I need some help identifying a problem with my wife's 1991 Accord DX. Occasionally it will stumble under load only when hot and in the RPM range of idle and 1800. It started some time after another problem was resolved and I think they are not related.

The car started bucking and stalling at low speeds. It happened a few times then the check engine light came one indicating crank sensor and another sensor in the distributor. I expected the ECU to be bad since two sensors usually will not fail at the same time.
I took the distributor cap off and found a little oil and some metal filings. With 95,000 miles I didn't want to put $500 worth of new distributor in so I picked up a used one at the auto salvage yard for $175. It was in very good shape and my distributor seemed to be seized when I got it out.

Some time after changing it I believe I started having the occasional stutter problem. Maybe it's more like a quick stumble. I replace the plugs, wires, cap and rotor which didn't solve the problem. No check engine or code on the ECU. I swapped the ECU with a used one, again another $175. That also did not resolve the problem.

There is a service bulletin for the EGR passage ports possibly clogging and causing this or a similar problem. I checked the EGR (good) and pulled the four aluminum plugs in the intake manifold for the exhaust gas passageway. They were at worst 1/3 closed up. I cleaned them and pressed the plugs back in. Of course it didn't help.

I am not a mechanic but very good mechanically and pretty good with electronics. This problem is just annoying for me but very bothersome for my wife when she drives the car. It's the best car I've ever owned. It now has 98,000 miles on it and very little has gone wrong with it or has been replaced. I also have '01 Acura CLS that I believe is not built quite as well. It's a very nice car and I enjoy it but I have to say I still love to drive the Accord. The controls (steering, clutch, brakes, and gas pedal) are very precise and are one of the main reasons I bought it back in '91.

I hate to bring it to the dealer and have them say they can't duplicate the problem. Not to mention the hassle and money involved. I wish it would get worse or fail as it would be easier to resolve.

Any help with the diagnosis would be appreciated.

 

timing correct? did you set the timing again after changing the dist.?

 

How far did you go when you pulled the EGR plugs? You need to go all the way down to the orifice in each port. It's only about 4 mm in diameter. If you pull the vacuum line off the EGR valve and the miss goes away, you didn't get the ports cleared out.

Check your plug wires for carbon tracking. Did you crack a spark plug when you installed it? Is there oil accumulation in the spark plug tubes?

If that' not it, you need to bite the bullet and buy the distributor sub assembly from the dealer. It doesn't make much since to buy a distributor from the junkyard since you probably bought one that's just as bad as the original.

 

I have a 91 accord ex that sputtered at low speeds after warming up for 2 minutes. Cleaned the ports and now it's running great.

I also had the distributor go 2 times, you'll know when it goes because the car will not run at all. Had to replace the replacement for the recalled one that was fixed, replaced it with an aftermarket rebuilt one which went bad, which was replaced with Honda part, it's more expensive.

I've got 135,000 and hope to get another 100,000 out of it. The suspension is still solid.

 

The engine was retimed after the distributer change.

EGR passage ports where cleaned for the whole length of the runner with some wire. It was totally unimpeded except at some plug holes that were slightly clogged. The EGR seems to work fine. It opens and closes while reving the engine. Manually operating it at idle makes the engine die.

The cap, rotor, plugs and wires were changed after the problem appeared but did not solve it. The old plugs with about 20,000 on them were buring perfect. Infact some of the best looking I've ever seen. Nice light brown color, not wet and no excess carbon.

My guess is a sensor is faulty but not bad enough or often enough to make the ECU know it's bad. Or possibly it's the replacement junk yard distributer occasionally having a problem. The dealer wanted about $500 for distributer parts. The origional suffered a bearing and seal failure. I couldn't turn it by hand when I got it out.

 

hmmmmm.... Check your valve lash. too tight and it will cause idle problems.