- This topic has 15 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 3 months ago by
.
-
Topic
-
Hello folks,
My 1988 honda accord dx hatchback with the A20A1 4cyl carb engine (~180k miles) is having some issues. I need some feedback and ideas on what might be going on.
Here are a list of problems/symptoms:
-While driving, Engine sometimes sputters and dies, or just cuts out.
-Coolant blows out of the broken stem that should go to the reserve tank from the radiator. Often causes white coolant burning on the engine/exhaust manifold.
-Moderately profuse oil leak. Seemingly from the Valve Cover Gasket, I can’t identify any other sources. Car doesn’t seem to burn it.
-Battery fried. 2 years old. Oozing from terminal.
-Replaced battery. Car drove fine for a few miles, but died again. I wasn’t present for this instance, but girlfriend reported that smoke came from under the engine. (white color)
-Car doesn’t appear to be overheating, but the coolant sometimes seems to boil… this is what makes me think it may be a headgasket issue…I have some theories on why it’s doing this…
Theory 1 involves a bad alternator. I remember reading that if the Fuel pump doesn’t receive the right voltage, it shuts off. If the alternator’s regulator is fried, then it would provide too much power, frying the battery (perhaps main relay… I have to check that.) and possibly shutting off the fuel pump, killing the car. If the alternator is seizing up, that might explain some of the smoke if it burned the bearings, I’d imagine that the belt would squeal, but it might just burn the rubber. The fried battery may be explained by increased power drain (on a 2 year old battery) from trying to start for so long and so often recently. As soon as I’m able to get the car off the side of the road, I’ll have the alternator checked.Theory 2 is a bit more… expensive, and I’ve crossed my fingers, toes, legs, elbows and eyes hoping this isn’t the case… but it’s possible the head gasket might be blown.
Anybody else have any ideas?
-
Replies
-
In the first place, cooling systems are made to be full. Not having a tight (or in this situation – any) connection to the reservoir means every time the engine cools the radiator is sucking in air and when hot it will push out air or coolant.
You could have a headgasket problem but running the vehicle the way it is now will cause overheating and that alone could lead to a head gasket problem.
As for the alternator frying the battery, put a volt meter across the battery terminals while the engine is running. It should read in the 14 volt range or maybe less if at idle.
If the valve cover is leaking – new gasket.
Old Hondas are known for main relay problems. You have an old Honda.
If your alternator was locking up you would hear a very high pitch squealing and white smoke would come from the belt. You can look at your belt and see if it’s warped when a pully locks up 9 times out of 10 it melts the belt in certain places. Here is a way to test for a head gasket leak take your radiator cap off and start the car if it shoots out there is a high probability your head gasket is leaking.
You can also take your spark plugs out and in some cases see coolent on the tips.
Something else you could try would be a leakdown test and watch for bubbling from the head gasket or cooling system.
Thanks for the reply guys.
I will work on getting the radiator reattached to the reserve tank.. is it possible to replace the stem the hose attaches to on the radiator, or otherwise attach it, or do I need to buy another radiator?
I have been watching the temp gauge like a hawk. It never moves past midway and we have been constantly checking and refilling the radiator when needed. I don’t believe it has been overheated to any dangerous levels.I will check the battery with a volt meter in the morning and I already have a new valve cover gasket to install.
I ended up checking the car out on the side of the road tonight to see if I could get it to run. It started right up and drove for about 5 miles before it started to lose power, sputter, and finally die. Checked plugs and wires. One wire connection was corroded horribly at the distributor cap, and the #3 cylinders cable BROKE OFF leaving the metal attached to the plug. Needless to say, I replaced cap, rotor, wires and plugs on the side of the road…. but that wasn’t the problem. The car wouldn’t start still. I pulled the fuel line off the secondary filter and discovered I had no fuel pressure at all. At this point, I broke down and called the tow truck. As soon as I got the car off the truck bed, I tried to start it and it fires up like nothing was ever wrong.
Can relays go out slowly and intermittently, or is the pump burning out? I highly doubt it’s the filter, as I just replaced it.
Also thanks for the input mjdavis1994, I’ve already checked the coolant in that manner, and it doesn’t shoot out. I need to get a big funnel and see if I get some bubbles, as it may not be severe enough to cause that violent of a reaction. I will consider a leakdown test, but for now troubleshooting the fuel flow is top priority. 🙂
Yes relays can go out intermittently as can your fuel pump. Next time it won’t start take a mallet and hit the tank a few times and try to start it. It can repressure the tank.
Another thing would be taking that relay out, popping the cover off and checking the soder points for cracks.
Fix the coolant leak. Please.
No, you can not attach any broken parts to radiator. Yours should still be metal all, so maybe some soldering, but radiators are dirt cheap, esp for your year. I paid $40, yes, for a NEW radiator for 96 Eclipse.
I had similar repair done, but I am good at it and have materials. That’s carbon braid tape and acrylic resin, mate:
[URL=http://s302.photobucket.com/user/ukrkoz/media/IMG_03141.jpg.html][IMG]http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn101/ukrkoz/IMG_03141.jpg[/IMG][/URL]As of cutting off when driving. It’s either ignitor, or coil, or ignition switch. Honda specific and known ever since Hondas were around. I almost guarantee you, you have major leak into distributor past 2 sealing O-rings. With car in this particular state, it’s a given.
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/startproblems.html#random-stall
Thanks for the info again folks.
Ukrkrz, as for the ignition system, I highly doubt that the coil, ignitor or switch are the issue, as in my previous post I verified that there was no fuel pressure to the engine. I have also verified the existence of a spark in both cold and running temps. I appreciate the input and will be using that site quite a bit 😀
New radiator is ~$80 🙁 guess it’s worth spending to prevent worse issues.
I don’t know that this is the cause of your no start problem but it certainly is a possibility. One of the relays in this box powers the fuel pump.
Go figure. More and more problems popping up now. Car now blows coolant out the back of the engine when it’s been running stationary for a while. (the coolant blows out the back after being shut off. While running there’s a low hiss and the engine pulses slightly.) I can’t tell if it’s coming from the hose or elsewhere. About to my wits end on this little beast.
I’ll pop out the Main Relay and take a look at it. If I can resolder it I will. One problem at a time eh?
Do you have access to a lift to look under the car? Or maybe a mirror to check for leaks from hoses?
I have a jack and jack stands, but thats about as high as it goes. I can get a mirror. Tools are limited, but I can mcguyver something. Lol
Hey I’ve rigged magnets off my fridge to pick up bolts in crevices till I could afford good tools I feel your pain lol but yea check where hoses connect and see if coolent is leaking.
Update time!
Valve cover gasket replaced. No more oil leaks! Yay!
Replaced blown heater hose, no more coolant leaking from the rear of the engine. Yay!
Tested alternator: Good. Yay!
I haven’t had a chance to pull the main relay to check the fuel cutout problem… It hasn’t failed while I’m fixing the other items yet, but I haven’t driven it any distance.
Flushed and re-filled coolant system. Best I can do until I can get a new radiator. Couldn’t find the block drain, so only flushed from radiator. Will be flushing a few more times between engine cooldowns. I am opening the bleeder valve to bleed the air out as I fill.
Problem is… when the car warms up, it starts foaming the coolant and turning it dark brown again. The more I work on this, the more I feel I’ve got a bad head gasket… Are there any good guides to replacing this should I finally come to that conclusion?
Main relay problems didn’t really start on Honda’s until after 1990. I would table that theory for now. I’d be focused more on the ignition system for the intermittent stall problem.
As for a head gasket issue. There’s a video in this article that shows how to check for a head gasket issue along with additional information you might find helpful.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/what-to-do-when-your-engine-overheats
I’ve seen that type of coolant contamination in the past. It’s not always the end of the world.
Keep us posted.
Compression test came out fine. All cylinders were between 160 and 175 psi.
My fans don’t kick on though. Watched the temp gauge slowly climb from normal running temp to nearly overheating without the fans kicking on once. I’ll be checking the fuses. It might be that the fans are dead from being soaked by the puking radiator.As for the ignition system, would that cause a complete lack of fuel pressure while maintaining the presence of consistent spark?
Update:
— Replaced fuel pump. Car is now reliable while driving on the freeway and dying is no longer an issue.— Radiator will be replaced when money comes in, which will fix the no-reserve-tank issue.
— Car will occasionally “Diesel” after shutting off the ignition. I don’t think this is a compression issue. More likely it’s a high alcohol content low quality fuel problem, or a dirty carburetor, as it’s never been serviced since I’ve had the car. I’ll be running a can of seafoam through the engine and fuel system.
All in all, this little car is a trooper.
Thanks for all the help guys. 🙂
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.