meredithf

I have a 1990 Honda Accord LX, manual transmission, 4-cylinder, fuel injection, power everything (steering, locks, windows)...

About halfway to work today I noticed my speedometer dropped to zero as I was still driving. Nothing else seemed wrong so I wasn’t too alarmed thinking it may just be some type of sensor or something and I would eventually have it looked at. I kept an eye on it for a few minutes and noticed that my check engine light came on. I was very alarmed at this because I know it’s obviously not a good thing and also because it’s NEVER come on in my car while driving. I kept going because I was only about 3 miles from work. During the rest of the drive I noticed when the car was stopped or in neutral it was idling terribly low, to the point I assumed it was going to stall if I didn’t keep giving it gas. So I managed the clutch, brake, and gas the rest of the way to work and it seemed fine.

I decided to take it to the shop across the street to have them check the codes to find out what was wrong. When I started it to drive it across the street the check engine light was off and the speedometer was working! Weird I thought. Turned out the shop doesn’t have the right machine/scanner/whatever to check the codes for a 1990 Accord, that’s assuming any codes would even still be there since the light wasn’t on anymore. So there wasn’t much they could do without knowing the problem (and frankly I’d rather not have them guess either). They suggested I change the ignition wires since I had not done that 3 months ago when they did my tune-up because they actually said the wires were fine at the time.

The guy just called me at work to say they did an oil change and replaced the wires and the car was running and idling fine. He drove it around and after about 5 min, the check engine light came on, the speedometer dropped to zero, and the car started idling really low again.

Without knowing the code(s), do any of you know what this could be??? In the back of my mind I was thinking alternator or computer. The alternator is only about 3 years old and all other electrical systems seem fine right now so I guess that’s not it. What about a rusted/corroded wire(s) somewhere? Would something like that cause these 3 problems??

thanks in advance for any help!!!

98CoupeV6

Well I can tell you it's sure as hell not caused by bad ignition wires, and if your alternator was bad everything would be shutting off and lights would be going on in the dash.

Is it just your speedometer or is it every gauge in the pod that doesn't work?

meredithf

thanks for replying!

just the speedometer, other guages are functioning properly. i obvioulsy need to have someone else look at it since the shop its at now is helpless at this point. i think my main concern is being able to drive it home and/or to another shop today. does it sound like something that i would make worse by driving it? other than the low idle being a pain to manage sometimes it is driving well.

98CoupeV6

No, you probably can't make it worse.

I have a feeling this is an electrical problem, are you sure that the idle thing only happens when the speedo isn't working?

Circuit:





Elec:





Except for the idle problem, this sounds like an obvious VSS issue which is common in 4th gens. :dunno:

meredithf

wow thanks so much, awesome info. obviously im a newb =)

a while back i was having some idle/acceleration probs, but new plugs and some injection cleaner cleared that right up and i have not had ANY probs like that since. i dont think the low idle and car almost stalling would have gone completely unnoticed until today, but i guess its possible. It really seems to have happened at the exact time, or just after, the check engine light and speedometer issue came up today.

any thoughts on what type of electrical issue? aside from doing more damage to the car my other concern is cost. im spending about $100 today for the wires (+ labor since im too wimpy to do it myself) and the oil change. on top of that im broke!! haha. also the car is about 16 yrs old, 216k miles so im not really keen on spending a lot of $ for repairs at this point. however, a few hundred dollars here and there is more appealing to me than a few hundred dollars every month for a car payment!

thanks again!

meredithf

sorry, i misread this when i replied.

I'm pretty "in tune" with my car and know right away if something is up. I cannot think of anything else that happens when the speedo fails. when im driving it runs/drives fine even when the speedo stops, rpms are good, all other gauges work, other electrical things work (lights, radio, locks, power steering, etc). when im in neutral or the clutch is engaged the rpms just drop way low and im sure it would just stall if i let it. actually when i pulled into the parking spot at work today i left it alone in neutral to see what it would do... the rpms were so low im not sure at all how the thing was even still running.

meredithf

i havent tested my cruise control though as my drive to work is on side roads and i dont like cruise control anyway!

98CoupeV6

I would bet money it's the VSS, which apparently also sets off a check engine light (how convenient!). You can verify this by finding out the code, or following this procedure:



It's an extremely easy replacement:



Disconnect the 3-P connector from the vehicle speed sensor (VSS).
Remove the mounting bolts, then remove the VSS. NOTE: The VSS drive link is a very small part, be careful not to lose it.
Install in the reverse order of removal.

meredithf

i followed the instructions in your other post, about pulling up the passenger side carpet and watching the LEDs. etc and you were precisely right, the VSS. too bad you didnt bet any money! i was also able to clear it too so no more check engine light (for now).

anyhow, it was idling fine when i picked it up from the shop, im not sure how that is related to the electrical prob, but i dont care at this point anyway, lol.

thanks so much for your help, i learned something about my car today!

well i dont think i will replace the VSS until it completely dies, but in the event that i do need to, how much is the part? i think i can get a mechanic with the right tools to do it for me. from what i read here http://www.cybertrails.com/~bestinth...tLocation.html it looks like only 2 screws hold it in place.

thanks again!

meredithf

the pictures you provided in your post are a bit clearer than in the link i posted. i'll give it try!