i just bought a 99 accord 4 door sedan 4 cylinder auto tranny for 450.00. (yes 450.00) was supposed to need an engine replacement (which i have a 2000 4dr accord parts car complete top notch mechanical and electrical to pull from)well i get the car pulled to the house and charge the battery. after charging the battery i attempt to start the car. it turns over quite a few times with no discernible problems or sounds so after it doesn't start i pull the spark plugs. i notice that all four plugs are wet blackened and smell like gas.i swap them out with the platinum plugs from the 2k and attempt to start the car again. it fires up and runs (perfect, but only over 2k rpm, and pouring black/grey smoke out of the exhaust) anything below 2k rpm and it shuts off. don't think the piston rings are bad as there was only fuel on the plugs and not oil. after running it for 10-15 seconds at a time for 4-5 times, i pulled the platinum plugs out...SAME EXACT PROBLEM.I have no clue as to what the problem could be but i am betting it is a bad sensor and thats it. none the less there aren't and dtc's or trouble codes being thrown, due to the car only running for 10-15 seconds max and not even idling. i have an i dea of where to start... but i'm mazda guy whos wife has a 2k accord that was totalled by the ins. after being stolen, she also has a 98 ex 4 door accord as well, and i got the 99 for a steal so i couldn't pass it up!any help, wiring diagrams would be greatly appreciated.
day 2:
ok.... here is what i did today:

compression test: all cylinders @ 175psi. so that rules out bad rings blowing oil up into the combustion chamber and fouling out the plugs.

i swapped the fuel pressure regulator, fuel rail, all fuel injectors and it idled perfect for a few minutes then died.

i swapped the upper intake plenum and throttlebody as well as all sensors from my 2000 parts car. (car ran perfect before it was parked after being stolen and totalled by the ins. company, everything electrical and mechanical is known to be good)

i swapped ecus from my wife's 98 into my 99 and did the same thing as the original so that rules out a bad ecu.

i'm kinda stumped now. if i hadn't had a parts car available to me i would have just thrown over 2500.00 in parts at this car and still not running correctly.

i have good fuel pressure, is there something i am missing? something i have over looked? there is nothing aftermarket on this car, no stereo, lighting, intake, or exhaust.... so i haven't noticed any bare wires or shorted out wires.

i had a blank key cut and used that along with the key to the ecu wich was taped to my blank to test the ecus.
i even disconnected the cat from the exhaust to rule out a clogged cat....... same shit... won't idle and then dies, but will stay running for 15-20 seconds if revved over 2k rpm

anyone have any ideas?

Sounds like you are running very rich. Have you cheched the intake filter? Checked O2 sensor too...

air flow sensor?

yes rich is an understatement. the o2 sensors are ruled out only because the car isn't even getting to operating temps....
as for the air flow sensor, if it is located on the upper intake plenum, then yes i have swapped it out for a known good replacement.
the iac, tps, iat, fuel pressure regulator, fuel rail, all fuel injectors, cap, rotor, ign. control module, plugs, map sensor, upper intake manifold have all been swapped over today from my 2k parts car which is perfect mechanically and electronically... just totalled by the ins company from theft of the stereo system.
i have been reading my haynes manual and researching online. i am now leaning towards the egr valve, maybe timing belt, but when i get it running and revved over 2k rpm... it purrs like a kitten... no missing whatsoever... then once i let off the gas the engine dies.
so it is only running for 10-15 seconds at a time. not enough time to get the o2 sensors warmed up and tested. no codes are being thrown. i guess i will have to use a friends snap on scanner tomorrow to see if that shows anything.

jeremy

yes rich is an understatement. the o2 sensors are ruled out only because the car isn't even getting to operating temps....
as for the air flow sensor, if it is located on the upper intake plenum, then yes i have swapped it out for a known good replacement.
the iac, tps, iat, fuel pressure regulator, fuel rail, all fuel injectors, cap, rotor, ign. control module, plugs, map sensor, upper intake manifold have all been swapped over today from my 2k parts car which is perfect mechanically and electronically... just totalled by the ins company from theft of the stereo system.
i have been reading my haynes manual and researching online. i am now leaning towards the egr valve, maybe timing belt, but when i get it running and revved over 2k rpm... it purrs like a kitten... no missing whatsoever... then once i let off the gas the engine dies.
so it is only running for 10-15 seconds at a time. not enough time to get the o2 sensors warmed up and tested. no codes are being thrown. i guess i will have to use a friends snap on scanner tomorrow to see if that shows anything.

jeremy
I'm sure you've tried this by now but did u reset the ECU? Pull battery for 5min then restart and let run to op temp. Worth a try at this point. Next i'd do is get diagnostic at honda or somewhere.

You said you put in a "known good" air flow sensor so are you saying you used a "used" one?

So you're sure the TPS, MAP sensor, and ECT sensor are sending a good signal? Be interesting to see what the scanner says.

no codes were ever thrown by the car...... thats what was pissing me off about the whole ordeal. i ended up swapping the fuel pump earlier with one from my parts car and finally it idles and i actually drove it today. filled it up with 93 to clean out the gunk in the fuel system and try to get the rest of the bugs out.
i appreciate all the help. my "known good" donor is my wifes old 00 accord. worked perfect until ins. company totalled it due to theft. so all the parts are mint on it....and low mileage... so it actually saved me a shit ton of cash flow.

premium gas isn't going to clean anything. so don't waste anymore money on that, FYI.

My 99 runs worse and gets worse gas mileage on premium.

A fuel system cleaner like the chevron/shell additives would not be a bad idea. add it to a full tank, but put it in before filling all the way up, because if you do it after the pump clicks off, you'll likely just burn off the "top-off" you're putting in.

A dealer diagnostic is not a bad idea if you continue to have problems; because of the fact that they can read the engines codes (even if there is no check engine light), as they have computers with special software that will display all kinds of data about how the car is running. A good independent Honda shop may also be able to help you. :yes:

premium gas isn't going to clean anything. so don't waste anymore money on that, FYI.

My 99 runs worse and gets worse gas mileage on premium.

...

My 2001 runs better, on Premium; More power, and better Fuel Economy, too (not worth the cost)...

well more bad news.. after it running perfect for two weeks, i went to sell it today and showed a lady the car, after i left her it started idling erratically. it would rev up to 2200 rpm then go back down to 1000rpm, all without touching the pedal.
i'm thinking its the map sensor. i'll swap it tomorrow and see what happens.