I have a 1992 accord lx 4dr with ac and at, 4cyl 2.2l.
Minnesota car with 290k on it. I bought it new.
Car has started to be sluggish when first accelerating, then seems to get gas and shoots ahead fine.also can be sluggish with the ac on.
idles fine at little less than 1k on the tach. starts perfect, idles fine on startup.
Ireplaced the fuel filter with a fram filter, new air filter, regular oil changes. last timing belt change 30k ago
I'll replace thepcv valve to see if this makes a difference.
I change the tranny fluid 2x/year - this doesn't seem to be a tranny problem like slipping - I know what that is like.
Feels like the car is almost getting starved, then gets gas - thats why I replaced the fuel filter.
when cruising down the road it runs fine, if I come to a stop and then start out it feels like it is bogging down for a little while, then gets going again. once in awhile it may downbshift if i hit the gas to push it, then shoots ahead and is ok.
plugged cat. conv?
anything else i can look at?
I'm a shadetree mech. at best but do all the maintenance except the timing belt myself.
thanks in advance. want to hit at least 350k with this one.
just noticed yesterday that one of the fans on the rad. ran for 3-4 mintes after I got home last night - first time for this. temp guage is same place as always has been - not running hot.

 

Make sure your fluid levels are fine. Are there any Check Engine Lights on? I'd probably start by running a can of seafoam through the oil, motor, and fuel (a 1/3 can in each or use two cans and run 2/3 can through each area) to clean out some excess carbon build up, then make sure that your plugs (NGK Only) wires, cap and rotor are still in good shape, clean the throttle body and see where that leaves you. If those things haven't been done in a while then they should help quite a bit, if it doesn't fix the problem it will at least help prevent future issues...

There is a post in the DIY section about the seafoam I believe.... all of the stuff I mentioned you can do yourself if you can change the oil you can do this stuff and it's cheap/easy....

 

how do i verify the cap/rotor are in good shape?
No engine lights have ever come on.
I'll replace the bosch plugs and put in new plug wires. I use honda plug wires - any advice on a brand for a new set?
I've been running mobil 1 5/30 and bosch plugs for the last200k miles, replacing plugs at 50k and oil every 2500 miles.
thanks

 

For future referance don't ever use bosch plugs on honda's.... they are prone to causing the ignition coil to overheat and burn out.... The oil sounds like what I would use, I'm not as picky as some people on plug wires, if you want a little better igntion then Nology wires are nice but they're SPENDY (like $120.00...) so you can spend the money on them or just use Honda or I even like/have used Accel, on the cap/rotor, pull the cap off and make sure that it's not cracked, the contacts should be fairly clean, no excessive carbon build up and no "hairline" looking burns running off in odd directions, the rotor should look fairly clean, not cracked at all, still a good amount of metal, both of those parts will only cost about $20.00 total so if they haven't been replaced in a long time then just replace them since they're so cheap.

 

I am having a very similar issue. However, I own a:

- 1989 Honda Accord
- 2.0L Fuel Injected
- 5 speed manual transmission

OBD codes:

- IABV faulty circuit (replaced...didn't solve problem, however, I didn't expect it to.)

The engine hesitates between the rpm range of 2000-3000 when under a load. If the transmission is in neutral, the engine revs fine through this range, only under a load does it cause a problem. It's also more noticeable when the engine is at operating temperature. When the engine is cold, it seems to have more power.

Outside of the advice already given, what alternative measures could be taken to solve this problem?

The advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks.