1992 Honda Accord engine lacks power on normal accelaration

Hi Tom,

Did you try to retrieve the code for the CEL shwing intermittently?
When there is lack of power, does the engine seem as if it is misfiring? Is it related to the vibration?

I have not relieved the code. But the "check engine light" goes out(resets when ignition is turned off and back on)
There is no misfire. Occationally there is a bad hesistation as well. Basically, the car bogs down, like it is not getting fuel, unless you completely press down gas petal, then it will accelerate fine. Could the vehicle be in a "limp home mode"?
I will try to clear all codes. I will also balance the tires to rule that out as the vibration problem. Thanks for the reply.

If it is in limp mode, no matter how hard you accelerate, it would not go beyond a certain speed.

Before clearing the codes, check what is recorded. If it is tires out of balance, it would vibrate at a certain speed with or without the cluth being engaged.

Hesitation could be due to spark plugs, cables, distributor, fule filter or pump.

The filter, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and pump are relatively new. The car accelerates ok when gas pedal is full depressed, so I guess limp mode is out. The car runs rich all the time. It smells like unburnt gas, especially at idle. There is lots of carbon around the tailpipe and bumper. I will try to get the codes read tomorrow or Monday.

Was any repairs carried out prior to this happening?

Did you check the ignition timing?

No repair that I can think of. I noticed the car would have a short period of hesistation(like it wasn't getting gas unless gas pedal was fully depressed) This usually occurred for 2-3 miles then would go away. I thought it was a sticky injector. It seemed to be better when I added Lucus injector cleaner to the gas. The car started to smell more and more like it was running rich and just starting to lack smooth acceleration.(almost like the car is loaded down with weight)the car also occasionally bucks a little. I did a tune-up and replaced the injectors(the injectors were used but good)I noticed very little change. I will check the timing. It seems to have more power when the motor is cold. Would a throttle position sensor or a coolant temp sensor malfunction cause the car to run rich? The car is old with a boat load of miles, so I'm wondering if I should throw in the towel.(it does have blow-by) I just hate to get beat at fixing a problem.

A faulty TPS would cause the rich running and hesitation but the ECT is more likely to cause dificult starting.

Hesitation usually are caused by bad spark plugs and wires, more on ignition rather than fuel.