Comments: 1-15, 16-26
After doing much research on "reliable" used cars, I bought my 1992 Integra gs with 120,000 miles on it, and after one month of driving it it started having problems. On the highway mostly, the rpm's would drastically start to jump anywhere from 2,000 to 6,000 within seconds on a random basis. Sometimes while driving, the car would just shut off and then turn back on seconds later. I know very little about cars, but it felt to me like the gas was somehow not getting to the engine. Other times when it would shut off, I had to pull over and wait about 15 minutes until it decided to start back up again. This happened more frequently the more I drove it until eventually it wouldn't start up at all.
I had to let the car sit for 6 months until I could afford to take it to get fixed. When I eventually did they replaced the fuel filter, spark plugs, plug wires, distributor cap, rotor button, and cleaned the fuel system as well as an oil change which came to $389 and was supposed to fix the problem. Well I just got it back from the shop yesterday, and when I took it on the highway the rpm's still did a little jumping and the check oil light came on. This is how it all started in the first place until it eventually got worse and worse to where I couldn't drive it. Now I wish I never bought it in the first place.
Can anybody tell me why this might be happening?
This car is fun to drive when it is working properly.
Well...you might try checking the distributor. The distributor on these older Hondas are crap!
Yea I agree with the previous comment. it has to be your distributor. I recently picked up a 99 integra gs-r and I was having similiar problems with the rpms tacking and jumping up to high rpms in seconds. I replaced mine with a new one for about 390 bux. so basically the distributor wasnt giving the proper amount of juice needed the engine needed, in result the ears were fried. good luck.
I have just purchased a 1992 Integra from my mother-in-law. It has approximately 135,000kms. I have noticed that after the engine is warm and I'm on the highway, the car begins to shutter. I pull over to the roadside and check to make sure I don't have a flat tire or anything. After I proceed, the vibration or shuttering goes away. The front end was checked and its OK., as well as the tires. It seems to happen only around 70 miles per hour. It really has me baffled.
To the person with the jumping rpms on the 92 integra. It happened to me, and I think the problem is either your fuel relay, or ignition coil or both. It's a pretty inexpensive problem. If its hot in the cabin, it can get worse, or not start at all. Try simply playing with the relay. It should be near you fuses on the left of the wheel. Also, make sure that when you turn your key on, you hear a click. It a cheap part, and you should change it. Other than that, love your car. I sold mine, and regret it every day since. Just don't let it rust :)
Hi this problem is usually associated with the slippage of the rotor it is a poor design, the hole where the set screw sits wobbles fairly easily causing the timing to go out and misfire replace the rotor and that should fix the problem.
I assure you that the problem with your RPM has to be with the electrical coil... it happened to me...
I had a 92 integra a few months back. One of the problems that it had at 160000 miles was that, there is a little black box under the passenger seat. If you get any water inside the car at all, it will not start. The other reason for the rpm's jumping like they do, could be the auto air valve. In ingegras they like to stick. It sounds like it could be the fuel pump, nine times out of ten, it's not the fuel pump. try to see if it can be put on a scanner. sometimes that works.
Your problem is the Main Relay.
Its the most common problem on these generations of Integras, with a simple replacement it will be the "reliable car" you wanted, oh by the way, I have 180,000 on mine, never a single problem, all depends on the care of the car.
Oh watch out for a leak into your passenger floor, it's a common problem too.
"Your Friendly G2 Know it all"
I also have a 1993 acura integra, the B18. I have the same exact problem with the RPMs jumping on the highway. the problem is NOT the coil. I have replaced the coil, and the module (about 4 times!). The distributor set up on this vehicle is junk! I will guarentee you if you replace the distributor and or the relay under the passenger side, the problem will be fixed. Coils usually only show a problem on start up. if the coils bad the car will take forever to start, or not at all. The distributor is bad, or you have water on the relay on the passenger side! The only reason I didn't replace the distributor before was because they are quite expensive!! The ignition will discharge through the module and short it out, this is why your RPMs are jumping! the car dosen't know what to do. replace the distributor.
Fuel relay? 50 bucks?
I owned a 1992 Integra GSR (teal green outside & charcoal inside) for 10 years before it was stolen... great car... the only time it let me down is when a small electronic part in the distributor burned out every 45-50K miles... the first time the dealer fixed it on the warranty, paid for my towing and apologized profusely. The next time I was on my own... had it towed to a repair shop and it was the same problem with the same part. It cost $300 to replace. When the part burned out, the motor just died until it cooled off, then it would start again, but I couldn't get very far before it died again...
To the gentleman with the shuddering problem - one of your rims might be bent. I had the same problem on my '92, and the mechanic said the rim sort of "warped" over time. It got so bad that when I pulled into the shop I noticed that three of my lugs had broken and only one lug nut was holding the wheel on.
If that's the case, have fun finding a rim. They are hard to come by.
Good luck.
Is the shuttering a constant or a varied move? if it's not constant get them to check your tranny or transfer case, mine (which should have less than one litre of tranny fluid in it) had a 4 litre ice cream pail worth, it means a seal has gone and if you catch it in time very cheap, let it go for a while and you need a new transfer case and tranny.. big bucks. To the one who's car starts then second later starts it self.. check your wiring harnesses, grounds, and if you have a CD player your wires behind, I went through over 20 fuses trying to figure it out, I checked my harnesses-clean- checked my grounds-clean..behind my CD player and one of the amp wires had lost its plastic coat causing wire to touch metal thus causing my short!
I had the same rpm jumping problem it was my ignition coil after that my car, all of a sudden died out and started back up again, but when I pressed the gas it died out then it died out forever, it was my igniter module.
I need help I started my car this morning and it turns over, but wouldn't start. So I checked the spark plugs, they were dirty so I replaced them. But still it turned over and still wouldn't start. So I check to see if there was any sparks coming from the plug. But there was none, so I thought it might be the Distributor. So I open it up and check. I don't really know if it's the problem. Because the rotor is spinning normally I think it's the ingition coil and I am trying to make sure if it is the distributor. Can anybody help me??