honda accord burning oil/leaking

[xluben 10+ year member]

I'll look up a link in a few, copy an image to my site and hyper link you to for the placement of the PCV. If it's anthing like the ol' Preludes, they are right on top of the engine's valve cover. Most of the newer accords are V6's, so as for yours being a 4, my apology. Just give me a few min. and I'll look that up for ya and post it back here.
Dustin

cool, thanks!

link?

Sounds to me like you are runnning a bit rich, which would cause you to misfire under a load. As far as the PCV valve, the auto parts store coul dpoint you in the right direction, and picking up a repair manual is critical for proper maintenance on any car. BTW, running rich will reduce your mileage indefinately.

any suggestions on running rich?

i was meaning to pick up a repair manual......

don't have really any experience with cars, though //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

i am an ME major, so i hope i can figure it out //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif

 

[jjski78 10+ year member]

Pick up a repair manual. Go to the Honda dealership, get a Distributor Cap, Ignition Rotor, Spark Plugs, Wires, PCV Valve, Air Filter, And O2 Sensors. Before I started working on jets, I was a Honda Tech. That's why I say go to the dealer for the parts. Maybe not the PCV or Air Filter, but everything else. Hondas have a nasty tendency to eat up and s**t out aftermarket ignition parts. I had the same misfire code on one of my old cars, and surprisingly, it was the O2 sensor causing it. All of those things are stupid easy to change, and hella cheaper than bringing it to a dealer to have it serviced. If you do find an external leak, it's most likely going to be the valve cover gasket, again, stupid easy, and about $20 for a new one at your local Honda dealer. The reason a lot of people never have a problem with them is because most models require a valve adjustment between 15-30k so every time that is done, a new valve cover gasket is installed. If you do all of this, you should be good to go. Oh, also, after you do the work, disconnect your battery for a good 20 minutes to clear the fault from your ECU.

And as stated before, a good throttle body cleaning won't hurt either. And pour a bottle of good quality ( I like Valvoline) fuel injector cleaner in the tank. Get the one meant for every 12000 miles, it's a little more potent. And do an oil change. Again, go to the dealer, get a Honda filter and drain plug seal. Get yourself good oil, Mobil 1 comes to mind, and a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil. Drain your oil, pour in the Marvel, and top it off with the Mobil 1. Then change it in no more than 3k miles. This should fix any of the problems you have with oil consumption and running rich. Hope it helps!!

 

[xluben 10+ year member]

Pick up a repair manual. Go to the Honda dealership, get a Distributor Cap, Ignition Rotor, Spark Plugs, Wires, PCV Valve, Air Filter, And O2 Sensors. Before I started working on jets, I was a Honda Tech. That's why I say go to the dealer for the parts. Maybe not the PCV or Air Filter, but everything else. Hondas have a nasty tendency to eat up and s**t out aftermarket ignition parts. I had the same misfire code on one of my old cars, and surprisingly, it was the O2 sensor causing it. All of those things are stupid easy to change, and hella cheaper than bringing it to a dealer to have it serviced. If you do find an external leak, it's most likely going to be the valve cover gasket, again, stupid easy, and about $20 for a new one at your local Honda dealer. The reason a lot of people never have a problem with them is because most models require a valve adjustment between 15-30k so every time that is done, a new valve cover gasket is installed. If you do all of this, you should be good to go. Oh, also, after you do the work, disconnect your battery for a good 20 minutes to clear the fault from your ECU.
And as stated before, a good throttle body cleaning won't hurt either. And pour a bottle of good quality ( I like Valvoline) fuel injector cleaner in the tank. Get the one meant for every 12000 miles, it's a little more potent. And do an oil change. Again, go to the dealer, get a Honda filter and drain plug seal. Get yourself good oil, Mobil 1 comes to mind, and a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil. Drain your oil, pour in the Marvel, and top it off with the Mobil 1. Then change it in no more than 3k miles. This should fix any of the problems you have with oil consumption and running rich. Hope it helps!!

thanks i'll look into all those parts.

i'm going to start with the pcv and air filter this weekend (hopefully). i'll probably also get a bottle of fuel injector cleaner.

how exactly do i clean the throttle body?

i have tried a bottle of marvel mystery oil and it didn't really do anything noticeable.

also, i just pull a fuse to reset the check engine light because (i think) it's always the same thing.

i can tell when it's going to pop on when i'm trying to accelerate and it feels bogged down.

 

[xluben 10+ year member]

throttle body cleaning:

http://www.98exl.com/tsb/CG/01-004%20-%20Throttle%20Body%20Cleaning.pdf

is there an easier way?

i think it was mentioned i could spray some b12 chemtool in the pcv valve?

i always used to experience the symptom described in that pdf. the pedal would stick the first time i'd try to push on it.

hasn't been happening lately though //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

 

[jjski78 10+ year member]

thanks i'll look into all those parts.
i'm going to start with the pcv and air filter this weekend (hopefully). i'll probably also get a bottle of fuel injector cleaner.

how exactly do i clean the throttle body?

i have tried a bottle of marvel mystery oil and it didn't really do anything noticeable.

also, i just pull a fuse to reset the check engine light because (i think) it's always the same thing.

i can tell when it's going to pop on when i'm trying to accelerate and it feels bogged down.

You need to take the throttle body off to get it good and clean. Just spray it down with some Chemtool and wipe it clean with a rag. Make sure you get it really clean, and dry it thoroughly before reinstalling.

Marvel Mystery Oil is a godsend for high mileage cars. Did you use a full quart in new oil?? If not, try it again with a high quality oil. It re-hydrates seals, making them basically expand and seal better. Then if you want to go with a slightly cheaper oil, you can get the Valvoline Max-Life or Castrol High Mileage. These oils basically have the same type of additives that Marvel is, just, obviously, in smaller amounts. Trust me, this will help, a lot.

Disconnect your battery cables to reset the ECU. Of course, this isn't going to do anything if you haven't fixed the problem. Go to Autozone and have them run a code scan on your car, it's free. Then tell us what the code is. But, I'm pretty sure you have a bad O2 sensor.

Once you have all of this done, and the car is running right, I can recommend a service interval that will definitely help your car last for years, and be pretty easy on the wallet. If you know what the car is going to need, then you can better plan for it financially. The problem right now is the car was used, so you're basically playing catch-up on all the maintenance your car was supposed to have, but didn't get.

 

[jjski78 10+ year member]

throttle body cleaning:
http://www.98exl.com/tsb/CG/01-004%20-%20Throttle%20Body%20Cleaning.pdf

is there an easier way?

i think it was mentioned i could spray some b12 chemtool in the pcv valve?

i always used to experience the symptom described in that pdf. the pedal would stick the first time i'd try to push on it.

hasn't been happening lately though //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif

Don't spray chemtool in the PCV. Just replace it. For $5 it's just cheap insurance. Plus, you don't really want that stuff getting into your engine. It destroys the oil film that your engine needs.

 

[xluben 10+ year member]

You need to take the throttle body off to get it good and clean. Just spray it down with some Chemtool and wipe it clean with a rag. Make sure you get it really clean, and dry it thoroughly before reinstalling.
Marvel Mystery Oil is a godsend for high mileage cars. Did you use a full quart in new oil?? If not, try it again with a high quality oil. It re-hydrates seals, making them basically expand and seal better. Then if you want to go with a slightly cheaper oil, you can get the Valvoline Max-Life or Castrol High Mileage. These oils basically have the same type of additives that Marvel is, just, obviously, in smaller amounts. Trust me, this will help, a lot.

Disconnect your battery cables to reset the ECU. Of course, this isn't going to do anything if you haven't fixed the problem. Go to Autozone and have them run a code scan on your car, it's free. Then tell us what the code is. But, I'm pretty sure you have a bad O2 sensor.

Once you have all of this done, and the car is running right, I can recommend a service interval that will definitely help your car last for years, and be pretty easy on the wallet. If you know what the car is going to need, then you can better plan for it financially. The problem right now is the car was used, so you're basically playing catch-up on all the maintenance your car was supposed to have, but didn't get.

not sure if i want to take my whole throttle body off //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

i'll try another bottle of marvel mystery oil with my next oil change.

when i had my ecu checked it was a cylinder misfire (not sure the code)

Don't spray chemtool in the PCV. Just replace it. For $5 it's just cheap insurance. Plus, you don't really want that stuff getting into your engine. It destroys the oil film that your engine needs.

yeah, i would replace the PCV, but the other poster mentioned i could spray chem tool somewhere to help clean the TB.

 

[phantom240 5,000+ posts]

Get some seafoam, pour it in a squirt bottle... have at the TB. enjoy. Just dont use anything to scrape it!!! a toothbrush is recommended for tough shit. As far as running rich, yeah ignition and o2 sensor are most liekly the culprit.. though i wouldnt recommend going to a dealer for some of that stuff. Honda overcharges for their stuff, and a simple tuneup ends up costing over 200 bucks. Wires: NGK are very high quality, and so are their plugs. Caps and rotors are pretty much the same, though stay away from autozone and pepboys, they carry crap parts (/experience). As far as plugs and wires NEVER and i want to reiterate NEVER buy BOSCH. Bosch is second rate... their wires **** and have a habit of not staying on, their plugs (especially platinums) have horrible blowby (which is bad for compression and power), and the rest of their stuff is overrated. Get a K&N filter. Slight performance gain, slightly better mileage, washable, win-win situation.

BTW PCV and TB arent the same.

 

[jjski78 10+ year member]

Get some seafoam, pour it in a squirt bottle... have at the TB. enjoy. Just dont use anything to scrape it!!! a toothbrush is recommended for tough shit. As far as running rich, yeah ignition and o2 sensor are most liekly the culprit.. though i wouldnt recommend going to a dealer for some of that stuff. Honda overcharges for their stuff, and a simple tuneup ends up costing over 200 bucks. Wires: NGK are very high quality, and so are their plugs. Caps and rotors are pretty much the same, though stay away from autozone and pepboys, they carry crap parts (/experience). As far as plugs and wires NEVER and i want to reiterate NEVER buy BOSCH. Bosch is second rate... their wires **** and have a habit of not staying on, their plugs (especially platinums) have horrible blowby (which is bad for compression and power), and the rest of their stuff is overrated. Get a K&N filter. Slight performance gain, slightly better mileage, washable, win-win situation.

BTW PCV and TB arent the same.

All dealerships inflate parts prices. But, like I said before, in my experience, Hondas tend to eat up aftermarket ignition parts. And the parts really aren't all that expensive. Now, I did a 3 second search online, and for everything I said to change I have a total cost of $347.63. That was from http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com That was going based on my gut feeling that your O2 sensor is the culprit for and I priced out both front and rear. For genuine Honda parts this is actually a hell of a deal. BUT... don't take my word for it on the O2 sensor, get the scan run at autozone and let us know what code it is. And by all means, DO NOT buy a Bosch O2 sensor!! Get the OEM one. I have had just as much bad luck with Bosch O2 sensors as the guy above me has had with their spark plugs.

 

[xluben 10+ year member]

dang, $350

i'm gonna try the $5 PCV valve and air filter when i change my oil first //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

thing about the ECU light is that it doesn't go on that often.

maybe every couple weeks.

i might be able to make it go on, but i'm not sure i like that idea //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

found this:

http://www.c-speedracing.com/faq/05.php

it was definitely one of the misfire codes (71-74 in the list). don't know if that helps at all.

 

[jjski78 10+ year member]

dang, $350
i'm gonna try the $5 PCV valve and air filter when i change my oil first //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

thing about the ECU light is that it doesn't go on that often.

maybe every couple weeks.

i might be able to make it go on, but i'm not sure i like that idea //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

found this:

http://www.c-speedracing.com/faq/05.php

it was definitely one of the misfire codes (71-74 in the list). don't know if that helps at all.

For all of that, $350 is not too much money. Also, the PCV valve and oil change isn't gonna do squat about your misfire code. Again, I'm going off my gut here, but it sounds like you really do need everything that I listed. Look at it this way, if you do all the work now, your car won't die on you when the temps get down around -30 this winter. I know $350 is a good chunk of coin, but, I would rather spend the money, get everything done at once, and have peace of mind that the car is gonna be ok. And all of the stuff I listed is really easy to change yourself. If you can turn a wrench, you can do a tune-up on a Honda I4. If you took it to a shop to get the work done, they would probably add a good 8 hours of labor on top of that, at around $70 an hour! That is expensive!

On a side note, with the mileage your car has, you should also try to find out when the timing belt was last changed. They should be done every 90k. When I worked as a Honda Tech, we would do a "Timing Belt Service". This was a VERY expensive service, but like I said before, if you know what to expect for your service costs, you can plan your budget accordingly. That service consisted of: Change timing belt, balance shaft belt, water pump, all accessory drive belts(alternator, A/C, power steering), upper and lower radiator hoses, thermostat, adjust valve clearances, and install a new valve cover gasket (duh!). This is the kind of maintenance that NEEDS to be done to insure long life of your car. And if you don't believe this kind of preventative maintenance is worth doing, I had 2 customers, a nice older married couple. They both had accords, an '85 and an '86 LXi. Both cars had over 500k on the odometers when I left for the Air Force in 2000. Both cars had original engines and trannys that were never rebuilt. Those people followed the Honda recommended service intervals to the letter, and had all the work done at my shop with all OEM parts. They never needed anything more than standard maintenance. Believe me, I looked through the whole record. Their service records were bigger than a phone book!! I'm sure you can do it cheaper with aftermarket parts, but that was one of many examples I have seen where the genuine Honda service virtually guaranteed a trouble-free car for many hundreds of thousands of miles.

 

[jjski78 10+ year member]

Oh, and here's a link so you can see the recommended maintenance intervals:

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/packs.htm

 

[xluben 10+ year member]

thanks for all the suggestions.

i'm a full time student and only work 12hr/wk. with all the bills i have to pay that leaves very little extra //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

if i work full time over winter break would be the only time i might have extra cash.

i know about honda's and reliability. my dad had an early 80's civic hatch with normal maintainance (no major problems) that was closing in on 300k, until he hit a deer and totaled it //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[xluben 10+ year member]

got a PCV valve for $1.29 and put it in.

also put in some fuel injector cleaner.

i might change my oil and air filter this weekend.

it's only been 1,000 miles since the last oil change, but i put in seafoam about 500 miles ago.

 

[xluben 10+ year member]

got an air filter and put it in.

ran it hard a couple times and no black smoke!

i did see some white smoke the first time i got the rpm's up, but not nearly as much as before, and not black.

after that it was all good. hopefully my gas mileage goes back up.

i'll look into the other items/maintenance schedule as i go.

thanks for all the help!

i'll keep you updated if i have other problems //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif