I bought an 88 Honda Accord 6 months ago from a guy who buys/sells cars&said he?d just bought it from an elderly couple who rarely drove it. It only had 144K miles on it & there were a lot of receipts with the former owners’ names & service records in the vehicle. It runs great except that one time shortly after buying it, I was driving down a hill at about 50 miles an hour after driving all over town in it and it completely stalled. I pulled off the side of the road & it started right up. I took it in to be checked. Was told it was likely carbon that clogged the fuel line temporarily due to having been garaged so much. They also said it had a new fuel filter on it. Then I began having problems starting it. It sounded like a vacuum-like sound sucking the life from it, rather than engaging fully at the start. Sometimes, I’d take at least 4 times before it would start. It has stalled on me dead a couple times since on the road & had a tough time restarting it. Both times were shortly after having had trouble starting it in the morning. Twice, I?ve been at gas stations & the pump didn?t stop and overflowed the tank. Could that have anything to do with any of this? I?ve had it at a shop for almost 2 weeks & they say they can?t duplicate the problem although it stalled one time after trying to start it. I have no idea what to do. Any suggestions? I?ve already replaced 2 tires and had a brake job done on it. I have a teen I want to be able to use it, but not with the stalling problem unsolved?Too scary…
You need to clarify which model Accord it is. Some are carbureted and some are fuel injected. Knowing which one you have can make a big difference in any theorizing here.
Right offhand, I’m leaning towards a failing fuel pump. A failing pump can be a hit and miss affair at times. A failing main relay or ignition switch can also cause intermittent stalling.
Yes, what OK said. Is this DX, LX lor LXi ?
Most DX models have a carb . . . most LX, Ex and LXi have fuel injection. However, this timeframe was a transition time from carb to fuel injection. Look at the air cleaner and take off the top . . easy enough to see if it’s a carb or fuel injection. Then we can can offer some suggestions. Rocketman
All DX and LX models have carbs. The LX-i had fuel injection (the “i” in LX-i stands for injection). I have an '89 SE-i, which was the only year they made the SE-i.
Thanks nfs . . . kinda makes sense, the “i” thingy. How’s your '88 running? How many miles? Rocketman