Honda 1987 Carb issues

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Hello, my 1987 accord has some carb issues. Once at ops temp, fan has come on and off, rpms will race up to 4000rpm, sometimes. If I hit the gas it goes higher and then rests at 4000rpm. While looking down the carb, while running warmed up, I feel like too much gas is coming out of the fuel jet. The one in the middle, not the power value jet. Now if I put a rag over the carb she RACES up in rpms. What is that? In the past when I had an air leak the rag trick would let the car idle correctly, now she races up when I cut air flow going into the top of the carb. Putting a rag over the secondary barrel does nothing. My fuel economy has dropped. At idle I have to push on the accelector to keep it alive, I guess because of too much gas going down the carb.



Please help, its my go to work car. Thanks

2

You have two choices:

  1. Buy a service manual for the car and follow the diagnostic and repair procedures for the carburetor and associated controls. There are ways to test whether or not too much gas is coming out of the fuel jet. “Feeling” like too much gas is coming out is not one of them.

  2. Take the car to a mechanic who still knows how to work on carbureted Hondas. Good luck with that.

Relying on a 22 year old car to get to work has it’s risks. This is one of them.

3

Thanks for the reply. I have a repair manual and plan to step through it this weekend. I have rebuilt this carb once about a year ago and fixed vac leaks. The reason I feel like it is too much gas is because it has not been like this in the past.

I bought the car for $500 and have put about $350-$400 in parts in with, but with my time and labor.

Thanks

4

Do you see that black box on the firewall with all the vacuum hoses going to it? Remove the cover of this box and you’ll find many vacuum control solenoids for the carburator. I would guess that one of these solenoids isn’t functioning.

When I owned my carburated Honda’s, I went to a local auto recycler and removed this solenoid box so I had spare solenoids when one failed. And I did replace a few.

Tester

5

Thanks!

I have had a feeling, from reading posts out on the web, I might be looking at a craking solenoid problem. I have looked in there on my 87 honda, car is gone now, and man was is dirty in there.

6

Too bad you can’t take your car to Tester. I suggest you follow his advice. As far as I know, he’s never wrong.

7

"Take the car to a mechanic who still knows how to work on carbureted Hondas. Good luck with that. "

NOBODY EVER knew how to repair these carburetors. They are a complete emissions nightnare…No two are the same…if you have a job, buy a fuel injected car…