

Thank you

So your next steps should be to A) check spark color, and B) check your ignition timing. An HEI/DEI tester (used for spark) is cheap, usually $5-$15 at your local parts chain, and you should be able to buy/borrow/rent a timing light at the same store. You don't need anything fancy, just a basic, non-adjustable analog light will do the job just fine.

If the cap and rotor are more than a year old, it would be a good idea to replace them with OEM components. They may or may not be causing your problem, but it's good maintenance practice to replace them once a year.

Everything else looks within service intervals, and shouldn't cause a problem. Did you use an OEM, performance/aftermarket, or parts store parts when you replaced your fuel filter and plug wires?

 

Lol. Fuel filter was $20 at advance auto, it was probably Fram. Wire was bought for $50 at Pepboys, non-performance, that brand, I never heard of before. Can't find it on Pepboys website either.

 

Gotcha. Do yourself a favor in the future, don't use cheap parts store crap, especially for tune-up items. OEM is a little bit pricier, but you'll easily make the value back in the longevity of the parts.

Given the normal service life of parts store stuff, it would definitely be a good idea to go ahead and replace your cap, rotor, and wires all with OEM or OEM equivalent. You should be OK with that fuel filter, though.

 

Got you. While planning ahead to tune-up those, I got orange color sparks on all the cylinders. Gotta check for dizzy. Any suggestion?

 

The coil resistance between (+) and (-) was 3.0, not 0.6-0.8.
Installed two 10 mm fuel rail holding-nuts that were missing. I don't know how the injectors managed to be in place. Now, a little better acceleration.Fuel smell inside the car with fan on. I put my nose up close to each injector while the car was running. #3 cylinder injector had constant smell of fuel faintly. The o-rings for all the injectors looked good. I didn't see any fuel leaking from up top. But I remember few months ago, having #3 cylinder missing CEL. It went away after a day, by the way. The RPM at idle is usually 600, car shakes. Idle screw turned to the end. Put water on the intake gasket side, and it had no effect.

 

The injector O-rings were ripped. I think it solved the problem. If it comes with any additional problem, will update. Thanks.

 

Orange spark color combined with high resistance tells us your coil is failing. That would be impacting your driveability, as well as your gas mileage, and when it finally gives out, it could leave you stranded somewhere.

Replace the coil, and that should solve your primary concern.

 

I changed out the coil and the rotor button, but the spark was orange still, sigh. So, I returned 'em. It might be the cap. But I was, yesterday, able to go to NY (500 mile round trip) and come back, and the fluid levels were fine. MPG was 35 at 45-75 mph variance throughout.
One thing is that the acceleration is not so good. Better when pushing harder, but shifting at 3200 rpm except the first to second gear at 2500 rpm which is the most smooth. Is it just car being 1.6 L or other? (I have no comparable other four cylinder engine in mind, since this's the only four cylinder I drove).

 

That's just the nature of the Y7 - it's a slow, economical engine. Although, once you figure out the spark issue, you'll probably pick up a little bit, but it might not even be noticeable. Also, it wouldn't hurt to double check your ignition timing.

 

Got you. Will do.
While on that, I found one valve adjusting nut is missing. Shocking, yeah.There was no nut stumbling around, so, I think it went down the oil holes. The engine is making knocking sound, and still not so good acceleration - fuel mileage above 30 mpg on HW; below 23 mpg city. By the way, it has great power at 75 mph. A mechanic said it sounds just one valve knocking, so, I will do adjustment again as soon as the engine gets cold. Do I need to buy special 10 mm nut for that, or just home depot part?

P.S. I also found two missing bolts on the valve cover, below are two pictures for them. My computer now doesn't show any picture only X blank.

 

Are you talking about the nut for the rocker arm, for the valve lash adjustment? Yeah, you definitely should not run anything other than an OEM or ARP nut for that. When it comes to engine internals, never trust anything cheap.

Those pictures are freaking TINY, but I'm pretty sure I can make them out. The first pic is normal - that's just a hole, there's no threading, and there isn't supposed to be a nut there. The second pic looks to be where the spark plug wire stay would go. It isn't necessary, and you aren't hurting anything by not having it there. Don't worry about it.

 

Successfully installed the rocker arm nut, and did the valve adjustment again, tighter this time. Car has smooth sound now and a little better performance.
I'll lay out as much detail as I can, here.
By the way, it's doing poor gas mileage at about 20 mpg -I feel up about 15 dollars ($3.5/gal) every three days, but I only drive thirty miles a day -> $15/$3.5=4.29 gal -> 90 miles/ 4.29 gal = 20 mpg - with the ratio of 3 city :7 hwy. I fill up when it goes to almost the red line.I accelerate very slow on the slowest lane, not going over 2600 rpm. But the fuel gauge drops very noticeably.
Car maintenance done so far: the whole exhaust system including converter; HG job; ATF replacement; oil change; break oil top-up;
No leak anywhere. The car accelerates fine, but a little slow. No breaks sticking to the rotors: at 40 mph, it cruises long enough without the gas. First to second gear is the most powerful for the car, but after that, it accelerates kinda slow. Tranny doesn't slip. Injectors have consistent resistance at 12.4 ohm, and also new O-rings were installed. At the core, it just feels the same as when the converter is a little clogged, and doesn't accelerate well. For the converter: it's off Amazon having 4.5 star, installed new two years ago, and priced at $150 for stock model. Even though I'd been steaming gallons of coolant through the exhaust system meanwhile due to the HG problem, I guessed if it just evaporates, it's fine. One thing is that the converter already crusted under the heat shield. That's my guess. It smells sweet at start-up, but the smell goes away after fifteen seconds. The coolant level didn't change at all for the last 3000 miles. Oil gets lost about one quarter for every 3000 miles.

 

I think its time for boost.

 

Regarding the gas mileage issue, have you checked your ignition timing?

 

Not precisely, but approximately. I connected the 2p connector, and just adjusted it to the least pinging sound on the engine on my ears. Kinda was low on money, too. If you say this is urgent matter I'll just do it tomorrow. A lot to take care of, man, during these final weeks for school.

 

Yeah, I feel ya. you should be able to borrow or rent a timing light to do it correctly from your local parts store, though, and you can do it in less than 30 minutes. You're only 3 hours from me, if you feel like making the drive, I can do it for you

 

lol

 

Did ignition timing with a timing liht. But the gas mileage is poor, still. No CEL. I guess the secondary o2 sensor is stock maybe.
These days, cold-start takes five to six turns, but the weather got way warmer. Until couple weeks ago, two turns were always enough. Also, the oil light comes on and off very quickly at the moment of cold-start. It's the speed of five times on and off in one second. By the way, I always make sure the CEL disappears before cranking, so the fuel pump has primed up. p.s. fuel pressure seems fine, as when I turn the key to on (II) and wait for a minute, and start, the engine starts in two cranks (sure, it's until couple weeks ago. That quick start-up became random these days). Also, the idle is always at 500 RPM after warm-up, but it doesn't fluctuate.

 

Did you ever replace your coil?

 

I did it once - at the beginning of April - but the spark was still orange, so, I just returned the coil. I have no idea what I'm doing here, by the way. Do you suggest still changing it? I thought I'd have to replace the cap and rotor, too, to see if the color becomes thin blue tint. But then I was spending over limit, then. I'm just hesitating due to money shortage these days. But I do want to get clue of what's going on always, to do the right thing when the time's right for the monayy.