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It is a 1991 HF chassis rust free *so far* and appears to have factory undercoating. Overall the body and chassis is in great shape! Mileage on the chassis is unknown, but it's pretty clean and most of the suspension and brake work has been done, although it will need some more upgrades soon. Engine and turbo setup has about 7,000 miles on it.
Engine:
GSR Block
Wiseco Pistons
Eagle Rods
Stage 5 RPM Ported B16 Head w/S2 valves and retainers
GSR Cams
Cable LS Trans
Stock Axles
Comp Stage 5 Sprung Clutch
Moroso 4qt Oil Pan
Walbro 340, 255LPH Pump
FIC 1000cc Injectors
6AN Fuel Lines
Hondata S300 V1 Tuned on e85 at 17psi
AEM Wideband and Gauges
Garrett T3/T04e 57 trim
Hallman MBC
Blox IM with 90mm TB
MG Fab Stainless Turbo Manifold
Tial Wastegate
3” Downpipe and Full 3” Exhaust w/2 Magnaflow Mufflers
Godspeed 20" x 11" x 3" FMIC
HKS BOV
Fluidyne Radiator
Dual Vented VC with Catch Can & Breather
Chassis:
Unknown Lowering Springs
KYB Struts
Skunk 2 Front UCA’s
Skunk 2 Rear LCA’s and Upper Camber Kit
Unknown front brakes w/2-Piston Calipers
Rear Disk Conversion
Stainless Brake Hoses
Innovative? Traction Bar
949 Racing 6UL Wheels, 15X7 +35
Hankook Front, Direzza Rear Tires
VIS CF Hood
Battery Relocated to Rear Hatch
As it sits now....
Here are the initial issues-
Front end clacking noise under deceleration:
Update - ended up being a broken differential.
Misfiring, not starting in cold, running rough, wouldn't rev over 3000rpm:
Update - The S300 v1 was dead. Had to replace with S300 v3 and retune.
Transmission/clutch/differential noise:
I noticed the last couple times I started it, if I release the clutch pedal in neutral, there is a lot of noise that comes from the transmission once it starts spinning. It is somewhere between a rattle and gear noise. Also when driving, especially in first and a little in second, there is some pretty major gear noise/whining under acceleration. Sounding almost like straight cut gears. However, the transmission shifts in and out of all gears reasonably well and operates like it should. Again, hoping that the fresh trans fluid will help or at least let me know if there is a major problem.
Update - The differential and tranny were both pretty shot. This noise was a combination of the diff and input bearing.
Oil leak from turbo feed or return line:
Last night I got under the car for the first time, and noticed everything is coated in fresh oil. I traced it up the oil pan on the front, and up the return line to the turbo. Although it appears to be originating from the return line, I suspect it is actually coming from somewhere on the pressure line side. It is very hard to see anything on the top side of the turbo, so this I need to dig into.
Update - The turbo was shot and needed replaced. It had been oil starved, shaft warped and blued, seals were bad.
Torn shift linkage bushing? on transmission:
Update - They didn't use the washer on the shift stabilizer rod bushing. I rebuilt the whole shifter assembly with new OEM hardware.
Turbo compressor touching radiator:
Update - Switched to half rad setup.
Here's what I have in the works so far:
- Upgrading Hondata to S300 V3, updating ECU capacitors
- Trans fluid change with Acura MTF
- Reducing boost to 12psi max until I get a feel for it
- Purchased e85 tester and "e85 only" sticker for the gas door
- Fixing oil leak on turbo feed line
Possible upgrades for the future:
- Upgrade axles
- LSD
- Boost by gear
- Considering window tint and blacking out the lights and reflectors on the car. Not sure how it would look on a white car tho might just leave the stock look.
Thanks for reading! Will update as I diagnose or fix issues, will get more pics and add any more upgrades I decide to do.
very nice looks good. and not so many big issues. cant wait for it all to be done.
sending ecu straight to hondata ? I need to upgrade mines too once I park car this week and store it to work on it
Yep Hondata will be doing the update to the ECU and swapping the V1 for the V3. I over-nighted it today and am hoping to get it back by the weekend so I can do some tunin'
It was $430 for the update package being that my V1 was toast, but I figure the one place you don't want to skimp out is engine management.
That looks awesome! Can't wait to get mine runnin good.
Looks like you had to raise the hood up for clearance? I was surprised that my hood closes fine, but then I noticed that there is only about 3" of clearance from my oil pan to the ground
Its good to see Gunny's old crx getting some love from a new owner. I remember his build from MnHonda's, we turboed our crx's at the same time maybe 6-7 years ago. Looks like it hasnt changed at all from that time! I always wished he got a larger FMIC to fit the crx grill better, other then that the car looks very clean! Good luck with the build, hopefully you can make it to TopEnd to race it this upcoming season.
Its good to see Gunny's old crx getting some love from a new owner. I remember his build from MnHonda's, we turboed our crx's at the same time maybe 6-7 years ago. Looks like it hasnt changed at all from that time! I always wished he got a larger FMIC to fit the crx grill better, other then that the car looks very clean! Good luck with the build, hopefully you can make it to TopEnd to race it this upcoming season.
Hey there, I wondered when someone who recognized this car would turn up on the forums. Yeah I tried looking for his build thread on MnHonda's when I was considering the purchase, but it looks like that site is down now. Is there another forum where more of our regional enthusiasts get together?
It's weird because for all of my past projects, I've lived in different states but always had some fellow tuners to cruise around with. In MN everyone just likes their trucks and snowmobiles...
Hey there, I wondered when someone who recognized this car would turn up on the forums. Yeah I tried looking for his build thread on MnHonda's when I was considering the purchase, but it looks like that site is down now. Is there another forum where more of our regional enthusiasts get together?
It's weird because for all of my past projects, I've lived in different states but always had some fellow tuners to cruise around with. In MN everyone just likes their trucks and snowmobiles...
Yup, mnhondas and every other site similar is gone. People just use bull **** Facebook groups, so you can try to find some of those.. There are plenty of people building and racing Hondas in Minneapolis. Check out BIR if your new to the area, you will see most of the fast hondas in the area there.
People in MN/ND just garage their cars during the winter for the most part. Come spring you will see plenty of nice cars.
There are plenty of people building and racing Hondas in Minneapolis. Check out BIR if your new to the area, you will see most of the fast hondas in the area
I figured there might be, thanks for that I will check it out. Always good to have some fellow enthusiasts nearby to share builds with.
No news yet on mine but my ecu should be getting reworked by Hondata at this very moment. I also received my Acura MTF today ordered from K series parts. Hoping on Saturday I have the time to drain the tranny and see whats up, plug in the new ecu if I have it back yet, and fix the oil leak. If all goes well, which it seldom does, I may be out on the road next week while enjoying the 40-degree weather
Received my ECU back today with the brand new Hondata S300 V3 installed! Took a total of two days from when I shipped it, pretty awesome! Also considering you get an entirely new S300 for much less than retail price, came with a new USB cable, some decals and everything.
Tonight I changed the tranny fluid. Old fluid had some fine metal glitter in it but looked pretty normal. Also may have fixed oil leak, I was able to get about 1/4 turn on one of the return flange bolts, we'll see if that fixes it.
Pics also showing the broken shift linkage bushing. I figure I'll worry about this when I start having trouble shifting...
Now I just need to plug in the ecu and upload a tune!
Transmission/clutch/differential noise:
I noticed the last couple times I started it, if I release the clutch pedal in neutral, there is a lot of noise that comes from the transmission once it starts spinning. It is somewhere between a rattle and gear noise. Also when driving, especially in first and a little in second, there is some pretty major gear noise/whining under acceleration. Sounding almost like straight cut gears. However, the transmission shifts in and out of all gears reasonably well and operates like it should. Again, hoping that the fresh trans fluid will help or at least let me know if there is a major problem.
Search for 'noisy throw-out bearing' and see if that is your problem, it's a pretty common problem that can be diagnosed pretty accurately by letting the car idle (noisy) pressing the clutch in (noise stops).
Keep in mind some aftermarket clutch types do make a similar noise to this though and it's normal.
It is. I don't have a bluetooth laptop, so I can't use it for uploading or datalogging, still have to go with USB. However, with the Hondata app you can link up with your phone to watch all your sensor readings in real time.
Last night I was able to plug it in and upload my tune, everything was good and green light was on. Car started but did not run well due to the cold temps, so I still need to make some adjustments on the tune.
Time for a quick update where I'm at with the car.
Over the weekend I was determined to work out the tuning issues and get the car running great. However, I found that it seemed my entire fuel map was too lean by around 40%, which couldn't possibly be right.
First thing I need to double check is that my calibrations weren't corrupted by the old faulty S300 when I downloaded them. So I am going to create a new base tune, compare the maps and see if it runs better on that.
More than likely, I am thinking there is a mechanical issue with the fuel system. I am going to cover everything, replacing the filter, possibly FPR, cleaning injectors and do a pressure test. I can hear the pump chugging away so I am doubting it's the problem, but will check it out if pressure is an issue.
If all else fails and it turns out my tune is bad, then I will need a re-tune which sucks.
Today did not turn out as I had hoped. I installed the new fuel filter, then attempted to hook up the fuel pressure tester kit I loaned from Autozone. Only to find that none of the adapters would hook up to my Benen fuel rail. Wtf.
It looks like my rail has 3/8npt ports and 1/4npt reducer on one end which is where I wanted to pull from. How could a universal tester not have 1/4npt?! Anyway, I took it back, and ordered myself a cheap one I found online that comes with 1/4npt adapters. So now it'll be next weekend before I can pressure test.
The filter did not solve my issue, nor did running a new base tune. So more than likely I am still looking at a mechanical issue vs a tuning issue. I also noted that when idling on all cyls, it pulls 18 inches of vacuum. So I doubt a vac leak is the problem. I'm leaning towards the FPR.
I noticed after the car was sitting for a while there was a hissing sound from the fuel filter and a little gas had leaked from the banjo bolt. Always have hated banjo bolts. Used 2 new washers but still leaking. Guess I need to clean all the mating surfaces and reassemble.
The only upside today was the 60 degree weather, and sun shine so I was able to snap a few pics. Til next week...