The '88 Honda Accord, auto transmission, carburetor, 170k miles does not run well during a "light cruise".
Specifically that is about 40 to 55 mph,(2.0 to 2.4 k rpm) on the flat, in fourth gear, fully warm, and June temps..

During these times when it seems to be running too lean - cutting out a little, bucking a little, and this can be felt.

Then if one just mashes the pedal, she will downshift and accelerate smartly to a smooth 80 mph and more.
Cold starting and running are fine, as is acceleration.

The cap and wires are original; but I will look into the sparking plugs(less than 50,000 miles)

This behavior is not noticeable when driving in the city, all the stop and go masks it.

I suspect a tiny vacuum leak, which may not be constant..
The carburetor and vacuum system on this car are extremely complex, and high quality, naturally.

 

the reason your car is running rough is because carbs are for real cars that put out real displacment so if you dont want it to idle rough put a small block in there and you will feel real power and you will realize what a fast car feels like

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sbchevyv8 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the reason your car is running rough is because carbs are for real cars that put out real displacment so if you dont want it to idle rough put a small block in there and you will feel real power and you will realize what a fast car feels like</TD></TR></TABLE>

he never said anything about going fast moron.

anyway im not sure about your problem...maybe a clogged pilot jet/main jet....that could run it lean...not sure though

 

Gentlemen, there is also a Yahoo Honda forum, which is so bad ( spam and Yahoo advertising) that I cannot imagine that anyone would stay for more than a day !! Zeroforum seems to be so much better; I don't see how they do it.

With the Accord, I suspect the EGR and or the plugs. I doubt is the carbs jets ever clog; I have seen many, many Volkswagen idle jets clog - but this goes back to the automotive antique age..

OBD did not come into being until 1990, plus or minus a year or two. I don't even think I have a check engine light (CEL). IMO, not having these "bells and whistles" makes the car more valuable.

 

I'm confused here. You earthworm are telling us stuff, but not taking advise. I am confused if you need help, or are just telling us what you think. Yes, those carbs, ie prior to 1990 are prone to clogging with age. I would recommend you change your plugs, find the air leak, and have the carb cleaned. That should take care of your problem. Another thing could be your cylinders having alittle different compression. Have you ever replaced the wires, fuel filter, etc? oh, it said no. That is where I would start. Take off your cap and look inside. Bet there is pretty bad erosion.

 

Be not confused, miedosoracing.
I'll look into the cap, plugs and wires very soon.
And I will break out the trusty vacuum pump and checkout the EGR and one of those sensors that in in the area.
Last year I pulled and rebuilt the carburetor. It was clean and still as new, even with 160k miles and 15 years. Cleaning and disassembly was easy, but all those vacuum lines, and brackets - such complexity - a nightmare. FI is so much simpler.
This is where I miss the Saab 900 - so much easier to work on.

 

if you have a chevy, why are you on h-t?

 

i call bs. 15 years does not make a carb look so clean its like new. ive had trouble with clogged jets on one after 7. whyd you rebuild it if it was so perfect?

 

My old '88 was carb'd... 2 years after I rebuilt the carb, it was definitely NOT clean... Anyway, I would suggest checking all your vacuum lines. I know it's a pain because there's like a thousand of them in there, but leaky vacuum lines tend to be the culprit for a lot of problems with the 3rd gen Accords.

 

thats why i called bs. it doesnt make sense. this guy wants advice but wont take it from people that know about carbueration appreciation.