xfurb

Looks like only three nuts/bolts holding that upper rear skirt thing on. Being that it’s a Honda it will take 3 or 4 hours to remove the back half of the car to get to them. Just kidding! The dash, for the control panel, isn’t real bad. Pretty straight forward.
I love a good wrecking yard, good place to learn what not to do when removing parts. Every wrecker is different- some have good parts and fairly good cars others don’t - So to answer the last question I have to use the definitive Microsoft answer... Depends. Depends on the area for one.
Good luck on the part search!
~dan

The intermittent idle were is bobbles or loads up to 1500rpm and then drops to 500rpm or so. I found that the Lambda linkage is open too much. (Only on a CVCC engine) It’s best not to adjust this until after everything else is working good. The Honda CRX Shop manual has nothing on the linkage. My manual for my old ass Accord (also CVCC) talked about adjustment and its purpose but nothing on troubleshooting. The Lambda Linkage is the control linkage between the main throttle plate and the Auxiliary throttle plate, it is set at the factory. I found the problem after I tuned the engine the best I could and the damn bobbling idle wouldn’t go away unless I adjusted the idle too high. With the engine running at about stock idle 700 rpm or as close as I can get it I notice a faint sound from the carb, that was reminiscent of a drinking straw at the bottom of grass -slurp. Inquisitive as I am I shined a flash light down the carb, while it was running, and noticed a droplet of fuel forming and then dropping in the semi-closed dime sized throttle plate of the Aux chamber venturi. Every time the droplet dropped the RPM dropped then climbed just after all evidence of it ever being there was gone. Then a new droplet formed and the whole process repeated. -So I turned the mystery screw on the front of the carb closing its throttle just a bit. The droplet stopped forming and the idle smoothed out. I don’t know if this helps at all...

Location: Looking into the engine bay front of the carb right side. The adjustment screw farthest away from the carb body, I think it’s the idle boost for lights/fan. (it’s concealed by the vacuum actuator for the secondary throttle plate) Just to the right of that adjustment screw on the carb body is a Phillips screw by itself, mine had a yellow paint on it. If you need a picture I think I can get for the screw location.

Your vacuum gauge is a good indication for determining valve guide wear and maybe valve guide seal wear. Once the idle is normal connect the vacuum gauge- watch the needle if the needle bounces with the idle +- two or three psi the guides are worn. Compression test can determine the severity of worn rings. You know the drill- pull all the plugs test the cylinders dry and then test them after squirting oil in the plug holes; if there is a big increase then the ring have seen better days. I’ve fixed a valve guide seal without pulling the head by pressurizing the associated cylinder to hold the valve up. PCV valve stuck? I think that’s oil burning all the time though. I hope I didn’t bore you with my poorly written novel.

~dan

None of the buttons are working... Damn! That sucks! Even if you hold the button the in?

In regards to the climate control module.
I bought a junk yard replacement it worked fine for about a year then it started freaking out like the OE one, I found that if you push the button and hold it in it would work. Also figured out that one of those small black binder clips fit over the button assembly and hold the button in. ‘Cause it hard to drive with a cup of coffee in one hand a finger on the defrost button – while obeying all the traffic laws... yea right. I even tried disconnecting the power to the valve motor, located under the center dash driver side just over the heater core, whatever position you set via control buttons is locked in place. Great for just A/C in the summer. Another thing, you said the each button lights up when you push them? Do they stay lit? The two instances with my car the light would flicker with the valve operation. Acted like a poor electrical connection. If they stay lit then more than likely it’s the control module or the valve has been electrically disconnected. If they flicker the button assembly is most likely faulty.

Before you go and rip into the cluster check the wiper motor. I can’t remember but I think the intermittent wiper use the slow speed side of the motor. Ripping apart the cluster might be all for not. If it’s a bad motor.

~dan

The first question: windshield wipers- It’ either the wiper motor or the grease in the steering cluster; That little cluster contains fairly small spring loaded contacts. Honda did a great job of greasing up the mechanics; but after 20 years the grease has become a sticky goo that does not allow the spring to mate the contacts. If you’re really brave disassemble the cluster and clean out the offending grease with alcohol and add a good quality silicone dielectric grease. My head lights had this problem I would hit the high beams and the back to low beams the light would cut out all together and then back on after a delay -really sucked on the freeway. Did it more when it was cold, figured out that the switch was just sticky. Does the intermittent wiper position work?

The second question: blower motor- I agree with MakDiesel the fan speed control resister is burned out. With the fan off cold air is blowing in? Assuming your driving -this is normal- if you’re stopped that’s bad -maybe a bad switch.

Just a guess on the second part: Honda’s “climate control push button thingy” is all tiny electric switches and motors that operate the valves for heat/defrost/vent/etc. Worked great when it was new, but the mechanism that turns one switch off when another is depressed often fails and so does the control board located behind the climate control push buttons. I’ve seen a few that will cycle though vent position to heat position without a button physically being pushed. With the car off and the ignition switch on you can hear the valve freaking out opening and closing by itself. Best course of action on this is replacement of the switches and control board, but it could be a short in one of the wiring bundles, but not likely. I'm betting on the control board. 'bout 35 bucks for the whole shebang at a junk yard. Or 350 at Honda!

Sorry so long winded I have a tenancy of doing that. Hope this helps. Good luck.
~dan

Have you determined is it intermittently dropping across all cylinders? Or is it just one cylinder dropping and if its only one cylinder is the same one? I think you have addressed the fire issue plugs, wires, distributor, cap, rotor, coil.... the only thing left is fuel... think.. . Maybe an electrical connection in an injector? Probably not a plugged injector ‘cause it wouldn’t fail and come back so... cleanly.

~dan