Note: I realize this post is a little specific, as not very many of you readers probably own a Honda or would be interested in DIYing your repairs if you did. However, as a self-proclaimed “shade-tree-mechanic,” I wanted to prove that we really do DIY pretty much everything in this household. So, even if you don’t ever plan to take on auto-repairs, you can enjoy our adventures here. 

So my ’91 Honda Accord, which I will from now on refer to as the Honda (or Rhonda, when the mood strikes), has been acting up over the holiday season.  She has been having trouble holding coolant and has been having an idling issue.

Translation: Leaking in the garage and making a huge mess—much to Melissa’s dismay, getting overheated, and sounding like I’m revving up the engine to race whenever I sit in park or neutral.

So I began with the advice of my brother-in-law, who owned a similar-year Honda Civic. He’d experienced some similar issues as I have been having.

His diagnosis? The Idle Air Control (IAC) needed cleaning. Pretty simple task. All it takes to clean the IAC is to take off a few bolts and coolant hoses, then spray some carburetor cleaner in a few select spots.

Here is where you take the IAC off on the Honda (at the point of the red triangle):

This is what it will look like once you take the IAC off:

This is the inner side of the IAC.  Notice the build-up on the screen and around the rim:

The following picture is what it looks like brand new (which wasn’t going to happen for $200+ I mean, let’s face it, that might be getting close to more than the rest of the car is worth at this point):

After spraying a fair amount of carburetor cleaner on the screen on the right and into the hole on the left, those two ports looked like new.

I replaced the hoses on either side of the IAC with a standard piece of hose cut to the appropriate length and re-assembled everything.  Here is what it looks like after:

The last step was to “burp” the coolant system.  (Yup, it’s exactly like it sounds.)

I didn’t get to do this before my first drive after reassembly, and I was pretty bummed when ol’ Rhonda didn’t seem fixed. But, after the first drive, still had one last trick to try thanks to one last piece of advice from my Bro-in-law.  I parked uphill, let the engine warm up, and then shut it down.  As soon as I turned the key off, I heard that glorious gurgle sound. She burped!

I think she is fixed, for now at least, hopefully for at least another 10,000 miles. I have every intention of making it to 300,000.

 

What are you DIYing lately? Any 250,000+ mile cars in your household?