Elisa

I've never been in a forum before and I don't know if I'm in the right place. My daughter just recently bought her first car. A 1992 Integra RS. It is a 5 speed. First she had to replace the Catalytic convertor, then her muffler fell off, then she had the distributor replaced. It seemed fine for about the first 150 miles all the while the Check Engine light was still on but was told everything was OK. Well the next thing, the horn stopped working, then it wouldn't start so she replaced the battery. Then it would start but would only go to 3500RPM and no more. Now it's only running on 3 cylinders. There always seems to be a puddle of water behind the passenger seat on the floor. Can't figure out how it gets there. She worked all summer and saved her money to purchase a car. We were told that the Acura was a great automobile. What should we be looking for? Thanks for the help.

MrFatbooty

Well the car is 11 years old, which means it's had 11 years to be treated badly by its prior owner(s). Any car, even one that is generally reliable, can break if it's not taken care of.

If the Check Engine light is still on, you can use a diagnostic procedure to see why the light is on. It's explained here: http://www.c-speedracing.com/faq/06.php

Patman015

Where did you get her car? At an express used auto lot? Sounds alot like my car, breakin all the time, but i didnt have to get any catylytic converter or anything! Um, the puddle of water behind the passengers seat sounds alot like a a/c tube leak or somethin, if she's running her a/c, and it hits the floor, the floor can condense from the warmth under the car and make the carpet wet. Thatz what happened to my car. How much did she spend on the car? How long did you look around for a car? Civics are better buys sometimes for the money, and Integras that are high in mileage and were made in the early 90's seem to have alot of problems. But, that's what you get with a used car. Maybe you should sell it and find something else...(not to condemn your daughter from having a car, but having to replace major parts requires major money, and integras arent the cheapest to keep up!) Good luck to your daughter though, maybe some other guys in this forum can help you better, they're pretty smart!

sick79

i would definately do all the basic tune up stuff to it, like plugs, wires, filters etc. whoever said the car was fine with the check engine light on should of made sure the car was fine, and resetted it if all was ok. i bought a 90 rs and after a week or two, the car started having some serious problems. i still need to fix alot of stuff, but money is real tight. so i know what youre daughter is going through. good luck.

revhappy420

sorry for all the bad luck with the car. integras are very reliable cars generally but like mrfatbboty said, thats 11 years for it to be treated poorly. about the water getting into the trunk, i have also heard about the rubber/plastic tail-light gasket/seals being worn. i think someone on this forum sells custom gaskets for the taillights. about the cat converter, thats just bad luck i guess. usually, the distributor would have to be replaced, if the cap and rotor haven't been replaced, or the cam seal next to the distributor has been leaking oil. about it running on 3 cylinders, sounds like an internal problem i wouldnt know anything about. the good thing is there are many spare integra blocks and longblocks for sale on forums like these for a good deal, so hopefully you can look for a deal. or you can rebuild it with aftermarket internals. sorry, i havent been too much help, i hope someone knows about the major internal problem and has a good solution for it