the check engine light appears and the S3 gear light starts blinking

1990 ACURA INTEGRA
260,000 MILES • 4 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
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49ERKING
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My car has been hesitating to start. When it does start the check engine light appears and the S3 gear light starts blinking. Also when in park or neutral the car starts to idle high than low with high sounds coming from the engine area and low sounds coming from the exhaust. Could someone give me an idea of what I am facing with regards to resolving my troubles?
Mar 3, 2008 at 8:38 AM
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KASEKENNY
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We need to start with checking the codes. Here is a guide that will help with pulling these codes:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/toyota-trouble-code-definitions-and-code-gathering-method-1990-1995

I suspect we have an internal engine issue causing the hard starting and engine noises.

So that means we need to start with checking the compression and see what is there.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-engine-compression

If I am correct, then the next thing would be to complete a cylinder leak down test to find where you are losing the compression.

Lastly, we need to drain the oil and look for metal in it. If you see any metal flake, then that is too much, and the bearings are starting to come apart.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-change-engine-oil-and-filter

Please run through this info and let us know what you find. Thanks
Nov 10, 2021 at 6:36 PM
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