Man I love those cars! My 92 had a bad alternator when I got it causing all sorts of crazy drivability issues and a cam position code as well. Sourced a used Acura replacement on eBay and no more issues.
Eric, 6 years ago I tuned in to your first channel Ericthecarguy while rebuilding my first engine which was a d15 for my civic which your videos have guided me to success on that rebuild. The moment I started that engine I told myself, "Im going to be a mechanic." Now I am making a living as an independent mechanic with more cars needing my help and more people coming to me than I myself will ever be able to handle. Thank You Eric, you and Scotty Kilmer are the best Mechanics ever!
TY !!!TY!!! Same EXACT problem I've had for about a year on my 2004 Ram!! Just happen to catch this video this morning, got my old battery toaster out and BAM charging needle going all over the place!! One new Alternator fixed it!!! No more slight miss at the stop light!!! You Guys Rock!! BTW Happy 4-20-2020
I hope Brian got some sort of refund from the first shop that "fixed" his power steering. Took his money to fix the pump which actually was the problem, didn't fix the pump.
When I first bought my 3rd gen Acura TL, I had nothing but problems. I did all the work myself and fixed them one by one. Now it runs like a dream. No problems ever. Moral of the story is to not give up on your Acura and it won't give up on you.
Brian is a smashing bloke, he didn't give up on the car and i'm sure he didn't blame you for it. Not straight away :-D It's like the day when you invite a frend to see your fantastic computer and it won't boot up. Inanimate objects just take the micky lol.
I have a guess at what happened! The power steering pump that the 1st shop replaced it with, used a crappy Cardone power steering pump...they put out rebuilt pumps too often that are worse than the original failing/failed part.
DE Nichols Scotty Kilmer always tells people not to use remanufactured or cheap pumps. He always says to use brand new or OEM especially with Hondas and to use the Honda fluid!
@@hedga001 from personal experience, I know that Scotty Kilmer is completely right about this! I "grew up" as a mechanic on Scotty and Eric and to give back I put how how to DIY Automotive videos too.
Same thing happened with my '91 Jeep 4.0 liter and the alternator. Except it was popping and backfiring constantly would barely go 35mph. New alternator fixed it. I never really thought about bad diodes doing that,but it makes sense AC current could really mess with the computer.
Yeah, my cam sensor went out too! Nice of Acura to stick a plastic part INSIDE the engine. Of course, when you're in there, you do the timing belt, and I had the water pump done at that time as well.
Of all the used cars I bought I’ve always had an issue at one point or another. A wise friend once told me, buying a used car is like buying someone else’s problems. I would say moral of the story is Eric‘s pretty darn honest guy, but anytime you buy a used car you’re taking a gamble on something breaking. Entropy is a real thing dude, really not sure if you’re serious.
@@SymbolOfMedicine I agree. That is the deal you make when you buy a used car. If you cannot fix a lot of the problems yourself, you should really consider getting the cheapest car under warranty.
I'd trust Eric a hell of a lot more than other salespeople. At least you know his heart is in the right place and is not out to purposely screw you over.
When you sell a 20+ year old car, there should be no surprises to stuff going wrong when it's driven daily. Just the way it is. I don't think you should feel bad at all.
Actually, it was my birthday yesterday and I am a Brian too. Loyal ,Eric the car guy follow for years. From the baby shop. The digital cake was delicious and a real one was very good at my mommy's last night.
One thing that will kill a car, parts not being available to fix it, that, and rust. With my first car, that was one thing I’d been battling since I’d owned it. The spare parts were drying up, and all the cars at the local wrecking yard had those same bits either broken as well, or missing, which is why I eventually gave up with it and scrapped it. That, and it had some pretty terminal rust as well.
Was it a Vigor? I may consider buying one, and what he said in this video about parts availability kinda scared me. I'd like to know more about parts availability on them.
@@Ebbsilen no, it was a Toyota Tarago (I think they call them Toyota Van Wagons in the US). It was a 1989 model, and by the time I scrapped it, they were becoming few and very far between. It’d done 479,000kms, so a fairly respectable effort. Funnily enough though, I saw one driving around just recently, so someone must know a parts supplier for them.
@@stephenwilliamson4556 Thank you for your answer, even tho it's not helping me personally. I think we had that type of vans in here too. Toyotas are usually easy to find parts for them, even old ones. Maybe that model was too rare to begin with. Have you tried at a dealership? Sometimes they can have very odd parts for very old models that are not available anywhere. Usually with Toyota they are crazy expensive, but sometimes it could help. I'm having a "Repair it for way beyond value or change it" issue with my 1995 Saturn SL2 (With plenty of cheap parts everywhere), and i thought about a Vigor, sadly i had no answer yet about the parts availability...
@@Ebbsilen Fair enough, I did try asking around at a few dealerships for certain things at the time, and everything was listed as “no longer available”. It was having some pretty major issues, a blown head gasket (that had some “chem-i-weld” holding it together), suspected loss of compression on one of the cylinders (very difficult cold starting), air conditioning that didn’t work (in Australia working A/C is pretty vital in the summer), some fairly major rust around the windscreen which was causing it to leak, the fact no mechanic anywhere wanted to work on it, and getting it though it’s state mandated 12 month safety inspection was getting harder and harder meant it’s fate was pretty well sealed. I now drive a 2001 Holden Astra, it cost me $700, and so far I’ve done a major service (timing belt, water pump thermostat) fluid changes, and in 12 months of ownership it owes me a coil pack, a fuel pump, and a radiator. Being a European car, parts can be expensive, and it can be a bit awkward to work on, with things needing torx and e-torx bits for most jobs, but it’s fairly solidly built, there’s still plenty on the road, and with only 190,000kms it still should have plenty of life left.
@@stephenwilliamson4556 I think we had them in here under the name "Saturn Astra". It was nowhere a real Saturn, but GM tends to ruin the few things they did right. In here we can't get parts for them anymore. They sold only in ridiculous numbers and the Saturn brand died. It's odd because i have a real Saturn, a 90-95 S Serie and parts are everywhere and cheap as hell... Got to say they sold that model in huge numbers back then, though.
First Acura I owned was a '92 Vigor, because I couldn't find a Legend for sale locally. Only things I ever had to do was outer tie rods and a coolant hose that was leaking, in the 3 years I owned her. Good inline 5er. Is this one, in the video, still on the road I wonder??
I never would have thought an alternator could cause a misfire at idle. I both my cars have a barely noticeable fish-bite misfire at idle that I haven't been able to fix and did a tuneup on both cars, one in particular has a known weak alternator (doesn't keep up with defrosters & headlights on). I'll try taking off the drive belt and see if that fixes the misfire, I never would have thought of that on my own.
Wow, not what I would expect from a 1990s Acura, let alone a car Eric owned and maintained. Then again, the car is pushing 30 years old, things will go wrong. Probably would have been a dream to own back in the day, and for a while thereafter. I'd have been tempted to buy this Vigor too. Just weird enough and rare enough, and (generally) has that great 1990s Japanese car reliability.
I always plan to dump $1500 into any older car and make my offer accordingly. Sometimes I make out. If I don't, already mentally prepared to put out the cash. And then vehicle is good as new.
Yes, all Acura and Honda Vigors had 5 cylinder engines. It’s the same engine they also used in the older model right hand drive CC2 Honda Inspires from the 90’s. Those cars are getting extremely rare, but you can always look for them to import from Japan or you can always look for them at certain import dealers across the US. Great cars, nevertheless.
The misfire at idle. Delighted you solved the problem but I had the exact same issue on my CRX about 8 years ago. The car had an slight intermittent idle misfire that eventually got worse and worse. It turned out to be the idle control valve relay and I can't tell you how many hours it took for me to work that out (I had no diagnostic equipment as I tend to work on very old cars) . On many UK spec cars it was located under the dash on the right-hand side (driver side UK) high up on the foot well side panel. I had discounted the alternator as the culprit because, though it was not charging at max, it was charging sufficiently. I'm not saying your solution was incorrect (it worked!) but the relay is something else viewers might consider if they have the same problem.
@@ETCG1 Good point Eric! But I seem to remember the relay was for the idle injector control valve (5th injector) not the air valve. But I'm happy for my crappy memory to be wrong.
@ETCG1 Could you please elaborate on parts availabilty for Vigors? I'm looking to buy one lately and it scares me. I haven't seen one in any junkyard since like a decade, so i know it will have to be brand new or refurbished OEM parts or cheaper replacement ones from car parts store/online stores. I know the body parts, probably apart from the headlights, corner lights and such are nowhere available since 20 years. For electronic and mechanical parts, how is it? In fact, i have a 1995 Saturn SL2 i just swapped to manual. After 3-4 years of total reliability, many many things broke at once. I have for 1500$ to put in parts and some of the work, i can't do by myself. The car is worth nothing (Since it left the dealership 25 years ago lol), but i really like it. I put at least 60 000kms on it and it always been an overall good car. It's damn easy to work on, parts are cheap and available everywhere, it's decently fast, well handling, fuel efficient and what else. Not even sure i should change it. Your opinion on my dillemma and experience about Vigors' parts would be appreciated. Anyone that reads this and thinks may give some advice is also welcome, thanks!
....and this is why I don't sell my used cars in general to ANYBODY I know, and I generally won't buy a used car...used to get them from the "B" Lots (Management Lease Lots), but most of those are gone now. Glad it worked out in the end, but wow...that's A TON of work to put into that car.
@@XXGunzNClipzXx this is true for some cars, but some even older can be more reliable than 10 year old cars and they can be way cheaper and easier to fix
@@TBLBill I used to buy used off the "B" Lots. Nary a problem, but those are all gone (GM, Ford, FCA, all took their "B-Lots" away). They sell the Management lease vehicles at the dealerships now. I tried 4...got four that cost me THOUSANDS in repairs inside of 2 years. That "90 day" useless warranty runs out and it's like the hit a button that says "EVERYTHING BREAK". In the past 15 years I've only bought new. I keep them for 300K or so miles then get rid of them. My TOTAL "REPAIR" (not MAINTENANCE) bills over 15 years and 6 different cars? $0.00. Repair bills on the "used" cars I've bought? Near $30,000 (had one where the engine let go, another where the rear diff let go and took a chunk out of the rear axles, and another where the transfer case failed). Yea..those three alone hit me for more than $18K. Don't get me started on the one that had the oil pump AND fuel pump die within 2 weeks of each other. I have HORRIBLE luck with used cars...
My mom had one of these cars she bought it brand new And I think around 95 96 It got stolen out of her garage our shady neighbor tipped off One of his buddies and it got stolen It's a long story but she got it back it was abandoned In lake Elsinore California And shortly after she got it back from the police she got rid of it and bought herself a 96 Acura TL V6
3:30.... Explains why Honda's have awesome steering at all speeds... Quick question. My 2007 RDX steering never loads up to weight at higher speeds like my Accord. It always stays light and easy... Never been able to figure out why. Could this part or system be defective?
Scotty Kilmer always tells people not to use remanufactured or cheap pumps. He always says to use brand new or OEM especially with Hondas and to use only the Honda fluid!
Please reply, I have a 2002 Ford focus 2.0 split port that’s missing on cylinder three we’ve done everything we can replace spark plugs ignition plug wires injector and everything does not fix it would the alternator causing same problem as it did for the vigor and the battery is week. Also it is doing the same thing Idle but when you get up to speed it fine then.
Ha! I had a very similar issue w/a 2007ish Kia Sorento, I was a tech @Kia!@the time. Had a recurring t/q conv. clutch shudder/buck @ part throttle highway speed (ONLY)...did all the diag/tech/corporate tech support(I could write a book on this one vehicle) and still no resolution. FFWD to a day it was...again in my bay...I'm putzing around with some "ground upgrade" b/s corp said to do...( thinking all the while this is not gonna help at all) AND on of my line tech buds decides to take 5 and sit in the d/seat and chill a bit...hes says to me "hey, why is this dome light flickering?" Sure enough it was pulsing...so regular you could almost make out the hz. frq. After hunch V.2334 I figured let's put a scope on the alt output (which tested perfect in every other way)....sure enough if there wasn't an AC ripple in the mix. Looong story short, a new alt. fixed it.
Great to see an update on the car and glad to know it's still running well. Would have loved to see it get bodywork restored to be a minter, but that's not a job many people would put into a car that old, of course.
Hey Eric what are your thought on water pump driven by the timing chain? Specifically I have a 1995 Nissan Maxima which the water pump is driven by the timing chain. Do you have any experience with Nissan Maximas of this vintage?
Martin Su They have a weep hole that leaks coolant out of the front of the engine when the water pump starts to leak before it puts coolant in the oil. But they’re still a major pain and a are a “grenade with the pin removed” So to speak. Especially at age. Do not count on the weep hole.
That was one of the best cars Nissan ever made and the engine is damn near bulletproof, my father's 1998 has all original everything except brakes tires and rubber parts.(only 45k on it but still.) Also had one with over 200k same story. They run forever. And like the last commenter said there's a weep hole so if it fails it won't mix with oil like the Ford 3.5
Buying a beater and not having any knowledge on how to fix it yourself isnt the smartest idea. Should have watched a few ETCG videos and learned how to install all those replacement parts he was given in the sale. That being said he was looking for his 3rd car sooo money clearly isn't much of an issue here..
Why didnt someone just put a scope on this thing instead of firing the parts cannon at it ? It must be a dealership mechanic thing . I am a 30 plus year tech in independent shops prove the problem before changing parts , dont be a hack!!!
It's very easy to sit behind a keyboard and judge others. BTW, as you may recall from the video, I wasn't the one doing the diagnosis, I was just offering my opinions based on the symptoms. Not to mention, he also bought a parts car with all the parts needed to fix the running car. That said, the car is fixed and has had no issues in the past 2000 miles. Thanks for your comment.
I once got a car that had been sitting under a tree for 5 years. After recommissioning it I noticed the engine sounded a little rumbly and rough running at idle. I changed the timing belt and the noise and roughness went away immediately.
he should let his son learn on his own car ..used civic or accord..parts more obtainable..and if he has minor fender bender..parts obtainable ...plus only 150k mi and clean vigor...thats your classic car..get the son his own pride and joy whoopdi till he got experience under his belt ..just a thought...he may be very good driver and mature behind the wheel but the others out there 😶
@@MiamiZombie2012 The pico scope is a very expensive tool. Some shops consider it to be more of a luxury item. At times you just research likely causes and work forward from there. Sucks, but that's life.
@@Apex180 engine is a completely different unit. Some of the chassis parts may cross but that engine and I imagine most of the parts that go with it are specific for that series.
