1995 Honda Accord Fluctuating idle.

DEDONGO

MEMBER
1995 HONDA ACCORD
4 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
15,000 MILES

My Honda Accord has a fluctuating idle problem. When I start the car, it idles normally at high idle. However, when the car warms up, the engine begins fluctuating between approximately 500 RPM and 1300 RPM. This problem only seems to occur when the air temperature is cold. When it's warm outside, it doesn't usually occur. The car runs smoothly and I notice no other problems. Any ideas?

4 Replies

BLACKOP555

MECHANIC
10,371 POSTS

You may have a defective Coolant temperature sensor, that will usually cause a problem like this.
Does it go away when the engien has warmed up but its still cold outside?

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Tuesday, February 12th, 2008 AT 7:50 PM

DEDONGO

MEMBER
2 POSTS

The RPMs still fluctuate even when the engine has warmed up. For instance, last night we were in Phoenix. Down there, the RPMs were normal but seemed to tend towards 1250-1300 and then drop down slightly. But not quickly. Once we got back into the mountains where the air temperature was colder, the RPMs began to rise and drop suddenly between 1300 and 500 RPM.

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Thursday, February 14th, 2008 AT 8:12 AM

BRUCE HUNT

MECHANIC
3,753 POSTS

Had any work done on the engine? I point to a possibility of a leak in the intake manifold or manifold gasket. The intake of air from that location is unexpected and confuses the computer about the fuel/air mixture. There is a simple cheap smoke test to check for leakage.

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Thursday, February 14th, 2008 AT 11:14 AM

BLACKOP555

MECHANIC
10,371 POSTS

I would like add onto mr. Hunts and say another way of check for a leak is to idle the vehicle and spray carb cleaner or starting fluid around the spots he listed if your a ways away from a dealer. If idle changes you have found a leak.

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Thursday, February 14th, 2008 AT 4:06 PM