1988 Honda CRX Surging After Warmup

HONDA CRX
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88CRXHF
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1988 honda crx hf with stock 1.5 motor. about 180,000 miles. my problem is when i have been driving for about 15-20 miles on a trip somewhere the car will all of a sudden start to surge and act like it is not getting gas or something. the engine light comes on and i get a tps code but i have tried several used ones and it still does it. i have tried to adjust the tps but am not successful at getting rid of the surging. when it does do it while driving i turn the car off and start it up again and its fine for another 15-20 miles. also the car is sluggish at around the 2000-2500 rpm range and above that you can feel the car take off better. i think it might the fuel pump but i am at a standstill. any suggestions? thank you
Apr 28, 2006 at 1:50 PM
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BRUCE HUNT
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Surging can be caused by many things. One is the level of the coolant in the system. Also make sure that there are no air pockets in the system, use the bleeders to remove any. Given the age of the vehicle, it could be the IAC (idle air control) valve. But yet another possibility is the intake manifold gasket. A small leak there and the engine struggles to maintain an idle, it can also cause the other symptoms.
Apr 29, 2006 at 11:59 AM
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88CRXHF
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i have bleeded the system and no air bubbles came out. it could be the iac valve but the car runs great and idles fine. i just dont understand why it only surges after its been running awhile and then i shut the car off and its back to running great for awhile again. it acts almost like something gets too hot and then acts up. could it be the igniter in the distributor? i replace the cap, rotor, and coil thinking the coil might be overheating but it didnt fix it. could the igniter be overheating and causing the ecu to act funny with the fuel curve and timing?
Apr 29, 2006 at 7:21 PM
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BRUCE HUNT
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I would look to the intake area. Ignitor or distributor would show different symptoms, for example just turning it off as you said and restarting it tends to clear the problem.
May 1, 2006 at 2:51 PM
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SKADALOZ
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my 95 civic ex is surging too...flush/change coolent no air bubbles comin out...change tps/map/iac sensor...and still does it...cold/hot it dont matter it still surges..and i also unbolted the iac out n block the hole and still does it...i have no ideal now...wat else should i check...
Jun 5, 2006 at 7:05 AM
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BRUCE HUNT
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I have found that the cure for this problem is not always easy. Some people point to the O2 sensor but unless you have a check engine light on that points in that direction it has to be injector/intake related. On that old of a honda I would look at the air intake sensor. It is located across from the throttle cam on the intake. (The cam that the gas pedal cable attaches to) This can stick, I have gotten some WD40 to work into this and fix the problem. However, the sensor is riveted on to the throttle body. I have taken the rivets off with a file and then cleaned the sensor and put it back on with screws and had it work fine too. Otherwise the replacement of the throttle body is necessary.

Don't forget to check all of the vacuum hoses looking for connection, holes, cracks, etc.
Jun 6, 2006 at 2:05 AM
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Suggested Repair

Focus on the intake side rather than the igniter. Recheck for intake leaks, including the intake manifold gasket and all vacuum hoses. Also inspect the throttle-body air intake sensor opposite the throttle cam; it can stick and may be freed with lubricant, cleaned and resecured, or addressed by replacing the throttle body if necessary.

Conversation Summary

A 1988 Honda CRX HF surges after 15-20 miles, sets a TPS code, and runs sluggishly around 2000-2500 rpm, then runs normally after a restart. Used TPS units, adjustment, and ignition parts did not fix it, and bleeding the cooling system found no air. The expert said an igniter was less likely and pointed to intake-related causes, including leaks, vacuum hoses, and a sticking throttle-body air intake sensor. A later 1995 Civic report had similar surging after several sensors were replaced.

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