My car has a lot of quirky problems right now which I think are mostly related to misrouted vacuum lines. I just got done doing the physical swapping of engines in my car and now I am down to trouble shooting. Here are the specs:

Car: 1992 Acura Integra GSR
Stock engine: 160HP OBDI USDM DOHC VTEC B17A
New engine : 170HP OBDI JDM DOHC VTEC B16A

Here is the vacuum diagram for my car. I'm sure other people have done similar swaps, and I can't find vacuum diagrams for this particular engine at all. I have included a diagram of how my engine is set up right now, and it isn't running well. If I turn on the headlights, or turn on the heater full the engine wants to stall. It runs well when warm or cold besides this. The brake pedal also feels very hard and has no play in it. It takes a tremendous amount of pedal pressure to bring the car to a stop.



Thanks in advance guys, and any help is appreciated.

 

Bring it to Columbus- it will be easier to fix.

 

Easier to fix as in:
You will help?
I can get someone to help easier?
It will miraculously appear easier if I am in the capital city?
I can get a shop to help me easier?

A vague post will always bring a bounty of questions.

 

Here are some more pictures for you:

 

If it were in columbus I could look at it for you

Vacuum routing looks ok- although the FPR vacuum hose should have nothing else hooked into it (like your evap purge solenoid)- but it should not matter a whole lot

Since you have little brake assistance- pinch off the brake booster hose close to the manifold.

What exactly are your engine running problems?

Thanks for the pics

 

The funny thing is my home town is Columbus, but I'm trying to fix my car while I am still up here at my internship. If this isn't fixed in two weeks my car either has to go to Columbus (back home) or it has to go to Michigan (back to school).

I fixed the brake pedal pressure problem. The one-way check valve was turned backwards.

As for the vacuum routing problems, everyone has suggested I don't hook up anything to the FPR vacuum but I haven't had any suggestions on where else to hook up the T-fitting. I have one more fitting than I do devices to run it to, so I imagine this needs to go somewhere.

It looks like I won't be trouble-shooting the vacuum hose YET because it looks like I have a serious electrical short somewhere and some possible bad grounds. I am not going to run the engine anymore than I have to until I fix this problem first. Looks like I'll be investing in a new cluster. Why I think I have a short:




[Modified by mojoGSR92, 8:44 PM 3/15/2002]

 

Damn that's some fucked up ****. sorry dude

 

Hey fixhondas,
Would using my B17A throttlebody possibly remedy my stalling problems? The B17A throttlebody has a dashpot attached to it which I would think would cure load-induced stalling (i.e. turning on headlights, or turning on heater). The B16A must have had some device to compensate for the load at idle, or possibly their idle spec is higher? (i.e. 800-1000 idle)

I appreciate the help and I will be sorting out the electrical problem this weekend to hopefully find a cure. In the meantime I'm looking for a 90-93 Integra XSi cluster or a 92-93 GSR cluster.

 

The dashpot only opens the throttle slightly when there is almost no vacuum (during starting and near stalls)- it may help but it is not a fix- I assumed you checked your coolant level.

Which ECU are you using and which IACV are you using? I don't think the JDM ECU has a provision for an ELD (load detection)- I could be wrong. So when you turn on any electrical loads- the ecu doesn't see the electrical load- just a possibility.

What exactly is your running problem? (stalls when, how does it idle, etc..)

 

hey fixhondas, where in columbus are you? When i get my swap in im gunna need some help wiring the sucker. Thanks!
-Nick-

 

If its a 92 its all plug and play

 

Ok, I set the timing to 18 degrees (stock is 14-18 with 16 nominal), set the idle at 800rpm. The car has a new fuel filter, new spark plugs, new spark plug wires, rotor, distributor cap, oil filter, oil, and air filter.

Right now the idle is wavering between about 600-to about 850 rpm. The car has stopped stalling since I have polished up all grounds and made sure they are all tight. However, it still seems to be running rich at idle when warm. It has been recommended to me to run the FPR vacuum line directly to the manifold and to get rid of the T fitting there and move it elsewhere. Does anyone have a suggestion of where to more the vacuum T-fitting, as I need somewhere to route vacuum for the PCS if I do this.

Also, should the timing line on the crank pulley be moving at all if I am not touching the throttle, and the service (2P) connector is bridged as the Helm's recommends? I ask because I am hearing an odd noise from around the pulley area, and it sounds somewhat like a clunk but it doesn't sound like knocking or detonation. I'm thinking that I may have slightly damaged one of the pulleys or pulley bearings when moving the engine around, and if the knock sensor mistakes this for a "knock", I'd think that it may be retarding the timing. Any insight to all these concerns is appreciated.

 

Coolant levels are topped off. I'm using the stock (for the B17A/GSR chassis) P61 ECU. I'm also using the JDM B16A IACV, and the RPM's do drop now under load, but the engine doesn't die anymore.

 

timing mark may move slightly- try the old IACV as they seem to have some differences- check your TPS voltage- should be @0.49 volts at closed throttle on middle wire. Unsure about the "clunk"

 

Yeah, the only tuning issues I have left is a valve adjustment, vacuum line routing, adjusting the TPS, and picking up a new cluster.

A quick question though: I know VTEC won't engage without being over a certain speed as one of its conditions. I currently have the speedo cable disconnected from the back of the cluster because of the fact that it melted. The engine also threw a code 17 which is the vehicle speed sensor (VSS). Now, could all of these symptoms be caused by not connecting the speedo-cable or could they also be caused by a bad VSS, or possibly not seating it correctly in the tranny? I plan on ordering a new speedo cable, and I'll be buying a new (used) cluster too but I was curious as to where the ECU gets its speed signal? Thanks for all the help so far fixhondas.

 

With a cable type speedo- the speedometer has a pulser built in to the guage assy- the ECU reads vehicle speed from this pulser- so if the cable is unhooked- the ECU sees no speed signal. I know VTEC engagement depends on load and engine RPM- I would also imagine it is looking at speed - I have not tried to verify this.

 

Thanks, hopefully when i get the new cluster and speedometer cable in there that cures the problem, because I need a new cluster anyways and am getting the speedometer as a precaution. I may pull the VSS and axles out and put them back in just to make sure that isn't an issue.

~Jonathan, who can now drive his car to get a 3rd party compression test for his future vehicle records.

 

none of the pictures work, could u guys repost them for me? I'm having the same problem.