1987 Honda CRX HF 1.5 HELP

[GasSavers_Timbo]

I just bought a the car for $650. Here's what I've done so far:

-Plugs and Wires
-Fuel Filter's
-Thermostat (whoever worked on it last failed to reinstall one)

As of late, the car ran... ok... But, it was never quite right.
(All below mentioned items would come and go like the tide)
It would idle high, then not at all, then between gears would try to shut off, then idle "great" (Great for this Bastar* is 1000rpm-1150rpm) and would not give me any problems, then sometimes it would have NO throttle response in the first half of the pedal and try to shut off unless i held it nearly to the floor.

The last problem was the final straw. The first initial squirt from the accelerator pump would give me some response and then after that it would give me nothing until I got to the second half of the pedal.

I thought putting in a carb kit would fix the issue (and did so) but now there's definitely a fuel/air mixture issue. Won't idle unless I close off the choke butterfly valve manually. It's way too rich and nearly killing me with the fumes trying to work on it. Adjusting the "throttle stop" screw helps but it will eventually cut off.

I've tried everything I can think of send some help my way please.

I'm to the point of carrying it to a mechanic and paying him to fix it but I think it's something I can fix myself.

Also, the ?idle speed needle valve screw thing?... rear of the carb bottom plate beside fuel line... please help me understand what it does and how to better adjust it.

[GasSavers_Timbo]

Also, The "final straw issue"

Sometimes, either when I would dirve the piss out of it or cut it off and let it cool down, it would [I]fix itself[I]

[GasSavers_Erik]

The timing is computer controlled in the 87 HF- so you should get a timing light and check the timing when it is running good and running bad to see if there is a difference in ignition timing.

Check the sight glass on the driver's side of the carb to see if the float bowl is half full (you will need to move some hoses out of the way to see it).

Check for vacuum leaks- especially the rubber base plate that the carb is bolted onto (spray carb cleaner on it while the engine is running to see if the idle speed changes), also check the vacuum advance diaphragm on the distributor to see if it leaks.

The slow speed mixture screw is located at the base of the rear of the carb- turning it in leans it out and unscrewing it makes it richer. I'd advise that you check all of the stuff above before you mess with that.

The oxygen sensor is another possibility- it is very expensive. Does your upshift light work properly?

[GasSavers_Timbo]

That's a bit of useful info, carb cleaner on the base plate, never thought of that.
The shift light works like the car... When it wants to. Would the Timing jump around like that without a reason or would it require something to happen before it changed? Float level is in the center of the sight glass. Even when it runs like crap it maintains a center level. Idk about the oxygen sensor. I haven't been able to get a steady idle enough to really do any trouble shooting.

I'm working tomorrow but will check this thread and see what you/anyone thinks.

Thanks for the reply so quickly btw

[GasSavers_Timbo]

And I have followed your posts quite a bit on here so I'm trusting you to guide me along the way to better Fuel Economy

[GasSavers_Erik]

The ECU will retard the timing if it gets a signal from the knock sensor (it would think the ignition is too advanced). Retarded timing will do exactly as you describe- it won't want to rev very well, low power and the idle will be very poor.

[hondaguy72]

87 hf would be a vacuum advance distributor. I don't believe there is a computer controlling the timing.

[GasSavers_Erik]

My 87 carbed CRX HF has a special distributor with an extra pigtail connection for the internal advance controller. The 87 HF vacuum advance only has one diaphragm.

There is also an ignition control module (small ECU type box) under the dash of the 87 HF (separate from the ECU under the passenger seat) that controls timing.



Most of the above parts in the above pic came out of my 87 CRX HF. The ECU is on bottom, the black box is the alternator control module and the gold box above it is the timing control module. The small black sensor on top is the barometric pressure sensor, the semicircle is the VSS pickup from the speedometer and the small board with the yellow connecter is the shift light circuit board.

[mrbillhf]

Hi, I'm a brand new member and I am astonished to read your symptoms. I have an 87 HF that I just bought and yours sounds EXACTLY like mine. What have you discovered? Did you get it corrected? I could use the help as well.

[mrbillhf]

seriously... this must be a more common set of symptoms than many poor 87 carbed hf owners realize. I know its fixable. There's always a solution. And whent the problem is discovered I will post the cure for the world to see, :0
In the mean time.... help!!!