Questions and Answers

Acura Integra Rapid Misfire Q. I found this site recently and it looks like you might be able to offer some insight into problem I have. I have recently purchase a car for my daughter and it seems to have problem. It is a 1993 Acura Intergra 1.8 liter, auto transmission, A/C, P/S, P/B with about 135,000 miles on it. It starts good and runs fine, even seems to have very good acceleration, but it has a vibration in the engine.

You can feel it at an idle and also when you are driving down the road. It is not a misfire and I've replaced the air filter as was suggested by a friend and the service light is not on which tells me there are no codes registered. I have a code reader for older Fords and GM cars but don't know if I can check these codes without a reader. I haven't done any basic tests on the engine for compression and such.

After reading some of the others articles on your site, it sounds like this could be a very complicated thing to figure out. Is there any way to simplify the process? It is almost like a very rapid misfire, but doesn't seem to affect performance. I talked with another Acura owner and he suggested some control unit mounted on the firewall, but I can't remember what he called it. Any help would could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bruce

A. A problem like this can be very difficult to find simply because there are so many things that can cause an engine vibration such as you describe. If you go to my Troubleshooting section you will find instructions on how to access the codes without a scan tool and what they mean.

I would look real close at the distributor. The distributor caps are prone to developing small hairline cracks that can cause this. Remove the rotor and check for play in the distributor shaft. If there is any play, the distributor probably needs to be replaced. The screw for the distributor rotor is a special screw. A regular steel screw should not be used because it can become magnetized and cause a false signal in the pick-up. Get a new one at the dealer if there is a doubt about it.

The next thing I would do is get a spray bottle of water and spray mist the ignition wires while the engine is running and see if there is any arcing. If you do this in the dark it will be a lot easier to see the arcs if there are any.

It's not going to be an easy problem to fix, but give it your best shout with the suggestions I gave you. If there are no codes and you find nothing else, you'll have to take it in and have it put on an engine scope to locate the problem.