When will Honda bring back the accord hybrid?

1995 Accord LX 2.2 NON-VTEC cooling fan problem?

• I have tried and tried and cant figure this one out. I have a 95 Honda Accord LX 2.2 non-vtec, california emissions. Ive had this since Ive had the car, almost a year. When Im at idle, in park or in gear, and the cooling fan comes on the idle drops very low, almost dies, then comes right back. Now I know its normal for an idel to drop for some components, like the a/c. But not this low. And the strange part is it only happens with the cooling fan, not the a/c. I have done quite a bit trying to fix this. Heres a list. New battery, new alternator, 3 different Idle Air control valves (used, but cleaned up and tested), new cooling fan relay, new coolant temp switch, used, but clean and tested Fast Idle Thermo valve. Cleaned throttle body and passages. Before all of this I tested the cooling fan by itself by removing the connector and running wires straight to the battery while the car was running (thinking the fan motor was over amping the circuit when it kicks on), it turned on and ran perfect, no idle drop when straight to the battery. I still have the issue to this day. Another strange symptom is that when the a/c is running and the cooling fan kicks on, the idle drops significantly less, as if the car is already compensating for the electrical load for the a/c so it helps maintain the correct rpm when the cooling fan comes on. But when the a/c is NOT on and the cooling fan comes on is where I get the big idle drop. Another strange thing is this.... When Im in the car, running, a/c off, and I listen inside the car, when the cooling fan comes on I can hear the same sound that the a/c makes when it turns off. Hard to explain, but this happens with all cars. Lets say your running the a/c and you turn it off. You hear what I think is the remaining freon burning off, Like a venting sound for a few seconds. I hear this same sound when the just the cooling fan is running. And I know that the compressor and condenser shouldnt be doing anything in the cooling fan circuit, right? So maybe this is a clue as to why this is happening. Ive literally changed or fixed everything that has anything to do with the cooling fan, except the main computer which is suppose to send a signal to the IACV to open slightly more to compensate for the electrical load of certain components. So if I cant figure this one out It looks like Ill be getting a new ECU from the local dismantler,($150 more to what Ive already spent) where they are nice enoug to have a 30 day refund policy, if the part you buy doesnt fix the problem you can bring it back. Im just hoping that its not the ECU. I desperately hope someone reads this and either knows what it is, or has had the same problem and helps me out. PS: I know it may also be a short circuit or wiring issue, as an ex service tech that worked alot on electrical issues I know how hard it is to diagnose, trace, and repair wiring problems so I also hope thats not it. But in ANY case I just want to know, if I can find out here looks like Ill be shellling out even more dough for a mechanics diagnosis fee.

• Answer:

  Its not the ECU (PCM) so don't spend your money only to be disappointed. you have two fans on the car, a radiator fan and the condensor fan. the condensor fan comes on automatically any time the air conditioner is turned "ON". When the a/c is on the PCM sends a signal to raise the engine idle to account for the engine load of the compressor so you won't notice that big a drop if the radiator fan comes ON as the IAC is already compensating for engine load for the compressor. the one thing that jumps out at me after reading your story is base idle. If the engine isn't set right then any problem that is affected by the base settings will be amplified. So, when was the last time the valves were adjusted? How's the engine vacuum? the second thing is with the alternator. have you put a voltmeter on it to see if the voltage is dropping when the fan comes on and the idle drops and then can you see the regulator "kick in" and then see the idle come up? If so, how low does the voltage drop? The PCM needs a minimum voltage to keep everything running correctly and if the voltage drop is below the threshold that may be the problem. that could be a problem with the regulator inside the alternator or with a radiator fan motor that is pulling too much current. I think the condensor fan and the radiator fan motors are interchangeable. If this really bugs you, you might want to try swapping the motors and see if it still happens. if there is no change in behavior after the motors are swapped then you have a mechanical issue (engine settings, valves, vacuum leak etc) instead of an electrical one (provided the alternator is working properaly). just my thoughts hope they help