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I’ve seen this in other vehicles. Non of them automatics mind you. It sounds like you trust your mechanic witch is nice to hear since most people these days don’t have “a guy” they keep business with but it sounds like a second opinion might be in order. A low idle like that is usually quick to solve, in fact it takes less time than to type all this out.
With the oil pressure light I would say its the low idle. While its ideling low if you raise it does the light go away? If this is the case I would definatly say its the lack of volume being pumped up from the pan. The cap will say what oil to use. Failing that the manual in the glove box will either give you a specific oil type, or a range based on climate.
In any case, what I did was first check the idle controllers function. In some cases its easy to back probe the electrical socket leaving it attached and read normal milliamp values at operating temp with the AC off and no rad fan running. Get the idle to drop and go look. If the numbers are almost zero or are zero I would immediately go investigate the throttle. Some cars use a separate switch to tell the ECU its at idle position, some cars use one throttle sensor. Look up online the resistance range closed and wide open for the TPS and plug your multimeter into its connector, swing the TPS across the range and more importantly see what it says at closed. If its out of adjustment the ECU may not read that the throttle is closed and wont switch to the IAC. Most cars if at temp will idle without the IAC running but they will idle very low.
Most vehicles when you shift to gear from P the idle will drop. It could be caused by bad info from the throttle position sensor, or it could also be caused by a worn/dirty IAC, sticking. One good test I learnt for a dirty/sticky IAC is to wack it with a hammer handle a few times while the idle is not where it should be. If it changes you know where the issue is.
If the fuel milage used to be more normal while you’ve owned the car I would look at the service items first along with looking for any vacuum leaks.
If your car has OBD plug it in. Lots of parts shops will scan your car for free or if you bring a mechanic a coffee they will too. I know I would! Its such a valuble tool. It makes searching for possible causes of your problem so much easier and faster.
In any case don’t just throw parts at it. Investigate them first unless they’re due – as per milage interval – and you can afford it.
The very first thing I would check is the coolant temp sensor for the ECU. Some cars have 2 sensors. One for the ECU one for the dash. They don’t last forever and they tend to slowly fail rather than all of a sudden. When they completely fail all sorts of issues arise as the ECU cant properly fuel the engine for its temp, usually resorts to one fixed map and its usually rich.
You can test the coil positive and negative pols for resistance measurments. If its above the limits or close replace it. Coils are the most over looked tune up item. They do last a long time but like anything else will wear out. Weaker spark = weaker combustion, more fuel consumed.
Wires are the same. If the wires are within the spec leave em. If higher replace them.
Did you check the condition of the cap/rotor if equipped? If its a coil pack system check the resistance values against spec.O2 sensors last a long time but eventually fail. And they tend to fail over time meaning its not all of a sudden rather they just get worse and worse. Usually causing worse and worse fuel consumption and loss of power. If you drive around on a completely failed one you will run rich all the time.
Another thing to check is your EGR system if equipped. More often than not the ports are plugged up with soot and the valve still works just cant do its job. Early vacuum powered EGRs can be easily tested by at idle pushing up on the rubber diaphragm underneath it. This should allow EGR flow. If the engine runs very poor or stalls when you do this it works.
Also another good idea is to poor in a bottle of good injector cleaner into half a tank and go for a drive. Its argued weather its better to run cleaner thru the entire system vs just the fuel rail, but at this point for $6 its worth a shot.
Some mechanics don’t do this as it can dislodge varnish in the tank and plug up the filter. In some cases I agree but in my own car I run a bottle thru every oil change – as recommended by the manufacture and have had no issue. In that same breath I also change my fuel filter everytime I’m due for spark plugs for good measure. Fuel where I live is far from clean.
If the fuel milage used to be more normal while you’ve owned the car I would look at the service items first along with looking for any vacuum leaks.
If your car has OBD plug it in. Lots of parts shops will scan your car for free or if you bring a mechanic a coffee they will too. I know I would! Its such a valuble tool. It makes searching for possible causes of your problem so much easier and faster.
In any case don’t just throw parts at it. Investigate them first unless they’re due – as per milage interval – and you can afford it.
The very first thing I would check is the coolant temp sensor for the ECU. Some cars have 2 sensors. One for the ECU one for the dash. They don’t last forever and they tend to slowly fail rather than all of a sudden. When they completely fail all sorts of issues arise as the ECU cant properly fuel the engine for its temp, usually resorts to one fixed map and its usually rich.
You can test the coil positive and negative pols for resistance measurments. If its above the limits or close replace it. Coils are the most over looked tune up item. They do last a long time but like anything else will wear out. Weaker spark = weaker combustion, more fuel consumed.
Wires are the same. If the wires are within the spec leave em. If higher replace them.
Did you check the condition of the cap/rotor if equipped? If its a coil pack system check the resistance values against spec.O2 sensors last a long time but eventually fail. And they tend to fail over time meaning its not all of a sudden rather they just get worse and worse. Usually causing worse and worse fuel consumption and loss of power. If you drive around on a completely failed one you will run rich all the time.
Another thing to check is your EGR system if equipped. More often than not the ports are plugged up with soot and the valve still works just cant do its job. Early vacuum powered EGRs can be easily tested by at idle pushing up on the rubber diaphragm underneath it. This should allow EGR flow. If the engine runs very poor or stalls when you do this it works.
Also another good idea is to poor in a bottle of good injector cleaner into half a tank and go for a drive. Its argued weather its better to run cleaner thru the entire system vs just the fuel rail, but at this point for $6 its worth a shot.
Some mechanics don’t do this as it can dislodge varnish in the tank and plug up the filter. In some cases I agree but in my own car I run a bottle thru every oil change – as recommended by the manufacture and have had no issue. In that same breath I also change my fuel filter everytime I’m due for spark plugs for good measure. Fuel where I live is far from clean.
Good video! Some early fuel injected cars were also prone to vapour lock. Bosch K / KE Jet is one example and some throttle body injection systems too. In those cases age plays a very big factor, that amplifies the primitive and early systems.
A lot of FWD cars originally didn’t have after run on fans to cool the air under the hood, Vehicles with a prop fan also didn’t have this. There were several companies had to re work production lines to add in kits to allow a heat sensor under the hood to close the circuit for the fan via a 2 way relay to help cool down ambient air temp.
I had a Bosch K-Jet car for a few years that if I parked it after a long drive, say to fill up gas it wouldn’t start for half an hour, unless I left the hood open. Untill I removed the injectors to test the theory out it baffled me. A quick trip to the wreckers to salvage a run on fan set up worked well most the time but ultimately the only real fix was new fuel lines between the fuel distributer and the injectors and then adding some heat insulation tubing more commonly used to shield wiring around turbos and exhaust parts. After that fix/upgrade I never had the issue again, and that was a hot summer of road trips.
Good video! Some early fuel injected cars were also prone to vapour lock. Bosch K / KE Jet is one example and some throttle body injection systems too. In those cases age plays a very big factor, that amplifies the primitive and early systems.
A lot of FWD cars originally didn’t have after run on fans to cool the air under the hood, Vehicles with a prop fan also didn’t have this. There were several companies had to re work production lines to add in kits to allow a heat sensor under the hood to close the circuit for the fan via a 2 way relay to help cool down ambient air temp.
I had a Bosch K-Jet car for a few years that if I parked it after a long drive, say to fill up gas it wouldn’t start for half an hour, unless I left the hood open. Untill I removed the injectors to test the theory out it baffled me. A quick trip to the wreckers to salvage a run on fan set up worked well most the time but ultimately the only real fix was new fuel lines between the fuel distributer and the injectors and then adding some heat insulation tubing more commonly used to shield wiring around turbos and exhaust parts. After that fix/upgrade I never had the issue again, and that was a hot summer of road trips.
The way I always delt with an engine with a recent top end job not starting goes like this:
1- look for any and all sensors that may be unplugged. Air flow Meter, crank or cam position, hall effect if it uses that style etc. It takes a few seconds and is worth checking everything that relays information to the engine regarding its operation.
2 – You know it has fuel, remove a plug and plug it back into the wire. Crank it holding it next to the block. If it sparks you know that works. You can also just remove the high tension wire from the distributer cap if your car uses an older style ignition.
3- Check the belt timing, When you remove a belt its always good practice to TDC everything. Removing the head means you will have to re TDC everything anyways. If it has a distributer cap, pull it off. Some of them have a notch on the body that if you point the rotor at it signifies TDC cylinder number 1. If there is no notch or mark make a small paint dot on the body right under the cap where the wire for cylinder 1 attaches. Physically set cylinder number 1 to TDC checking thru the spark plug hole. A crank rotates twice for every one the cam does. Set the cam to its marks and wrap the belt. If all the sensors and ECU work properly and its timed like this all it may need is a small adjustment with a timing light and the specs in hand.
The way I always delt with an engine with a recent top end job not starting goes like this:
1- look for any and all sensors that may be unplugged. Air flow Meter, crank or cam position, hall effect if it uses that style etc. It takes a few seconds and is worth checking everything that relays information to the engine regarding its operation.
2 – You know it has fuel, remove a plug and plug it back into the wire. Crank it holding it next to the block. If it sparks you know that works. You can also just remove the high tension wire from the distributer cap if your car uses an older style ignition.
3- Check the belt timing, When you remove a belt its always good practice to TDC everything. Removing the head means you will have to re TDC everything anyways. If it has a distributer cap, pull it off. Some of them have a notch on the body that if you point the rotor at it signifies TDC cylinder number 1. If there is no notch or mark make a small paint dot on the body right under the cap where the wire for cylinder 1 attaches. Physically set cylinder number 1 to TDC checking thru the spark plug hole. A crank rotates twice for every one the cam does. Set the cam to its marks and wrap the belt. If all the sensors and ECU work properly and its timed like this all it may need is a small adjustment with a timing light and the specs in hand.
Like I said, I’m not anywhere near as familiar with Honda gear boxes as the VW ones. Im also a big fan of using what it came with / factory fill when it comes to cars. Particularly German ones. I know most of the time in an older VW box people use the GM/AC Delco Synchromesh as a last ditch effort to keep it going. All though they are very tough gear boxes they are picky about fluid. Because VW gear boxes used brass synchronisers for a long time you really only could use one type of fluid- GL-4 75W-90. The later models use the same fluid but in Synthetic. I find it cheaper to use Redline Synthetic wich I would recommend to anyone in their car, over the dealership stuff and makes a huge improvement in the box. Take apart any old VW box that’s had GM/AC Delco in it and you will find its got very worn bearings and more tooth wear. Add to that they leak like a tap.
Good to know though about a Honda gearbox working well on Synchromesh. Its probably the only quality GM product they sell! All I ment by “band aid” fix is that if it were actually fixed it would work like new on the spec fluid, using the syncromesh helps it work closer to new but its still old and worn inside.
Like I said, I’m not anywhere near as familiar with Honda gear boxes as the VW ones. Im also a big fan of using what it came with / factory fill when it comes to cars. Particularly German ones. I know most of the time in an older VW box people use the GM/AC Delco Synchromesh as a last ditch effort to keep it going. All though they are very tough gear boxes they are picky about fluid. Because VW gear boxes used brass synchronisers for a long time you really only could use one type of fluid- GL-4 75W-90. The later models use the same fluid but in Synthetic. I find it cheaper to use Redline Synthetic wich I would recommend to anyone in their car, over the dealership stuff and makes a huge improvement in the box. Take apart any old VW box that’s had GM/AC Delco in it and you will find its got very worn bearings and more tooth wear. Add to that they leak like a tap.
Good to know though about a Honda gearbox working well on Synchromesh. Its probably the only quality GM product they sell! All I ment by “band aid” fix is that if it were actually fixed it would work like new on the spec fluid, using the syncromesh helps it work closer to new but its still old and worn inside.
Bought a sweet pair of 45 deg hose clamp pliers a few weeks back. Bought a new pair of wire crimpers that I ended up taking back since my old ones work better.
Bought a sweet pair of 45 deg hose clamp pliers a few weeks back. Bought a new pair of wire crimpers that I ended up taking back since my old ones work better.
Like said above I would check the clutch function first. If its full, and isn’t leaking etc, it is worth taking the time to give it a gravity bleed. Like your brakes the fluid should be changed more often than people think.
Sounds like your synchros inside the gear box are wearing out or aren’t working properly. Slightly different than above If it were me – and I have done this recently – drain the old oil out and add new Factory spec oil then see how it goes.
If that doesn’t make much difference try using a Synchromesh oil. I don’t know much of the specifics of a Honda gear box requirments so you may want to hit up some Honda specific forums or Eric. I know in my case as described I had all the signs of wearing synchros in my VW 020 gear box. I was going to use GM Syncromesh off the bat but that’s more of a bandaid than I wanted and it doesn’t lend well to long highway drives to well used in an 020. I ended up using a full synthetic version of the oil the gear box came new with and it solved the issue completely.
So before spending you may just want to consider switching to a nice synthetic version of what it came with.
Like said above I would check the clutch function first. If its full, and isn’t leaking etc, it is worth taking the time to give it a gravity bleed. Like your brakes the fluid should be changed more often than people think.
Sounds like your synchros inside the gear box are wearing out or aren’t working properly. Slightly different than above If it were me – and I have done this recently – drain the old oil out and add new Factory spec oil then see how it goes.
If that doesn’t make much difference try using a Synchromesh oil. I don’t know much of the specifics of a Honda gear box requirments so you may want to hit up some Honda specific forums or Eric. I know in my case as described I had all the signs of wearing synchros in my VW 020 gear box. I was going to use GM Syncromesh off the bat but that’s more of a bandaid than I wanted and it doesn’t lend well to long highway drives to well used in an 020. I ended up using a full synthetic version of the oil the gear box came new with and it solved the issue completely.
So before spending you may just want to consider switching to a nice synthetic version of what it came with.
2 things have come to mind.
First, its almost always overlooked when looking for vacuum leaks but the injector seals could always be a cause. I don’t know your engine particularly well but I have found before many times that once the vac lines were replaced, any grommets and clamps that looked old etc and any o rings on idle adjustments that they started leaking. Food for thought.
The second thing Id also check out, maybe you have is the fuel delivery. Perhaps due to wear or the turbo upgrade its not able to supply enough fuel and its leaning way out. The engine then responds by retarding the timing.
2 things have come to mind.
First, its almost always overlooked when looking for vacuum leaks but the injector seals could always be a cause. I don’t know your engine particularly well but I have found before many times that once the vac lines were replaced, any grommets and clamps that looked old etc and any o rings on idle adjustments that they started leaking. Food for thought.
The second thing Id also check out, maybe you have is the fuel delivery. Perhaps due to wear or the turbo upgrade its not able to supply enough fuel and its leaning way out. The engine then responds by retarding the timing.