I drive a 96 honda accord LX 4dr 5spd manual tran and it's been running alot worse lately.
I've been to a number of mechanics, tuffy, goodyear, honda dealership, havent had my problem fixed.
The symptoms: very rich fuel mixture, accompanied by poor gas mileage, engine misfire, and erratic idle speed.
also , timing is way way off.

I've replaced a number of parts, o2 sensor(s), map sensor, throttle body, spark plugs, spark plug wires, cylinders
have been tested, passed a fuel pressure test, compression test, just an inch from throwing in the towel and giving up.
When i replaced the underbody o2 sensor(secondary) the check engine light went off, hasnt been back since.

I've noticed a couple important details. The timing is way way off, as much as 30-40 degrees. I know that the timing is
controlled electronically, and since the CKP sensor is not in the distributor , rotating it does nothing. I was informed by a honda
mechanic that the only thing effecting the timing in the car could be loose or damaged timing(crankshaft)belt or timing balance belt,
or the ECM itself. After removing the crankshaft pulley and inspecting the crankshaft position sensor and the topdead center sensor
they both appear to be working. I retightened both belts, made sure they were properly aligned, nothing. Car still runs like absolute ****. BeforeI go and buy another part for my car, if anyone has any sort of idea, tell me if you think replacing theECM will help my case. I bought the car used, half the parts i've replaced have already been replaced, it almost seems like someone had the same problem, tried the same things, and eventually threw in the tower. The ECM that's in the car now is aftermarket.
I'll paypal a fair amount to anyone that'll sit down and help me through this.. Thanks hugely

 

ok let's take it 1 step at a time.....timing issue needs to be fixed before anything else ...

...you said timing is off by a lot,, you need to chk cam timing,, you also said you did that ,,,( made sure belts were properly aligned )

How did you chk cam timing ?? tell me step by step how you did it ..

 

to check the cam timing i pulled the valve timing belt cover off, and checked alignment of cam sprocket
and crank sprocket, both were perfect.

 

one additional note. timing is not adjustable in this car. the sensors are not in the distributor, rotating it has
no effect on timing. with the timing light , it shows about 34degrees advance, at idle speed. max advance is
at 18 degrees. also, if i disconnect the map sensor, while engine is running, the timing light shows number one firing
at top dead center. i dont know why the ecm would be putting that much advance on the motor
- this would also cause fuel injection timing to be wrong since both are controlled by the ecm and crankshaft position sensor.

 

cam pulley notches lined up with the head.up mark on pulley in the up positon....crank pulley white mark lined up with the notch on the lower t-belt cover.. correct
did you chk it while t-belt was installed or before you installed timing belt ??

has the distributor been replaced,, installed a non factory distributor ??
when did this issue first start to occur?? no codes correct ??

 

x2 on all that destert honda mentioned. Is your check engine light on? I would go to autozone, have them read the codes stored on the ECU, and post them on here. They are PXXXX.

When you are checking your timing, what mark are you looking at? The red mark is the one you should be trying to hit. Did you short the service connector in the glovebox? The timing is adjustable on a 96, you have to short the service connector to eliminate the ECU to do this. There is a manual in pdf form for a 5th gen that will be similar to your 96. In our DIY section there is a thread called acc 5th gen.... Go to that site and look at the manual under Cylinder Head/Valve train.

 

There are some other things that you might want to check. Are the battery cables secure and clean on all ends. Has the air filter, distributor cap, dist. rotor, and PCV valve been replaced? These are typical maintenance items.

If you pull the vacuum hose from the fuel pressure regulator and smell a lot of gas, then the fuel pressure regulator definitely needs replaced. Has the fuel pressure been tested? That will pinpoint a problem with the pump, pressure regulator, filter, etc.

 

"has the distributor been replaced,, installed a non factory distributor ??
when did this issue first start to occur?? no codes correct ?? "

the distributor on the 96LX has nothing to do with ignition timing.
the pickup is on the crankshaft.

as previously mentioned, nope , the check-engine light has been off since the secondary oxygen sensor was replaced.
no error codes.

When you are checking your timing, what mark are you looking at? The red mark is the one you should be trying to hit. Did you short the service connector in the glovebox? The timing is adjustable on a 96, you have to short the service connector to eliminate the ECU to do this. There is a manual in pdf form for a 5th gen that will be similar to your 96. In our DIY section there is a thread called acc 5th gen.... Go to that site and look at the manual under Cylinder Head/Valve train.

the timing is so advanced, none of the marks will line up, regardless of the fact that i mentioned that the timing cannot be adjusted
using the distributor. it's more than 30 degrees out of place. #1 cylinder is firing 15 degrees ahead of the most advanced timing mark
of 18 degrees (standard for the small 3 notches which are 1/8th inch apart representing 14.16.18 degrees on the harmonic balancer.)
yes, the service connector was shorted. in addition, shorting the service connector had no effect on the timing whatsoever.

"There are some other things that you might want to check. Are the battery cables secure and clean on all ends. Has the air filter, distributor cap, dist. rotor, and PCV valve been replaced? These are typical maintenance items.
If you pull the vacuum hose from the fuel pressure regulator and smell a lot of gas, then the fuel pressure regulator definitely needs replaced. Has the fuel pressure been tested? That will pinpoint a problem with the pump, pressure regulator, filter, etc. "

no reply needed. if any mechanic sees this please reply. =)

 

Not sure what you meant by this. I was just tyring to throw ideas at you.

Finding parts at a junkyard may be your best bet to throw parts at it.

Since you are certain that the timing belt is installed correctly, then start electrical testing the CYP sensor. See if a junkyard will allow you to buy a ECU and CYP sensor for testing purposes. A shop manual will be helpful. I forgot that the 96 has that sensor under the timing belt.

 

Couple of things
# 1 ,, the distr on a 96 has a lot to do with timing .. If the end of the shaft is not aligned properly with the index mark on the end housing you will have one hell of a time trying to time this baby ,,that is the reason why i asked you if distr has been replaced with an ftermarket or any distr work done .. I have seen it a few times where the marks DO NOT line up on aftermarket distr ,, So take the distr out, flip it upside down and chk those index marks if any distr work has been done before problem occured ..

# 2 ,, We are here to try to help you and throw ideas at you ,, So please, be appreciative with all you get ,,I as PAhonda, did not understand your last coment either ..
If you are sure that cam timing is correct , you might weant to try to remove the ecu, open it up and chk for burnt spots ..

And let me ask you again,, when did the issue first happen ?? out of the blue ?? after you did repairs?

And just for the hell of it , you might want to double check the cam timing again .

https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/HOW...m_60773/tm.htm