sCeRaXn

Well i took my car to the track today...well on the first run im hauling *** then i slam it into third and it feels like it bogs and starts losing power. When i get around to the pits and pop my hood i see what everyone fears. Smoke bellowing out of my breather filter. It runs decently but you can tell that it doesnt have the power that it did. I drove it home and it seemed to do ok. I stopped a couple times and the breather filter was still smoking like a ****. Im waiting for it to cool down todo a compression test. So im asking you honda gods...what could this be? Im thinking that the rings are fried. But it could just be the valve stem seals right? I thought that it would run ALOT worse if it was the rings? Anyway help me out peeps.

Sean

vaporboy12

when that happend 2 me twice hehe it was my pistons. all 8 of the were nice and holie

PrecisionH23a

Bad Rings and/or broken ringlands.

sCeRaXn

DAMN IT . What coulda caused this...its been running fine. It was a little low on oil but it was still touching the dipstick so it couldnt have been that...i put a half qt in there and it filled it right up. Hell i was only running 5 psi at the time . I REALLY dont want to have to tear the block apart...

Sean

PrecisionH23a

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sCeRaXn &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well i took my car to the track today...well on the first run im hauling *** then i slam it into third and it feels like it bogs and starts losing power. </TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sCeRaXn &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">7psi untuned (soon to be 10psi tuned with Hondata)</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yep, thats about it. Detonation.

sCeRaXn

Well its partially tuned now...the a/f ratio is at a constant 12:1. And i didnt hear any detonation at all. I was only running 5 psi at the time also. What else coulda caused this...and is there any chance of it not being the rings/ringlands?

Sean

PrecisionH23a

what kind of timing are you running? I'm sorry, but white smoke from the breather cover has been bad rings/broken ringlands in all 5 cases I have dealt with in the past.

Get a cylinder leakdown test performed soon. If you notice large amounts of oil shooting out of your breather as well as blowing your dipstick out then you KNOW your internals are fucked.

sCeRaXn

well there really isnt that much oil coming out of it...a little bit but its mainly just smoke. My timing is stock...i thought that it would be ok for only 5psi? Thats what everyone told me anyway. I just dont understand why this **** happened...i mean it was running fine...all i can say is HGRJDSHGFDRJHKEWGR!!!

Sean

sCeRaXn

Well i cant find my compression tester...so i cant test it tonight. Should i even **** with it or is it DEFINATELY the rings...cuz if thats the case im just going to skip that and go ahead and tear the block apart.

Sean

vaporboy12

it doesnt matter if your running 5psi or 1psi if you start to detonate then you can kiss your motor good bye.do a copression test and leak down test and see what your numbers are. also pull your plugs see how they look

RA166E

I would do a compression test & leakdown before you start tearing it apart to find what cylinder has lost power.

I would say its a ring land or lands from detonation.
Good Luck.

sCeRaXn

Thanks for the replys. I guess im just going to get aftermarket pistons and a blockguard and call it a day...unless i messed up the walls then i dont know what im going to do. I would completely build it buti have no $ at all. Im going to sell my brand new koyo radiator and jimfab xmember to fund this little venture. How much do you think it would cost me to do that...just pistons, blockguard and everything else to rebuild(bearings, headstuds, etc etc...)? Thanks

Sean

PrecisionH23a

around 900-1000 bucks all said and done.

You'll need to have the block machined and you WILL need all new OEM bearings and gaskets.

sCeRaXn

So it will definately need to be machined? I cant just hone it if there arent any major defects in it? Thanks

Sean

PrecisionH23a

If the cylinder walls have not been scarred, then all it will need is a nice hone. I recommend a machine shop does this so it is done properly. Some people do this with a dingleberry, but personally I don't like the possibility of having an oval cylinder from doing it wrong.

sCeRaXn

Well i honed a bunch of cylinders while i was in automotive class last year...so im pretty confident in doing it myself. Im just wanting to spend the least amount of money i can while doing it right. Ive seen stock cars running more than 14psi with a good tuning...so im just trying to beef it up a little to maker sure nothing else happens. And i plan on getting a VERY DETAILED tuning this time around

Sean

This One

i did the same **** last week.
broke the ringlands
pulled the pistons/rods out honed it and threw in some new pistons
got about 300 miles on it now, seems ok
My **** was clean of detonation

to much cylinder pressure/timing

the car still ran fine afterwards
comp was like 120 110 180 130
broke all four pistons
second motor ive done this to

vaporboy12

you really dont need a block gaurd save your money benson is sleeving for $950 great deal

sCeRaXn

Dude...id give my left nut to have a benson block ...unfortunately i wont have enough money to do that for a long time . So ill just stick with the blockguard just to be safe...and ill measure the cylinders for out of roundness so ill know if machining is necessary. I might not use the most expensive and high tech stuff...but i definately do it RIGHT! Im just trying to figure out what kinda pistons im gonna use...something cheap. Im going to try to focus alot of my cash on the hondata/tuning.

Sean

Suprdave

Bad PCV Valve can cause smoke through breather...but you prolly cracked some ringlands.

sCeRaXn

How can i tell if my PCV is bad?

Sean

jdm_boost

Sorry to hear the bad news but it sounds like you fucked your pistons (at the least). But, you can be driving again without spending a whole lot of money. Call your local salvage yards for '90-93 b18a, you should be able to find one for $300-500 depending on year, mileage, etc. Then when you have the money rebuild your old block, take your time to do everything right, and swap it in with little or no downtime. If you don't have the funds I would strongly recommend this. If you half-*** an engine build you're asking for trouble down the road. I detonated @ 8psi and cracked a rod, burned my pistons (melted one), blew a head gasket, and egg-shaped one of my cylinders out about centimeter (that's ******* huge). Anyways, while you are driving on your "new" motor you can save your money and take 6 months to build your other motor if you want to because there's no rush. When you rush you forget minor details and those can be very important when building an engine. I say replace EVERYTHING. New sleeves, overbore pistons, rods, bearings, seals, water and oil pump, timing belt, polish the rod journals on the crank and balance the entire rotating assembly. Then when you swap the rebuilt motor in it's like a brand new motor and you don't have to worry about anything going out on you. Good luck

sCeRaXn

Well ive already got another block that im going to rebuild. And im not going to be running insane high hp so i dont feel the need for getting it sleeved and such. But trust me...the block would be done right. Ill replace all the bearings/seals/gaskets, install the blockguard then hone the cylinders(machine if necessary), balance and blueprint it, and the whole 9. Like i said...i might not have a completly built Dart block that can stand over 30psi...but its still going to be done right....with everything to factory specs. Im actually sorta looking forward to doing this...ive rebuilt engines before but never my own.

Sean

jdm_boost

A little tip on installing the blockgaurd, when you install it make sure you push it down so the top of the gaurd is about a millimeter or two lower than the top of the block not flush. The reason for this is you want the support where the rings are during combustion (when the piston is at tdc). It will help to keep proper ring seal during high boost. Also make sure you get the right bearings for the crank. Save one of them and take it to your dealer for color match. Good luck and remember... no boosting until you hit 1500 miles to break it in or your rings will hate you.