Help w/Bogging Issue...

[dpmark]

No, I'm not mud bogging with my 92EX. I know I've got a broken torque mount (I had another thread about that-thanks again for the help) and I'm waiting for the part to come so I can fix that issue. And I have a crack in the flex pipe which makes my car sound like I have a motorcycle taped under it - I can live with that and I think it's unrelated to the real problem (I can post a picture of the hole if it would be helpful)...

The real issue started two days ago - I was just rolling along in traffic from 0-25mph and suddenly the car started bogging down like crazy between 2000-3500RPM. The engine never died, and I was able to get the car to limp along at 10-15mph - but it sounded like it was spluttering and struggling to develop any power. After about 5 minutes of this, it cleared up and ran like normal. It did the same thing today - I'd driven for 10 minutes or so and then as I was pulling away from a stop light it was like someone robbed the engine of power as it spluttered, backfired, and I limped along until I got to my destination (about 1/2 mile from where I was when the problem started.) When I went to go home, it ran fine. I'd seen another thread here that mentioned that these symptoms could be PCV valve related, so I replaced that since it was easy to do. I went out for a short drive and it spluttered, lurched and bogged down yet again. So I'm posting here for ideas. One other piece of info that may or may not be helpful is that it has not done this at all when I've been on the freeway - there it just runs like normal. This has all been when I've been doing city driving in 1st/2nd gear (auto transmission).

So some advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

-Mark

[RVaillant]

Hey, i had similar problems.

Maybe check for condensation in your Distributor Cap??
I had that, and it was the main culprit.

I also changed the main relay and fuel filter and that helped.

All of these are cheap easy things to do, i suggest you go for it.

[xfactortype1]

any cels, but sounds like your oxygen sensor is going bad. get a ntk one and your good. also your egr ports could be clogged. there is a diy on how to clean then. or try getting some seafoam and dumping 1/3 bottle into brake booster hose where it goes into the intake manifold.


later x

[dpmark]

Thanks guys. I should have mentioned that the check engine light has never gone on when I've had this problem. Would the oxygen/egr port/fuel filter issues cause a check engine light? I'll try cleaning the distributor cap today and then see if I can get some seafoam. Anyone got a link to the DIY for the ogygen sensor replacement?

Mark

[accord junkie]

if it was ur o2 sensor ur check engine light would b on and throwing a code 41 ur prob sounds like the distributer bad plug wires or burnt spark plug.
usually when ur car starts doin that all of a sudden or can gradually get worse with time.
now before u start blowing ur money on parts take the dist off and check it for cracks corrosion or pieces of plastic or metal inside. if there is oil present u have a bad dist seal.
check rotor button for burnt spots and also the pins inside the cap for corrosion or carbon tracks. if ur dist is old and bad its never a bad idea 2 change plugs and wires at the same time remember 2 check plug gaps for proper gap this is important cause an improperly gapped spark plug can also give u this trouble. good luck and p.s never listen 2 any1 that just says go buy this part and that part that will fix it cause what they should tell u is how 2 diagnose the prob correctly before making assumptions.and when it comes 2 sensors going bad it turns ur check engine light on and u can pull the code very easily
ur egr wont clog up bang just like that all of a sudden ur fuel filter could cause the prob but it would have slowly got worse with time and prob wouldint make it run that bad just a lack of power . start with ur dist and also do u have a internal or external coil .

[dpmark]

if it was ur o2 sensor ur check engine light would b on and throwing a code 41 ur prob sounds like the distributer bad plug wires or burnt spark plug.
usually when ur car starts doin that all of a sudden or can gradually get worse with time.
now before u start blowing ur money on parts take the dist off and check it for cracks corrosion or pieces of plastic or metal inside. if there is oil present u have a bad dist seal.
check rotor button for burnt spots and also the pins inside the cap for corrosion or carbon tracks. if ur dist is old and bad its never a bad idea 2 change plugs and wires at the same time remember 2 check plug gaps for proper gap this is important cause an improperly gapped spark plug can also give u this trouble. good luck and p.s never listen 2 any1 that just says go buy this part and that part that will fix it cause what they should tell u is how 2 diagnose the prob correctly before making assumptions.and when it comes 2 sensors going bad it turns ur check engine light on and u can pull the code very easily
ur egr wont clog up bang just like that all of a sudden ur fuel filter could cause the prob but it would have slowly got worse with time and prob wouldint make it run that bad just a lack of power . start with ur dist and also do u have a internal or external coil .

I pulled the cap off the distributor and there was a fair amount of corrosion on the 4 pins around the outside edge as well as on the center pin. I cleaned all those. There is definetely oil present as well all over the outside of the distributor but I didn't really notice any inside it. While I was at it, though, I saw this hole in a line that's running from the PGF/FI to...something... (see pictures). When the car's on, that hole has a tremendous 'sucking' sound that I suspect shouldn't be there. Any idea what this line is? I'll buy that piece nice & cheap from Majestichonda if I can identify what it is. It doesn't show in the picture, but that line has the number "8" marked on it in several places. Might not be related to the problem - but that'd be sweet if it was.

Mark

[totaldoughnut]

Could possibly be your fuel pump taking a dump and losing pressure to the rail.

[Losiracer2]

pull your spark plug wires. Check to see if they're covered in oil. If they are, then its most likely your rocker arm O-rings have turned into petrified rubber and are no longer sealing. Its about a 1-2 hr job to replace those and its recommended you do a valve adjustment after you remove the rocker arm assembly.

[dpmark]

Thanks everyone. I got nearly stranded with the car a couple days ago and took it to a local mechanic just to get his opinion. He checked the spark plugs, wires, and fuel filter but they were all okay. His answer was a bad distributor since it's oily and because if you just hammer the throttle you can get the car to develop power after it bypasses the distributor's electronic controls (a hint that the fuel filter, for example, isn't plugged). Free help from the mechanic was appreciated, now I'm in the market for a new distributor. A couple questions:

1) Where would you guys get one from? I'm a student - so $ is an overriding issue for me - I'm hoping to get another year of life out of this car and then I'm going to replace it, so I don't necessarily need the "buy from Honda dealer b/c it will last longer than a non-OEM part" unless the non-OEM's simply don't work at all.

2) It looks like replacing a distributor is a bolt-off, bolt-on deal. Is there anything more to it than that? If so, is there a DIY for it (I searched but didn't see one). Thanks again!

Mark

[js593]

Junkyards are good for "holy shit im stranded for cash" But you can never tell if they work or not. remember to get new seals with it as well. Remanned ones can be purchased just about anywhere. Autozone if your in the states, Napa/Piston Ring if your in canada. Any automotive shop can do this, it doesnt even take that much time. It took me 25 minutes to take mine out, put in new seals, clean out the whole thing, new dizzy cap, and rotor, and swap it back in. It usually only takes about 15-20 mins tops. When your putting it back together, make sure you have the shaft in the right position. Where the grooves are set, they are offset to the cam, they are NOT in the dead center.

If you want to save money in labor, go and get a Haynes/Chiltons manual for your car. Ive saved myself so much money its not even funny.

[dpmark]

Thanks js593. Good idea about junkyards. I've also looked on ebay where there seem to be plenty of options in the $85-$140 range - I can afford that, just not the $380 that I was quoted by a couple mechanics I've called & by the stealership. Here's an ebay example: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...ksid=p3907.m29 Anything wrong with that?

Were you recommending that I could take off the existing distributor, clean it, buy new seals/cap/rotor and reattach it? I didn't know that was an option... Knowing that I can grab one from ebay (again, unless ebay introduces another problem) and have new internal seals on it & have it be clean for MUCH less than I was being quoted at shops makes me more interested in going that route. I suspect I still will need to buy a new seal that fits between the distributor and the block since I doubt that the ebay ones come with it...

But with that, it's just a matter of making sure that the shaft on the new distributor is basically lined up with where the one on the old one was, and then having it offset to the camshaft?

Good point about the Haynes/Chiltons manual!

Thanks again.
Mark

[Shay91Racer]

I pulled the cap off the distributor and there was a fair amount of corrosion on the 4 pins around the outside edge as well as on the center pin. I cleaned all those. There is definetely oil present as well all over the outside of the distributor but I didn't really notice any inside it. While I was at it, though, I saw this hole in a line that's running from the PGF/FI to...something... (see pictures). When the car's on, that hole has a tremendous 'sucking' sound that I suspect shouldn't be there. Any idea what this line is? I'll buy that piece nice & cheap from Majestichonda if I can identify what it is. It doesn't show in the picture, but that line has the number "8" marked on it in several places. Might not be related to the problem - but that'd be sweet if it was.

Mark

that hole shouldnt be there. i cant really tell what thats a picture of but vacuum leaks can cause a lean mixture of fuel/ backfiring/ sputtering/ early combustion (cant think of another way to put it) thats whats going on with my car at this moment and yeah, i got the hole in my tail pipe which just increases the effect of the backfiring lol..

[dpmark]

Thanks for all the replies. I still haven't gotten it working. Arrggh. So here's what's been done so far:

1) New distributor
2) New Spark plugs/wires
3) Fixed that hole in the vacuum line
4) New fuel filter

Same problem - when driving, it just misfires and splutters like crazy between 2000-3000RPM (give or take a bit). If I get the engine to rev over 3000, the car goes fine again, but in that range, I have almost no power. If I'm in neutral or park, I can rev the engine with no problem - I can hold it at any RPM with no misfires and I can go from idle to 4000 RMP smoothly time after time. But if I'm in drive and the engine is under load, I get the problem between 2000-3000RPM.

What's left? Bad ECU? Transmission problems (is there a transmission computer?)? Something else? As a reminder, I don't have a check engine light showing (and no, the bulb isn't blown - it lights up when I have the key in AUX).

Mark

[Shay91Racer]

clean ur EGR ports... on the IM its six of them 4 in front and 2 right behind those. Look just behind the head and you'll see them. If you havnt tried SeaFoam, try it and put 1/3 into your brake booster or vacuum line I cant remember what the line is called, but it's a thick line on your firewall, on your right at the top.

Pour 1/3 seafoam in it while the car is running. DON'T just guzzle it all in there, pour slowly, and the car will start to bog down and run sluggish. After the 1/3 is in, let your car run. You will see poofs of white smoke come from your tailpipe, don't panic its normal, its cleaning out the carbon build up. If that doesn't work then find the DIY on EGR Ports.

[dpmark]

Well, I seafoamed the thing - tons of white smoke, but it didn't solve the issue. I looked for the DIY on cleaning the EGR ports but can't find it. Anyone have a link to it? Thanks. mark