On 30 Apr 2004 06:29:24 -0700, acctforjunk@yahoo.com (Im anonymous) wrote:

>I don't know if I missed something long ago, but I discovered while in
>stop and go interstate traffic that my Accord *might* be adjusting
>engine RPM on it's own during upshifts.
>For example, while I'm disengaging the clutch and shifting to the next
>highest gear, the engine RPM drops some but not all the way to idle.
>Usually between 1500 and 2000 or so. And I found that if I allow the
>engine RPM to settle (less than a second), and just let the clutch out
>WITHOUT gas, it drops right in perfectly.
>I haven't had a chance to test it out any more since yesterday since I
>drove my old car today, but does this seem right? Seems like
>something they should be doing if they're not. I've had the car less
>than 4 months, it's a 6 speed V6.

Hard to envisage exactly the conditions you're describing but if most
noticeable in traffic/low rpms situations, certainly most modern engine
management systems will not abruptly throttle the engine, when you let off
the accelerator, for emissions reasons. It's also possible that Honda did
not engineer the flywheel weight of the V6 MT properly for a manual
transmission.<shrug>

What I've noticed in my '99 Integra is that, in say traffic, when I coast
in neutral occasionally (bad driving practice but in traffic saves wear on
the clutch/gears) , the engine will not drop below 1000rpm as long as the
car is moving. With our 2K Accord 4L Coupe, if the engine is cold, when
you declutch to change gear, the engine actually sounds like it's racing -
its not much, say 1500rpm, but is noticeable compared with its behavior
when hot.

I haven't been able to confirm this but I've also been told that some
recent engines are set to a high "idle speed" on gear changes during the
1st 5K or so miles. I haven't been able to find any docs to back this up
though so it could be just a dealer story to placate a persnickety
customer. Certainly the next phase of "emissions controls" is going after
various aspects of engine running regime -- moderate & hard acceleration,
warm-up, engine braking -- which could make the drivability ugly.
Apparently some auto-makers are back to that awful (70s era) air-pump
device to cope with this - dunno about Honda. I guess bureaucrats need
jobs too.:-)

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??