someone please help me!!

[89propaganda 3g lude]

i bought a 89 prelude and my car idle up and down
what i did to it already is i bought a new idle air control valve and still goes up and down and bleed it already.
also if my car is bogging does it mean i need new (2) o2 sensors and i also have a leak from the block my head gasket went out and it isn't leaking that bad but do i still need to change it ?
and i put a a tiny cereal box between my fast idle valve and my intake cause a guy from prelude3g.com said if the idling goes away means its my fast idle valve that needs to be changed and i was wondering if its bad to leave the cereal box there

[spiffyguido]

It's not bad to leave the cereal box there, although I would take it out eventually.

If you engine is bogging, you might be having a problem with your EACV valve instead. It is located on the front side of the intake plenum. You can see a picture of it in the service manual.

[89propaganda 3g lude]

the thing is i just bought a new one do you know what else might cause the bogging.
also i have a small leak on my head gasket do i need to change it asap?

[spiffyguido]

You just replaced both the IAC valve and the EACV Valve?

The head gasket isn't urgent, but you probably should plan on changing it soon.

[89propaganda 3g lude]

nvm i didn't change it but yeah i'll take a look at it .
and how can you tell if your FIV is bad or good?

[spiffyguido]

By observing the idle. It's hard to work with some of these sensors because the are sealed units and it can be difficult to tell if one is faulty or not.

In some cases, the service manual has information on how to perform diagnostics on a particular sensor or valve.

[89propaganda 3g lude]

you know were i can get the service manual for my car?
and if i have a check engine light thats code 9 means cylinder sensor how can i fix that?

[RedRacer]

Scroll to the top of this page and in the light blue color box, about mid ways over, first row, you will see MANUALS. Click on that and it will take you to the manuals section where you can download the 3G info.

As for the C9 reading, probably the ignition module inside your distributor. It senses cylinder position and when to fire. If it's off for whatever reason, bad distributor, cracked cap, whatever, it gives you a cylinder sensor reading, code 9. Start with taking off the cap and seeing what it looks like inside. If there's a lot of dust and debris inside, the bearings are probably spun. In that case you need to replace the distributor. Not too hard if you know your way around engines. Hard if you don't have tools, patience or any mechanical skills.

I'd start with replacing the distributor cap and rotor. If that doesn't work, then replace the distributor. I'm assuming the engine is running kinda crappy at the moment?

[89propaganda 3g lude]

yeah when i start the car it doesn't start right away it takes a while then the check engine light comes on.
and i looked at my distributor cap it had debris inside i cleaned it and it was running a little better then out of nowhere it just went back to how it used to start and i think im better of just getting a new one
and im also getting gas fume when the car is running the fume is coming from the engine bay i just don't know where though

[RedRacer]

Probably is the distributor, considering the age of the car..... but not necessarily. Could just be the cylinder sensor itself, of course, that's just hoping for the best case scenario.

Always start with the easiest (and cheapest) solution and work your way up.

Get a new distributor cap, O-ring and rotor. GET HONDA PARTS. NOT aftermarket parts from Autozone or whatever. Hang on to that O-ring that is already in the base of the old distributor cap, they might not make them anymore and you may not be able to buy one from Honda. Just reuse the old one, if it looks to be pliable and in good shape. Otherwise you could probably get one at the parts store instead. Not as critical that it be a Honda O-ring.

Try that and see what happens. You might be surprised, and if it does work, then you spent what, 40 or 45 bucks?

A Honda distributor, new, is going to set you back close to 350 to 400 bucks. You could always try finding one at a salvage yard first.

Are you smelling raw gasoline, like a fuel line leak, or are you smelling exhaust fumes? Clarify gas fume.

* just FYI, I am ALWAYS going to suggest and give prices for GENUINE HONDA PARTS. It's the best thing to do in the long run. When you buy cheap, you get cheap. And in a few months you're replacing the part you just bought because it was cheap and it failed. Then you've doubled your costs and you could have just waited and saved your money (if money is an issue) and had Genuine Honda parts to begin with. So just keep that in mind, just because I say Genuine Honda parts doesn't mean you have to.

[RedRacer]

Spiff, do you have any suggestions or ideas beyond what you've already stated?

I'm not the best in the 3G world. So please do chip in with more advice if you have any, and please correct me if anything I've said is wrong.

Thanks!
~ RR

[spiffyguido]

All suggestions so far have been great.

I agree that replacing the cap and rotor of the distributor is a good first step. These are less expensive than the distributor body, and the most prone to wear. Once the new cap and rotor are in place, you might see an improvement.

If not, a new distributor may be in order. If you're short on cash, don't be afraid to try and get one from a self-serve auto wrecker. They're pretty easy to remove, and you'll get one at a fraction of the cost. I've used distributors from junk yards before and had no problem. Not sure where you are located, but if visit the Pick N Pull website you can get a list of their wrecking yards and they catalog all the cars they have in stock.

[89propaganda 3g lude]

So i replaced my cap and rotor and its running a lil better and what i notice to is that the spark plug gets dirty fast after i just clean them a week ago does anyone know why they they get so black after i just clean it?
Can someone give me some tip to pass smog cause I'm in my third attempt and i don't want to fail it my other 2 attempt fail all the things that needed to be pass?

[spiffyguido]

Your plugs are probably getting dirty because the engine is running very rich. This may be caused by the ECU error code that you have been getting. When a trouble code is present, the engine doesn't calculate fuel mixtures the same as it would during normal operation.

Replacing the rotor and cap was a good first step. Did this reduce the ecu error code you've been getting?

As for passing smog, you need to have the car running efficiently, which doesn't seem to be the case right now based on what you're described about your spark plugs.

One other tip for passing smog is to put small wheels on your car if you have them. The smaller the diameter of tire, the less the engine has to work.

[RedRacer]

I am assuming (and hoping) that when you say dirty, you're talking about dry carbon dirty, not oil or liquid dirty?

That's where I was going as well, with what Spiffy said. The engine is running lean, either from the distributor problem you are having or from maybe a bad 02 sensor. If that were the case, the computer would be calling for more fuel to be injected than actually needed, and would certainly dirty your plugs.

How old are the plugs? Nothing cracked on them or bent? Gap set correctly? What about plug wires? How old are they and what kind?

Also, Is the engine timing correct? Have you checked it or set it?