Hi Guys
I have 1991 Honda Accord having issues with car cutting itself off at WOT

so I have searched and researched and not many people have specified this problem throughly so I would like to share my problem with you guys in hopes to figure it out!

so first of all I have the video at the top showing how it is driving!

What has been done:

Cylinder Head replacement
All Gaskets replaced
All belts replaced : Timing belt , power steering and alternator
A/C has been deleted and all components
New Distributor
New Spark Plugs ; V power ( I know they are cheaply made so I’m not sure if that could be a problem) they were also gapped to spec
Coolant flushed and replaced
New VSS
New ETC ( Engine Coolant Temp sensor)
Wire Tucked all around
Fuse Box tucked
Alternator and Battery wires were extended to fuse box
Grounds are checked! Thermostats has been bolted on , chassis to battery ground , transmission to battery , engine to chassis so far that I know of but please let me know if I have missed any grounds

Valve Adjustment I haven’t done yet due to my poor knowledge on it

Also it is a F22a1 Block with F22a6 Head
D/C sport headers all the way thru
gheto cold air intake with just piping connected and respective lines blocked on intake manifold

Car has also idles perfect and no problem starting up!

When cold it runs great like normal but when it does warm up to optimal temp it start acting up and tachometer bounces around as well as the sputtering and dying

Please let me know if you guys have any suggestions or tips or experiences with this problem !

i have been told it might be a bad ICM , bad compression and maybe a leak and as well as poor connections as well but I have checked and have a new distributor which should rule out the ICM and connections.

 

Just because a part is new doesn't mean it is bad.
Recheck your wiring. Verify under throttle there is not a wire that is being pulled on.
Verify that the wire connectors at the distributor are properly seated.
If you are sitting parked and just rev the engine does it cut out as well, or only under load(driving)?

 

Hi! Thank you for replying,
I will recheck my wiring and should I check the inside of the distributor too?
At park I does not cut out but the tachometer will sometimes bounces all over the place

 

If your harness still retains the TACH test port, hook up an auxiliary tachometer to that signal wire.
If the auxiliary tach also jumps about and matches the factory tachs performance, then there is a problem in the harness or igniter.
Since the miss is not present in neutral revving, the wire harness is probably be pulled/tugged on under throttle that is causing a break/make. And of course check any new or existing connections, verify pins are seated in connectors properly, verify connectors are seated and none of the wires are under tension/stress for the wire tuck.

 

Where is the TACH test port? I apologize in advance I have never heard of this before and auxilarry tach?
For the pulling of wires or tugging would that be only under throttle like there is something pulling it or something else? Is there a way to find the stress? Also to start the search would be going from the Distribtor and on correct? Like Distibutor -> two connectors -> Engine Harness?
I am having a problem finding the wires that are the culprit.

Again thank you for replying!

 

So an update!

the distributor I bought had cheap parts in it , I replaced the ICM inside and checked my wires and notice that my plug that was connected to the distributor had been loose and was not plugged fully in because of the engine harness pulling at it.

I will give another update but so far nothing has gone wrong so far and the tachometer bouncing has stopped and no CEL and car revs have been smooth!

 

Yup, most wire tucks I see have the wire harness pulling on connectors to try to hide the wire completely. All this really does is put strain on connectors and components and often leads to a dislodged or disconnected wire. Especially on the engine harness as when the engine rotates from torque the harness is often not left with a enough slack for the movement.
Glad you got it figured out.

 

Thank you for helping me narrow out the problem!

 

My tach does the same thing. My problem is so random it can happen 6 months apart or now after driving and hour and shutting off and not restarting. Last time I drove it (2 day ago) it stalled pulling into parking space. When this happens the tach goes to zero. Im at wits end on where to even start looking. Im a collision guy not a mechanic. Any help would be extremely appreciated.

 

Hey update,
so car has been running good so far as in no jumping of tachometer but it still does have issue with juddering and it sounds like terrible misfire that kinda hits something not sure but I am a little afraid to take it on freeway speeds . Also it has a hard time starting when it is warmed up and as well as a rough idle? So maybe it’s just heat and idk if I’m low on coolant or something maybe? But yeah that’s the other issue that is just making me want to buy a new car or engine tbh 🙃

 

hey man I think it maybe some ignition components? Like did you replace spark plugs , spark plug wires , ICM , rotor and cap?

 

The trouble that remains could be due to a bad O2 sensor. Particularly if the car is bucking and jerking and barely driveable. It's not a misfire, but the intake choking on a bad (rich or lean) mix of air and fuel that the system is sending because of incorrect information from the oxygen sensor.

 

Hi guys again ,
huge update...
I don’t know what happened but I haven’t driven my car in couple days and now it won’t start.. I checked for spark , fuel pump turns on , I know timing is good. Compression I don’t know if that is bad because it turned on before so now I do not know what it won’t start now. I tried jump starting and car wouldn’t turn over. I tried pumping gas pedal to see if it would turn over. Nothing

I am so upset by this and I only pray that it isn’t a bad engine or head or compression .

also as I keep trying to start it the coolant resistor tank constantly fills up.

any help would be amazing thank you.

 

that is true I tried replacing it with a friends O2 but I guess his was bad so I’m gonna have to buy a new one soon forsure

 

Verify battery is fully charged. Anything less than 12.4V will mean the battery is discharged a bit. You want to see 12.6V
Verify battery voltage at the starter solenoid.
Verify battery voltage at the START wire for the solenoid, should only have voltage there when turning the ignition to III(START)
Ignition switches go bad after a couple decades, it may just be a failed ignition switch ~$20.
If you are getting battery voltage when turning ignition to III, give the starter a tap.
If it still does nothing, pull the starter and have it tested.
If during any of this testing you see the battery voltage drop below 9V the battery itself may be failed/failing. They can fail where they cannot support a load and the voltage just drops to very low voltage but returns to a normal range when there is no load. Battery needs to be load tested.

 

So the battery read 12.2 V
Will try to have to try tapping it and test that
so battery I think I’d kinda old it’s 5 years old so maybe that will be need to be replaced soon

in addition I am not sure if this would cause a problem too , I found coolant in the hole of the spark plug while manually cranking engine to get car in correct timing again.

 

So the battery read 12.2 V
Will try to have to try tapping it and test that
so battery I think I’d kinda old it’s 5 years old so maybe that will be need to be replaced soon

in addition I am not sure if this would cause a problem too , I found coolant in the hole of the spark plug while manually cranking engine to get car in correct timing again.

 

update! Car cranks and try’s to start but doesn’t

checked wiring , no fuse blown , I have fuel and spark , timing is good , compression read 160 psi with all cylinders , main relay is good , fuel pump hums and turns on

my concern that coolant might have flood the block? I’m not sure how to tell but I saw some coolant spray out of the spark plug hole when I was fixing the timing and getting the engine to TDC so I’m not sure If bad head gasket to the point it won’t even turn on or fuel isn’t being ignited but still stumped

 

How did the spark plugs look? Lean/Rich/Really clean(new) looking?
How come your OIL light isn't working?
Does your temp gauge work properly?
Did you check that the engine harness ground is still attached? Located on a bolt on the thermostat housing unless it was moved from the tuck.
Are you sure you saw coolant come from the spark plug hole?
IIRC 140PSI is minimum. 180PSI is expected. If the battery is drained down a bit then the engine may not have been cranking at the minimum speed and that would cause for low cranking PSI.
If there is coolant getting into the cylinder then enough would cause ignition problems, which would be the least of your concerns. Water does not compress, verify there isn't a leak before cranking again or you may hydraulic the engine.

The slight chuffing when it does kick indicates that there is at least one cylinder that is functional.

Suggestions;
Verify battery is fully charged, most auto stores will charge/test your battery for free.
Verify you don't have any lost coolant.
Drain the oil and verify it is just oil and no water/coolant mixed in. If it is contaminated then the engine needs to be torn down.
If you do have water/coolant loss and it is in the combustion chamber only then the head gasket may be blown and you will need to pull the head and have the head and deck checked.

What is the history of the car?
Did you have the wire tuck done, or did you purchase the car modified?
Has it ever overheated?

Feeling ghetto? Drain the coolant, verify the cylinders have no liquid in them, verify the spark plugs are clean and dry. Spray some starting fluid into each cylinder, insert plugs. Try and start the engine with oil in the sump.
If it runs without coolant then there is definitely a big enough internal coolant leak that is preventing engine start. Time for the head to come off.

 

How did the spark plugs look? Lean/Rich/Really clean(new) looking?

• They look cleanish

How come your OIL light isn't working?

• I am not sure It has been turned on before when it did turn on

Does your temp gauge work properly?

• Yes it does

Did you check that the engine harness ground is still attached? Located on a bolt on the thermostat housing unless it was moved from the tuck.

• I verified and it is still connected to the thermostat spot!

Are you sure you saw coolant come from the spark plug hole?

• I am sure because it was a greenish color, but I tried manually cranking the engine again to correct timing and making sure my car was in timing again and nothing spat out

What is the history of the car?

• It is my family car that has been with me since I was a kid, The car has had two f22a1 swaps which this being the second of the swaps because the old engine had overheated and the head gasket blew when my dad had it. Recently I had replaced the cylinder head myself, I'm not sure if the head gasket was cheap and broke? But it has been done by me

• The cylinder head was taken from the junkyard, I just cleaned the surface mostly from the cylinder head and the block

Did you have the wire tuck done, or did you purchase the car modified?

• I did the wire tuck myself and modified the car my self

Has it ever overheated?

• It has never overheated

I'm going to try and drain the coolant and do the ghetto method lol

 

In addition, I am going to take the engine harness out and verify that there aren't any kinks or tears in the wiring because of how I tucked the wiring.

• Headlight (Passenger and Driverside) wire harness tucked under the fenders
• Fuse Box Tucked
• Shock towers tucked as well

 

If the block or head were not checked for straightness then it is unknown if either surface is uneven or warped.
No matter how good of a quality head gasket you used, if the surfaces are out of spec the head gasket will not seal and it will leak.
If the head gasket is blown and you drain the coolant, the engine still may not start. The coolant drain though was just if there was just enough of a leak that it was watering down the air/fuel mixture, preventing combustion.

Although the oil 'idiot' light can be a bit useless in certain applications, on the Honda it is handy at startup.
I'd suggest verifying that the oil light wiring isn't shorting out, the sensor isn't stuck closed, or the bulb has burned out.

 

Forsure , do you suggest that I drain the oil to verify coolant in the engine first? Or to try draining the coolant to drain any fluid that may be causing the fuel to not spark? I ask only not to exhaust to much too early and to know what i truely need to do before I dive too deeply. Also in order for me to check the oil pressure sensor do I just do a resistor check to see if it is not shorting?

other than that thank you so much for the help!!

 

Do that after the coolant drain/compression/attempt to start test.
Water in the cylinder may have actually improved your compression numbers

If the engine does start after the coolant drain, an engine running without oil will really mess it up. So, leave the oil in it for now.
Then drain the oil, if it is milkshakey then you know you have oil in the water and the engine needs some repair work and possibly will need to be removed/replaced.
Agreed.
I'm trying to minimize your work and get you to the fastest definite answer.
Oil pressure sensor is just a switch. You can test it by removing it and sticking something inside it to open/close the circuit while watching it with a continuity meter.
Disconnected I believe will make the dash light go ON and grounding it to the engine/body will make it go off... or is it vice versa.
If nothing happens then the wiring is damaged, or the bulb may simply be burnt out.

 

perfect thank you again I will drain the coolant ASAP and run my tests!