Alright, let’s talk about this 6 cylinder Honda project I tackled recently. It wasn’t anything super fancy, just an older Accord that landed in my garage. Belonged to a neighbour’s kid, said it was running rough and felt sluggish. You know the type.
Getting Started
First thing I did was just pop the hood and take a good look. These Honda V6s, the J-series engines, are pretty common. Packed in there kinda tight, but manageable. Gave it a listen while it was running. Yeah, definitely misfiring a bit, felt kinda lumpy at idle. Didn’t seem like anything catastrophic, probably just needed some basic love.
So, I pulled it into the bay. First order of business, basic diagnostics. Hooked up my scanner, just a simple one. Pulled a couple codes – misfire on cylinder 3 and something about the EGR valve. Okay, gives me a starting point.
Digging In
Decided to start with the easy stuff. Ignition system. Pulled the coil pack off cylinder 3. Looked okay visually, but you never know. Swapped it with cylinder 4 just to see if the misfire followed. Cleared the codes, ran it again. Yup, misfire moved to cylinder 4. Easy fix, bad coil pack. Ordered a new one.
While waiting for the part, I figured I’d check the spark plugs. Since I was in there anyway. Honda V6 plugs can be a bit of a pain, especially the rear bank near the firewall. You gotta kinda contort yourself. Pulled all six. They weren’t horrible, but definitely showed some age and wear. The gap was a bit wide on a couple. Decided to just replace them all. Why not, right? Cheap insurance.
Parts I ended up using:
- One new ignition coil
- Six new spark plugs (went with the NGK iridiums, always had good luck with those)
- A new EGR valve (figured I’d just replace it since the code popped up)
- Some intake cleaner
Replacing the EGR valve wasn’t too bad on this one. Couple of bolts, a gasket. The old one looked pretty carboned up inside. Sprayed some cleaner into the intake passages while I had things apart, just for good measure. Got the new coil pack, popped it in. Put the new plugs in, made sure to torque them right. Didn’t want any issues there.
Finishing Up
Put everything back together. Double checked all the connections. Fired it up. Smooth as butter. Let it idle for a while, took it for a spin around the block. Night and day difference. Power was back, no more hesitation, no more lumpy idle. Cleared the codes again and checked – no codes pending. Good to go.
It wasn’t a major overhaul or anything crazy. Just basic maintenance and diagnostics really. But it shows how tackling the simple things first often solves the problem, especially on these reliable old Hondas. Just took a bit of time and patience, especially getting to those back spark plugs. But hey, it’s running great now, and that’s what matters.
