Loss of Power

Hi, got a question about an '86 Accord DX. What might cause a dramatic
loss of horsepower (almost as if the car is "choking"). It starts fine
and all regular maintenance is has been kept up. One mechanic
suggested carburetor, but when I took it to a specialist, he said the
carb looked fine (it had recently been replaced).

 

Could be any number of things - can you be a little more specific with
the symptoms? Does it happen all the time? Only when cold? Only when
warmed up? On the flat or up hills?

 

Hi,
Checked fuel pump ground? Make sure fuel pump works well upto spec.

 

Wouldn't really have the same effect on a carb'd engine - all the pump
needs to do is keep the float bowl full.

Still, hard to say for sure without more details from the OP.

 

Had a similar problem with an 85 (carburated), Make sure the big hose
from the exhost manifold to the air cleaner is in place and does not
have holes or cracks, also check that the diverter valve in the air
cleaner(Where that hose connects) operates properly.(on mine the link
from the vaccum motor disengaged fron the valve).
HTH
JerryR

 

Another thought--I got intermittent power loss on my '86 Accord. Turned out
to be an intermittent clogging of the "nut and bolt" screen at the inlet of
the fuel pump. The screen and pump at that time was one assembly and
required pump replacement. Power loss was sudden-----never drove in front
of a big truck for fear of getting run over.
MLD

 

That would (or should) only affect things when the engine is cold... and
we still don't know exactly when this problem occurs.

 

Yeah, that would happen with a carb - you'd run fine until the float
bowl emptied, then lose power until it (partially) filled back up again.
An intermittent/weak pump or dirty filter would cause similar symptoms.

I think all 3rd-gen Accords used the same pump/pickup assembly, accessed
via the trunk/hatch area.

 

Hi,
Ever experienced intermittent fuel pump due to poor grounding?

 

--------------------

Air in the cooling system may do that. If there's enough coolant in the
reservoir the air can sometimes be displaced. Have you been checking it
or did it get too low?

'Curly'

 

That is not so!. My problem showed up(intermmittently) when the engine
was warm(after 30 min. into an hour trip) and when the engine was
colder(during the first 30 min of use)
JerryR

 

That hose from the exhaust manifold shroud to the breather is intended
to channel warm air from around the manifold into the breather *while
the engine is cold*. Once it warms up, the diverter should close and
allow cool air to be drawn in from behind the fender, and it should stay
that way as long as the engine is warm. Piping in hot air will increase
the chance of knocking and definitely NOT help your performance
(REMOVING that hose would have helped, if the diverter was sticking or
opening intermittantly).

 

In my case it malfunctioned whether cold or at operating temp, on flat
roads and on hills. Fuel pump had been replaced some time ago.

 

Okay, so... when this happens, it just happens randomly? Does the power
loss last for a while, or does it come and go? If it's intermittent,
what do you do to get power back - pump the gas, turn the car off and
restart it, etc.?

 

Full power never returned. That's why I thought maybe the engine was
beyond repair.

 

"twb01" wrote

beyond repair.

I had a similar problem with my 1973 Toyota Celica. Being that that car is
far older than yours, the cause may be entirely different.... My problem
turned out to be a bad cylinder head that apparently wasn't getting proper
cooling to the cylinders, or something like that. (Turned out that Toyota
had a recall on the head, but didn't let their customers know it directly. I
found out about it by complaining to a dealer service manager who was
willing to listen.) I recall the symptom showed up mostly when trying to
climb even a moderate hill, even when getting a good running start up.

 

maybe the timing belt jumped a notch(or 2),or the distributor timing is
off?

 

Okay, that could be a number of things... as others have suggested, it
could be that the timing belt has slipped a tooth, ignition timing could
be off, there could be a bad cylinder or head gasket, a buggered
valve... it could be something as simple as a clogged jet in the
carburetor, which is fairly easily repaired.

This would NOT likely be a fuel pump or fuel filter issue, as the engine
normally runs off what's in the float bowl - if there's JUST enough flow
from the pump to fill the float bowl at idle or low RPMs, the car would
run fine until it used up that fuel, then die.

So simple answer: you need to have more diagnostics done. It could be
expensive... it could be something really simple.

 

Does it shake, or is it smooth with its low power?

Will it even get the car up to 55?

I gather there's no smoke or smell?

No potato stuck up the tailpipe?

 

There's a bit of a shake. Speed tops out at 17-20 mph. No smoke.