My car faulters on acceleration, no power between 2-3K, and sometimes if the a/c is on, the car will idle at close to 400, which is too low so the engine will labor. I thought maybe the cat was clogged because you can hear pops from the cat on acceleration, but when I checked under the car it seems more like it is the muffler at fault. A small amount of exhaust escapes from around the gasket on the rear joint where the muffler meets the downpipe. The exhaust escaping the muffler is on-off-on-off pattern and the exhaust system vibrates more than it should. The Honda dealer said that it sounded like the fuel delivery system somewhere and not the cat, but I have never had any issues whatsoever with the car until now. It is a d15b1 with 142,000 miles, and always gets premium gas and the best oil every 3K and all maitenance done at the dealer. I have been busy at work and not had a chance to schedule a diagnosis at the dealer, so this is why I figure someone here can help me out with this. I have an Si muffler in transit so as soon as it's here I will have it put on to see if it helps. But, what is most likely happening here? Thanks.

 

ADDITION: Changed spark plug wires, but no change in behavior.

 

Throwing any codes? might be MAP

 

I haven't checked the ECU itself since the check engine light as never come on.

 

BUMP

 

First off, why are you using premium gas on a stock engine? Complete waste of money. You want to look for a quality 87 octane. Higher octane means nothing more then a measurement of its resistance to detonation. If your car is detonating on 87, there's another problem here.

Next, check your timing and adjust your idle.
Its also a good idea to check that the throttle body is in good working order and no vacuum leaks anywhere. If there's gunk in there, clean it out and change your pcv valve.

When was the last the time some of these easy/cheap items were replaced:
spark plugs
fuel filter
distributor cap/rotor
o2 sensor

If you want to see if its the exhaust, unbolt it and see if the problem goes away. It'll be loud but if the symptoms goes away, it might be clogged exhaust components(or even a cat).

That's enough to get you started...

 

davens,

I have been using 91 on my B16 CRX with I/H/E. Should I continue using 91 or should I switch to 87. Is there a method to keep her from having withdrawls, so to speak?

 

There are cases where higher octane is legit.
Higher compression and more timing advance warrant higher octane. The stock HF is neither of these things.

People get confused when they see jdm octane ratings like 98, 100, 105 etc. and assume the jdm gets better quality gas.
But the difference isn't dramatic as it appears because they use a different octane rating system(RON) while we use (RON+MON)/2
I don't have the formula info in front of me but RON will appear higher to the same gas measured by (R+M)/2...i.e. 96 RON = 91 (R+M)/2.

Anyway, find out what octane was recommended for the JDM B16s high compression and work backwards. You may be able to get away with a midgrade like 89.
If you can't dig up the right info, try a tank of 89 and listen for any detonation. In case you hear some, pull over, add a bottle of octane booster and use a higher octane gas next time.