24th Oct 2002, 21:52
A lot of these problems occur with age. As the other posters have indicated, give the car a break! My '88 had all of the following happen to it except for the power steering pump and the transmission. However, I have the 5spd. manual which makes up for that. At 157k, I'd drive it anywhere in the USA and not think twice about it!
25th Nov 2002, 00:52
I have had my "88" since fall of 98. It is now 14 years old with over 269,000 miles. The air has never worked, the seats are in good shape, and the engine runs great. I have had to replace the transmission three times, but it is my bad driving that did that. The car runs like a bat out of @#$$ due to the engine mods. The car has surprised me through the years and I don't think I will ever get rid of it. 88 Accord: sweet!
6th Dec 2002, 12:41
I have an 88 Accord also, but it isn't an LX it is a DX 2 door. It is my first car and even if I had the money for the new one, I would probably just spend the money on getting it fixed up. :) The transmission is an automatic and it slips on occasion, but you can expect that from a car 14 years old. It leaks a little power steering fluid, but I just need a new hose. The owner that sold me this car told me that it runs like a top and indeed it does. Although it goes through brakes, that can be explained because the car is a little on the heavy side. I want to restore this car into better shape and I really never want to get rid of it. If you have one, I would suggest keeping it because like for me, it is extremely reliable.
11th Dec 2002, 10:15
My Accord is an 86. I have an intermittant choke problem.
The choke won't always open. My solution; I put a small stainless steel wire on the choke and just pull it open and tie it off to a clamp on the hose going to the valve cover.
I suspect the computer, the choke resistor, or the coolant temp sensor is to blame, but can't pin it down yet. One solution I used on my old Jeep with choke problems was to put an inexpensive LED and current limiting resistor in parallel with the +12V supply to the choke heater. That way I can monitor the voltage at the choke heater. I call it a cheap dedicated voltmeter. I plan to put one on the Honda as soon as I can and monitor the voltage to the choke.
29th Oct 2004, 08:26
I have an 88 Honda Accord XL, and it is a very nice car. Like every one else said it is very reliable. It has almost 300,000 miles on it and it is my first car. I think the trans going out because it won't shift from 1st to second in the morning and after school, and also it idles high until its warmed up. it has a CD player and it gets me from home to school and work. :)
9th Jun 2005, 15:24
I just got this car less than a month. My friend gave this car to me. So far I just spend less than $500 to repair it including A/C condenser that cost me $110 (do it my own). I don't have a major problem yet. But I do need window motor and I plan to do it myself. Any suggestion if I should change the timing belt? How would I know if I need a new one?
3rd Nov 2005, 11:15
I own an 88 honda accord Lx as well, but my spark plugs aren't all firing, I replaced all 4 and the ignitions wires, one of them still doesn't work, does anyone have any idea if its the valve? and how much that would cost to repair?
23rd May 2011, 15:02
I just got an '88 Accord from my grandparents, and it's my first car. I have to coast to stop signs and stop lights before applying the brakes since it only has 60% good brakes left, and neither the cassette player nor the air conditioner is working, so I'm having to ride with the windows down.
But even so, I still love the car. It has great gas mileage, and it's the last model with the flip-up headlights, which is a plus. :)
10th Oct 2002, 19:17
I agree. Don't be so hard on the car give it a break.