<glworley@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1148679127.306255.295200@i40g2000cwc.googlegr oups.com...
>I have a '93 Accord 10th Anniversary Ed. Automatic. I've owned the car
> for about 6 months and I have a couple of different problems that I
> hope someone can help with.
>
> 1) The engine has a rough idle when warm (500-750 rpms). When I shift
> out of gear and into Neutral or Park it smooths out quite a bit, but
> not completely. It also goes away when driving or pressing the
> accelerator.
>
If you are saying the car shakes but the tach indicator is steady (that's
what it sounds like is happening) the problem is most likely associated with
the rear engine mount. Turning on the A/C probably makes it a lot worse.
Your car has a hydraulic rear engine mount that softens to reduce shake when
the engine is idling, and I bet it is failing to do that. The most likely
reasons for that (in no particular order) are:
*the mount itself is bad. Expect to pay about $150 US aftermarket for a
replacement and about an hour of labor if you have a shop do it. I haven't
done it myself but it looks like a medium difficulty DIY job, mostly because
of access.
*the control arm on the mount is dragging so the mount stays in the "firm"
position. The lever is located on the driver's side of the mount, on the
firewall side. Pretty much impossible to see, but you can feel it operate
(or not) by cramming your arm in. The bushing for the lever can be
lubricated with silicone spray, but acces is a problem and the effectiveness
is marginal.
*the control system isn't working. The valve is located on the firewall
above the brake booster IIRC.
Anyway, two of the three likely problems would be fixed by replacing the
mount. All it takes is money!

>
> 2) When I am cruising at a steady speed (say between 60-70 mph) on
> level highway, I've noticed that the rpms will jump up about 500 rpms
> for no reason. It feels like a minor gear shift, but with the level
> terrain and the constant speed it shouldn't be shifting. It does this
> "shift" continuoisly back and forth.
> Side note: I'm getting about 23-25 mpg city/hwy combined. To me that
> sounds low.
>
>
The shift anomaly is beyond my experience, but the fuel economy problem may
well be a bad O2 sensor. The age of the car makes it likely, and although
there is still a controversy here about whether an O2 sensor can be bad
enough to drag down fuel economy without setting the "check engine" light, I
think it happens.

> 3) I've recently noticed the smell of burning oil when the car is
> parked, but no signs of an oil leak. I had the valve cover and spark
> plug gaskets replaced a few months ago, but this has only started with
> in the past few weeks. Occasionally, there is a puff of white/blue
> smoke that comes from the exhaust on start up.
>
The smell of burning oil makes me think the oil is dripping down the back of
the engine and landing on the exhaust pipe. Besides the valve cover gasket,
it could be from the oil filter - which is located right above the exhaust
pipe. That would worry me, because the filter won't leak unless something
unusual is wrong - a punctured filter, damaged gasket, or (scariest of all)
the filter isn't quite tight. If you recently had an oil change (like just
before the smell started) I recommend checking that out very soon. I once
had a filter vibrate loose and it was no fun.

>
> If you have had similar problems or have suggestions to correct them
> please let me know. Thnx.
>