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Acura Integra Repair Questions and Answers

Question: 1990 Acura Integra manual, 182,000 miles. Ok here is the story, when I start my car it is running fine, I can start driving it and as soon as it hits three thousand rpms the check engine light comes on and the car loses almost all its power. It will still operate but it is very slow and the tach starts dumping around 275 rpms. So I got out my timing light and checked the car when it was fresh and the timing was good at idle. It would rev up and idle but when I revved it up to three thousand the engine light came on and then the idle was well below optimum, and it was very unresponsive. So the timing is on? I don't know. Any suggestions?

Answer:   Get the code pulled using the jumper wire and reading the flashes of the light on the dash.

Question: I have had a 1997 Acura Integra for almost 4 years now and it has never given me any problems, I perform regular maintenance on it and never really drove it too hard. About a month ago I was driving it and I blew a tire, changed it and drove it home where I parked it. I left it sitting for approx. 3-4 days and when I came back out to start it - it wouldn't. I could hear the fuel pump priming and the engine would turn over but not fire. Tried this numerous times and about 3 days of trying, it just started (idle was a bit weak but other than it ran) I left it overnight and it still started no problems the next morning. I drove it to a friend's house to do some work on it and when I tried to start it again it wouldn't. Then a few days later it started again but it sounded like it was choking, it had no power (can't get RPMs past 4000), it blows thick smoke, and it will stall when you try to idle it. Any Ideas? We have not checked the spark plugs yet - however we changed the plug wires, distributor cap, the rotor, and the coil and after that it wouldn't start all together.

Answer: When it does not start right away, check the spark at the plugs and determine if there is spark and if it is strong. I assume that the vehicle is getting fuel but it might not be getting all that it needs or more than it needs. Start with the spark and then you might want to have a fuel pressure check done.

Question: 1991 Acura Integra 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual 210,000 miles. Excessive white smoke came out of exhaust of my son's car; he thinks he smells anti freeze. What could the problem be?

Answer:   Best possible guess is that the car has fairly recently overheated causing the head gasket to fail. This was possibly caused by a crack in the head or a warp age of the head. You can take off the head and have it checked and surfaced at the auto parts shop. Put on a new gasket and things should be back to normal, however, I would be looking for a reason as to why the vehicle got hot. i.e. crack in the radiator, leak in hose, bad thermostat, etc.

Question: I have a 1992 Acura Integra. It has a 1.8 engine I have an oil leak in a strange place. I removed the spark plugs wires and found oil in a good amount on top of one of the plugs. I changed the Valve cover gasket but this has not changed anything oil is still getting in the spark plug well not underneath the plug but on top of it. Should I replace the head gasket?

Answer: NO! Do not replace the head gasket. There is nothing related to the head gasket. The oil splashes around in the valves and seems to find any opening it can to get out. Replacing the valve cover gasket was ok but the grommets on the top of the plug wells need to be replaced as well. Do this soon, any problems with performance of the engine in the near term are possibly related to a cracked plug or bad wire do to the oil leak.

Question: I have a 97 Integra and the windshield wipers do not work. They were working fine before it got stolen and when I got my car back they were not working any more. I have checked all of the fuses and even had to replace the combo switch because the washer motor would stay on. I thought that might have been the problem but they still don't work...what should I check as my next step I'm guessing the wiper motor?

Answer: Do you hear the motor running? If so, it could be linkage related. If not, locate the motor and try wiring direct to current to bypass the switch. If the motor works, it is wiring and or switch.

Question: I have a 93 Integra. When the car is idling or at a stop light with the windows down. There's a smell of exhaust. Is there a leak from under the car? Please help!

Answer: With the vehicle safely lifted, have a partner start the vehicle. Plug the tailpipe with a large rag pressed over the end of the pipe. Note the exhaust leaks under the vehicle. It should be a simple job. Determine if the cause is a gasket, rusted pipe, hole, etc. That will dictate how you fix the problem. Don't forget to look under the hood as the problem could be at the exhaust manifold as well.

Question: 1992 Acura Integra 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual 15,000 miles. Changed and tune up car but still won't start. Battery good, but no spark from plugs...what now? Help

Answer: first thing to do is check the coil(s)/packs and see if they are putting off voltage, if not then you may need new ones, also you may need a new crank sensor, bad crank sensor, pcu doesn't know when to spark.

Question: 2000 Acura Integra Engine Size unknown 167,438 miles. How do I change the break light on 2000 Acura Integra?

Answer: remove the cover behind the tail light in the trunk. Twist the bad bulb's socket counter-clockwise; separate the bulb from the socket by pulling it straight out, push the new bulb in until you feel/hear a slight "click", reverse the process.

Question: 1992 Acura Integra 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual 196,000 miles. I took my car to get it aligned and they told me that it didn't need to be aligned, they said it might be tire balance or some sort so they did it and when they finished it still vibrates so can you please tell me what it is?

Answer: Could be inner rack sockets, outer tie rod ends, struts, tire balance, ball joints, and bushings. You need to have it looked at by a reputable shop, if it vibrates that bad, it shouldn't be too hard to find. Are you sure it is suspension and not the engine missing?

Question: 1999 Acura Integra mileage: 111,000. My Integra had a dead battery which we had replaced. Now the aftermarket alarm system will not disengage and we cannot start the car. Can you help?

Answer: In order to start your car, you will have to activate the alarm system and then shut it off. If you cannot do that, unhook all the wires from the aftermarket alarm system from the original factory wiring.

Question: 1998 Acura Integra mileage: 125,000. My Integra has been with me for many miles since I bought it new in '98. The car has been great! I am having a problem now however, which started about 10,000 miles ago with a leak in a radiator hose which caused the car to overheat a few times (I kept re-filling coolant when it overheated) until I realized it was a hose and got it replaced. Now the car starts and runs well until it gets hot. Then it starts to sputter and idle very rough, it also seems like I am getting gray smoke (only after driving for a while) from the exhaust. Again, when the car is cold it runs very well for about half an hour then it starts with the sputtering and smoke. What do you think is causing this?

Answer: It appears that when your car overheated the head gasket shrunk allowing coolant to escape into the combustion chamber. Usually the symptoms are more pronounced when the engine is at normal operating temperature.

Question: 1993 Acura Integra LS 1.8L 5-speed. I ran into your website and couldn't help myself telling you about my ordeal. I'd appreciate anything you can do to shed some light on this. Three weeks ago, I was driving at about 90-mph, when I heard knocking in the engine upon arrival to a toll. Since I've done my share of repairs on cars in the past, from replacing fuel pumps to bearings through the crank, I was almost certain it was a rod that lost either a bearing or something of the sort. I took it to the "experts" at Acura here in PR. They looked at it for about a day and they stated that it was just time for new bearings-all other components had sustained no damage due to my prompt reaction. I found it reasonable, so in went the new bearings - they called the next afternoon and said the car was ready. Arrived the next day, paid the $380 and wait for my car in an outdoor area. The Svc Supervisor went for my car, which was about 50 meters away. Immediately after starting the car, I heard the knock for about 1 second and he powered the car off and restarted, obviously, once the oil reached it, the knock quieted down. As he drove on, which in my opinion shouldn't have even happened, him being somewhat knowledgeable in this area, reached me; I mentioned that I heard it still knocking. He made a puzzled face and powered the car off/on again. I commented that it wasn't going to knock at startup again because oil had already lubricated the parts, but had him pop the hood where I pulled the throttle cable a little and the knocking became more louder. He and the Svc Manager insisted that it may be the timing belt at which time I paused to keep myself from falling. I asked him to pull the spark plug cable #2 where I heard most of the knocking; with the engine running and they were convinced that indeed the engine needed another look. Next day, I get a call from them stating that the crankshaft although passed all their initial tests the 1st time around with flying colors, now has irreparable damages that may need a replacement. [MSRP$980; $1000 in my book] Now it's costing me up to $900 in labor costs alone, plus $500 in parts that I've had to hunt down myself. Is there something I can claim or do about this in your perspective? I understand there's an ethic issue involved here, no. What tells me that in a month's time, my piston head won't warp or bend a valve? Are these components that should've been thoroughly checked before attempting client delivery?

Answer: When someone brings a vehicle to us with the symptoms you described, the first thing we do is tear down the engine to check the crankshaft and the connecting rods. If okay, we replace the rod bearings and reassemble the engine. If the crank and rods do not check to proper specifications, we replace the crankshaft with either a new or re-ground crankshaft. The connecting rods are then replaced with new or re-sized rods. If the crankshaft and rods check okay, the job is relatively inexpensive. Otherwise, the cylinder head has to come off, the pistons removed and the crankshaft replaced which comes close to a complete engine overhaul.

Question:  2001 Acura Integra mileage: 74,000.  My turn signal lights do not flash nor do the hazards flash.  When you press the arm to signal the light stays lit but does not flash.   I checked the fuse and it was good, I then put the fuse back in and the blinkers worked.  They lasted for a few minutes and the problem occurred again.  I repeated the same procedure by taking the fuse out and putting it in again, this worked but only for a short time.  What is the problem?  Thanks for your time.  Anthony

Answer:    The light control module in your car may be failing and needs replacement.

Question:  1999 Acura Integra mileage: 156,000.  I had a mechanic who put the wrong spark plugs in my car.  Now I am losing compression in the cylinders.  Could you please tell me how the spark plug works and why it caused a carbon build up which led to a loss in compression in my engine?

Answer:    Putting the wrong spark plugs in your car would not cause a compression loss in the cylinders.  They would also not cause a carbon build-up in the cylinders.  Putting the correct spark plugs in your engine should correct any problems you are having.

Model / Acura / Integra / Integra-2

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