Rough idling black smoking 87 Integra

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by Mauricio Tavares, Jan 31, 2005.

  1. Friend of mine has an 87 Integra which is acting up. First of all,
    let's say the battery is dead, but since she is not driving the car
    right now (more on the reason alter), we are just jumpstarting it as
    needed. Second, it has new (NGK) spark plugs, wires, rotor, and
    distributor housing. Once we connect it to a working battery (insert
    here my comments about the tiny size of the battery used in some
    Hondas), car starts right up without an issue nor check engine (pgm-fi?)
    light. Though, the idle rpm is a bit high.

    After a few minutes it starts to do some sort of idle hunting. As the
    tach needle does not move (I wonder if it is boink or somewhere in
    between is dead. I guess I could try to use my tach/dwell meter.
    However, I also wonder if the tach is seeing the same signal something
    else important is seeing; if the signal is not there something else is
    also pissed), my guess its idle goes from around 800 to 1300rpm and it
    sounds like someone is just revving up the engine and then letting the
    gas pedal go. Then, if I press the brake pedal, the rpm will drop some,
    the engine light will come up, and the idle starts to hunt. The same
    happens when I put it in gear (it is an auto). I also noticed that once
    that happens, there is black smoke comming from the exhaust.

    When I bought my scirocco, the idle was doing something very similar
    and was smoking (I do not remember if it was black like the Integra's
    though). I took care of that by adjusting its air/fuel mixture. I wonder
    if something similar is going on.

    Suggestions?
     
    Mauricio Tavares, Jan 31, 2005
    #1
  2. Mauricio Tavares

    TeGGer® Guest



    Check your coolant level. Low coolant can cause unsteady idle.

    How does the car behave after you've driven it for at least 15 minutes?

    Also, pull the carpet back from the passenger footwell until you can see
    the ECU. Turn the ignition to ON (not to START!) and count the short (and
    maybe long) blinks from the ECU's red light. The code may help narrow this
    down.
     
    TeGGer®, Jan 31, 2005
    #2
  3. Mauricio Tavares

    Mauricio Guest

    Should I also run the car with the coolant filler cap off to see if
    any bubbles show up?
    Hmmm, I will have to get back to you as we have not driven the car
    that long. =)
    Will do!
     
    Mauricio, Feb 1, 2005
    #3
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