The EGR valve in a 1992 Honda Accord is designed to direct some of the exhaust gases into the vehicle’s intake manifold. The reintroduction of some of the exhaust gases helps lower the temperature in the Accord’s engine, reducing the amount of engine emissions. EGR valves malfunction when carbon deposits collect on them, causing them to not open and close properly.
A Honda Accord with a bad EGR valve will not idle normally. Instead of a smooth, even idle, the Accord’s idle will be rough. While sitting at lights or in a drive through, listen if the car’s engine seems to be struggling to stay running. You can also look at the tachometer (the gauge that shows the engine’s rpms). If the rpms are lower than normal or are fluctuating while the car is not moving, it could be from a bad EGR valve.
The EGR valve in an Accord helps to not only reduce the car’s emissions, but also to eliminate pre-ignition, or engine knock. Engine knock occurs when the gasoline entering the engine’s cylinders ignites too early. This early ignition occurs because of the high temperature in the engine, which would normally be controlled by a properly functioning EGR valve. You may be able to hear the engine knock when you first start the car, or upon acceleration.
Since a bad EGR valve affects the engine’s temperature, which then affects when the gasoline ignites in the cylinders, the bad EGR valve can even cause an Accord to stall. The Accord’s engine is most likely to stall out under heavy load operations, like accelerating on the freeway or if the car is going uphill. With the early ignition of gasoline, the engine does not produce enough power to keep running, and so eventually it will stall out completely.
