How To Solve Honda Idle Problems

Before posting questions about Honda idle problems please read this: http://www.ericthecarguy.com/…/41476-solving-honda-idle-issues-hunting-idle

The viewers have chosen and this week’s video will be about solving Honda idle problems. I’m really not surprised as I get a lot of questions and requests about this very subject. Here are the links I promised in the video that will help you address specific issues mentioned in the video.

Hopefully when you’re done checking all that stuff out you will have solved your Honda’s idle problem, if not leave a comment or send me a message and I’ll see what I can do just make sure you have tried all the stuff in the videos first as that saves me from typing so much.

I also want to add my “Idle Speech” into the mix here: http://www.ericthecarguy.com/…/41475-solving-honda-idle-issues-rough-idle

There are a lot of things that can contribute to an idle issue, in fact in the end it may still be there to some degree because of the nature of that engine however here are some things to start with.

First start with a good tune up, use NGK or Nippon Denso plugs don’t change the wires if they are OE, if they aren’t OE you might consider NGK wires as they are very good and less expensive than OE. A quality cap and rotor should be good. A new air filter also helps.

Don’t change the PCV valve, if you see an aftermarket PCV valve in there put a Honda in, believe it or not I’ve seen idle issues caused by aftermarket PCV valves, the OE’s last just about forever so you can easily justify the expense.

Next a good valve adjustment, this goes a long way to smooth out the idle if done correctly, mess it up and things can get a lot worse though.

While you have the valve cover off check the timing belt tension, if you feel a lot of slack this can cause the cam to ‘chunk’ as it spins causing a rough idle. If you think the belt has been on there for some time then you might consider changing it and resetting the tension properly, if it’s not ready for replacement you can reset the tension to take up the slack.

DO NOT adjust the idle screw under any circumstances, it is set at the factory and that is the reason it was sealed in the first place. If you find that the seal has been broken and you have a low idle and you have done all of the above then you might turn the screw out a little to see if that helps the idle but only enough to try and bring it back to where it was before it was adjusted in the first place.

Last clean the screen in the Idle Air Control valve, this can get clogged up with carbon over time and cause the flow through it to be restricted which can cause idle issues.

If you still have a ‘rough’ idle after all of this THEN look to the engine mounts as you want to be sure the engine is running correctly before you go for those as the one in the back is a real pain to replace.

The best place for answers to your automotive questions: http://www.ericthecarguy.com/

EricTheCarGuy code lookup: http://www.ericthecarguy.com/obd-code-lookup

ETCG