Questions and Answers

Honda Accord Cold Idle Problem Q. Hi, I have a 1986 Honda Accord LX, 2.0 liter, four cylinder, automatic, 160,000 miles, carburetted, with P/S, A/C and cruise control but no ABS. When I would go out to start my car in the morning, I would gas it a bit first, as I turned the key, to start the engine. When I let off the gas, the rpms would drop to 1,000 and idle there really rough, like the car was going to die.

The only way to push the rpms up again, was to gas the engine some more. So, I would spend about 5-7 minutes every morning gassing the engine enough to where it wouldn't idle rough anymore and I could drive. Usually, after giving it enough gas, I could let off the pedal and the rpms would steadily rise on their own, and stop at 2,500.

I would let the car run like this, and then tap the gas, and the rpms would drop to 2,000, then after a few seconds, I would tap the gas again and the rpms would drop to 1,000 and I would drive away. Now recently, whenever I would try to start the car, I would do all the same things, and the rpms would not rise on their own. They would rise, but as soon as my foot comes off the gas, they would drop and idle real rough at 1,000.

After sitting in the car for about ten minutes constantly giving it gas, trying to push the rpms up and getting the engine to start going, the rpms would just start flying upwards, past 5,000 and on and I would have to turn the car off to stop the rpms. Now, my question is this: what's making my car idle so rough, like its going to die, and could it possible be that not all four cylinders are firing?

I've checked the spark plugs, the wires, the battery connection, the air filter and they are all fine. Please, I would appreciate any help you could give me.

Thanks so much,
Alan

A. I'm pretty sure the problem is with the choke mechanism. When the engine is cold, take off the air cleaner top and look down the carburetor throat. You'll see a butterfly at the very top. This is the choke butterfly. Now step on the gas pedal once with the engine off. The choke butterfly should close. If it doesn't, then you have choke problems.

If it does, the next thing to look for is how it opens. Start the car and watch the butterfly. The choke pull-off will open the butterfly slightly when the engine starts running. Assuming, of course, it's working. As the engine warms up, the choke butterfly should open slowly until it is fully open. This will take about ten minutes, max.

If it doesn't open as I described, then it's possible the choke heater is bad or not receiving power. There is a wire going to the choke heater, make sure it has power. If it does then the choke heater needs to be replaced. If not, check the fuses and ignition circuit.