RegiHatch

1994 honda civic si
prety sure its a 97 gs-r swap b18c

password jdm whale intake
aftermarket manifold
AEM adjustable cam gears
(??? may have aftermarket cams)
apexi worldsport exhaust
Headers

(my question)
feels like it is not giving maximum power and a few friends say the same thing.

my friends 08 s2000 is dead even as far as pull throughout the gears.(neck and neck)

compression is 230psi in each cilinder and builds up evenly and correctly in each one.

im guessing that it is the cam setting or maybe air fuel ratio.

i baught another civic that had this engine in it then i did the swap and i added the intake and exhaust. so engine is how i baught it.
so whoever i baught it from did the adjustable cam gear setting.

engine runs good - no backfire
i do smell gas sometimes when i hit it hard- so could be running lean (also i need molding for my back hatch -so may be exhaust coming up into the cabin)

i also havent changed plugwires or plugs- plugs were good 2months ago.

((( any advice on what it could be and any keywords to other threads are greatly appreciated )))

heres the link to some more pics of the car
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3173860

<a href="http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x249/nathin22/?action=view&current=100_3846.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x249/nathin22/100_3846.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x249/nathin22/?action=view&current=100_3580.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x249/nathin22/100_3580.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x249/nathin22/black%20si%20civic/?action=view&current=100_3862.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x249/nathin22/black%20si%20civic/100_3862.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

infinitypro12

Not sure exactly what your question is but from what I read I would say, replace your spark wires and plugs. Check your distributer for accuracy. Also, check your fuel injectors and flow of fuel, running too rich or too lean can cause issues. Sweet setup though. Remember Spark, Fuel, and Flow.

CivicSpoon

Find out if you have aftermarket cams or not. If you do, then get the cam gears adjusted properly. If you don't have aftermarket cams, set the cam gears back to 0 and leave them alone. Then get a timing light and check your timing.

esean93

those are some big wheels and small tires!the ride must be a bitch!also get the 14.7/1 ratio.

RegiHatch

Yea in the 2nd pic- i had 18"- the 16's ride much better and steering is much easier to turn with no power steering.

Anyone know anything about P28 ecu chip.
if so whats the advantage- I cant get a clear answer.

all i think i know is that you get a smoother acceleration line on the dyno charts.
but no real power gain.

Hanmin

is your ecu chipped, crack it open and find out.
a chip p28 lets you customize fuel maps and other things.
Yes, check your ignition timing, set your cams to 0, and check your cam timing.

If it just say b18c on your block, you might.... have a type r motor. by the looks of the intake manifold.

Or you might be losing power because of that intake manifold, and you should just get a tune.

wrong ecu if you do have a type r motor....

RegiHatch

b18c1 block

exhaust is 8 degrees to the right of 0
intake is 4 to the right

havent done a belt time yet

redline7070

wow

yaaj313

hey, i got a 94 ex swap with a 95 gsr motor and was wondering, where is the iab wire located? and how do you hook it up so it run right? it seem it not kicking in vtec it just run like an ls motor... need help

yaaj313

93egSLEEPER

lower it some more

1DayIllBFast

to YAAJ- it is under the IM connected to a black canister.

To REG- what ECU are you running now? and i would def. turn the cams back until you know what cams are in it and possibly get a tune.

RegiHatch

sorry i meant 8 degres to left and 4 degres to right

and it runs pretty good and hits hard.

anyone know any of those new cheap electronic devices that tell you your 0-60 and quartermile. so i can tune the cams.

yaaj313

i'm running a p28 ecu...

Lil Gnome

iTrader: (1)

shouldnt they be at 0?

RegiHatch

general ??? cams are designed to open the intake and exhaust for longer right,(or shorter)
and adjustable cams to change the timing.

anyone know if setting back to 0 will hurt it if it has aftermarket cams.

(i think someone before me may have had boost- may explain the timing setting)

RegiHatch

on a stock motor yes (Keyword is ADJUSTABLE cam gears) has to be a purpose. thats what im trying to get a second openion about.

RegiHatch

I assume stock gsr ecu

yaaj313

okay, so do i have to rewire or tap wire from the tower to the gsr ecu to run it right? explain in detail, thanks... i know i have the vtec wire already from the harness i'm using. so to how do i make it run right?

Lil Gnome

iTrader: (1)

they should be tuned on the dyno to see what makes the most. if theyre stock though 0 is best or 1 or 2 is the most I've heard of. If it does have cams it should be tuned anyway for the best reliable power.

Laz's EP

iTrader: (1)

You should go and have it dyno tuned

1DayIllBFast

Yeah i actually would stop driving and getting on it until you get it dyno tuned so you know everything is set right.

CivicSpoon

I still stand by what I said 3 months ago. You don't know if you have aftermarket cams or not. You don't know if your ECU is chipped, or if it is you don't know if it's a base map or tuned. You don't tune a car based on 0-60 times or quarter mile times, you do it on a dyno. Just because you have adjustable cams on your engine doesn't mean they are there for a reason. Most people who install adjustable cam gears do it for looks and simply set them to 0. That's a stupid thing to do, but it doesn't stop people from doing it. Seeing that your cam gears are set at 8 degrees advanced and 4 degrees retarded, I'm guessing that the previous owner just randomly set them, without knowing what they were doing.

You need to find out what you have inside your engine. Then you need to find out if you're running any kind of engine management.
-If you have stock internals, then set the cam gears back to 0, and replace your existing ECU with a stock P72 if your current ECU is in fact chipped.
-If it's not chipped, and your engine is stock, don't chip it.
-If you have aftermarket internals, and a chipped ECU, get the car on a dyno and do some dyno pulls with a wideband O2 sensor hooked up. If the fuel and ignition timing looks good, leave the car alone. If it doesn't look great, then get it retuned.
-If you have aftermarket internals, and your ECU is stock, get your ECU chipped and get the car tuned.

Those are the logical things you should do, depending on the situation.

RegiHatch

Your exactly right and thanks for the time- but all your answes are logical. aka common sence.

ill repeat my questions more clear

1) Whats the purpose of adjustable cams- pros/cons ?

2) how can i tell by looking at the cams what they are- or do i just need to know that their aftermarket?

3) when i crack open the ecu what do i look for- a chip- ok- whats the diff between stock and aftermkt- a name printed there ???

-if i am paying to get a dyno tune do I need to figure these things out or will it matter(will they have to do that anyway) ?

RegiHatch