Honda Repair: electrical gremlin, air control valve, b16a engine

Question
Hi Craig,

I have a '93 Civic with a JDM B16A engine.  

With all my electrical loads on, the engine drops revs from 1200 to about 1000 and makes the car shudder and feels as if it wants to stall .  I've had my altenator re-furbished and a new line to the battery (also new) installed.  Each repair has solved the problem temporarily but the symptoms soon return.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Tyson

Answer
Why is it idling at 1200 to start with?  What condition are the motor mounts in?  You shouldn't even really feel 1000 much at idle.  I would make sure that the idle air control valve is working properly.  The fact that the idle drops slightly wouldn't concern me unless the idle speed was much lower (500 or so) It will drop some with the added load.  The same it will if you still have a/c on the car.  Pull the idle air control valve off and make sure that the screen that may be in one of the holes in the valve isn't clogged.