Dear Tom and Ray:

I'm having a problem with my 1987 Honda Accord LX (with a carburetor). When it's very foggy or rainy and cold out, I lose rpms in all gears. Stopping and waiting a while helps. My brother thinks the carburetor is icing up. Is there anything that can prevent this from happening?
Linda

TOM: Well, Linda, first of all, you should know from reading our column that the worst place you can ever go for car advice is to your brother.

RAY: I'll second that.

TOM: But unlike what happens in my case, YOUR brother happens to be right. It sounds like carburetor icing to me, too. And there is a way to prevent it.

RAY: There's a little system that's supposed to bring warm air from the viscinity of the exhaust manifold into the carburetor. On cold, damp, days, that heated air mixes with the cold, moist air, and keeps ice from forming inside your carburetor. My guess is that your system is malfunctioning.

TOM: The hose that carries the warm air could be disconnected or missing. Or the valve that lets the air in could be disconnected or broken. It's probably something relatively simple, and fixing that system should solve your problem, Linda.

RAY: I'd just be careful not to take any more car advice from your brother for a while. It sounds like he's already had his right answer for this decade.