I'm hoping somebody has heard of this issue. It's a 1989 crx si, mostly stock, ITA race car. The car stutters and hesitates in left-hand turns, both slow turns and fast turns. The stuttering feels like a fuel cutout issue, the engine will completely lose power for an interval of .25-1 second then resume power. Depending on the length of the turn, the engine can cut out 1-3 times. Once the car is headed straight, or in right hand turns, power is fine. The problem only occurs in left hand turns.

I start every race with a full tank of gas, and almost never use more than 4 gallons, so the tank isn't exactly running low. Is the fuel pump in a location where fuel sloshing to the rear passenger side can starve the pump?

 

seems like I remember reading that fuel starvation is a problem with 88-89 fuel tanks during hard cornering with less than a 1/4 tank, but they fixed the problem with the 90-91 tanks.

 

are you using a stock fuel pump?
also you might try pm'ing nickrps, CRX Lee or some other members that track their cars.

 

I wasn't aware the gas tank was changed from '89 to '90, that's very interesting. My gas level is staying well above half, although my cornering forces are a lot higher than the average street crx sees.

 

Depending on how DIY you are... you can always open the stock tank and put a thin sheet metal baffle in, it's nothing a cut off wheel, a good two weekend days and a mig welder can't do. But I bet as soon as you open your tank you'll see where your fuel has been running away to.

 

And dont forget to double check the grounding wire near the starter motor. If it jiggles loose, the fuel pump will cut... a left turn would be the right direction for pulling it out.

 

Excellent idea. I checked the grounds last night and they were solid.

I'm not sure if the rules allow me to baffle the gas tank. If it is indeed a bad design for the tank, I may get a newer generation gas tank or perhaps a fuel cell.

 

I had a customer that ordered a custom cell for an '85 crx not too long ago... ATL did a fantastic job on it.

of course, OTS ones work to but aren't nearly as cool

 

You might wanna check that the STOCK sock/screen is properly installed (pointed to the front of the car). My exact problem with these symptoms was an electrical gremlin (big gash in wire loom).....good luck

 

are you monitering your oil pressure durring those turns? everyone is talking fuel, but you all seem to forget that durring a hard left turn oil is moving away from the pickup and improper lubrication could cause it to feel like its bogging. check your oil level and oil pressure from the pump not the sensor. it could be lagging.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ponchdriver16 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">are you monitering your oil pressure durring those turns? everyone is talking fuel, but you all seem to forget that durring a hard left turn oil is moving away from the pickup and improper lubrication could cause it to feel like its bogging. check your oil level and oil pressure from the pump not the sensor. it could be lagging.</TD></TR></TABLE>

good call,
OP which turns?, which track?
If he WAS starving oil, wouldn't it cut fuel supply? not sure, but my 1977 honda did....
If he WAS starving oil, how long would the motor last under his RACE conditions?
OP more info please...fuel and / or electrical problems are often confused.....
have you replaced fuel pump recently?etc...
good luck

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ponchdriver16 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">are you monitering your oil pressure durring those turns? everyone is talking fuel, but you all seem to forget that durring a hard left turn oil is moving away from the pickup and improper lubrication could cause it to feel like its bogging. check your oil level and oil pressure from the pump not the sensor. it could be lagging.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have not been monitoring oil pressure, so I cannot say one way or the other if oil pressure is dropping in left hand turns. The stock d-series sump is quite good. After a couple of builds/rebuilds I have not seen evidence of oil starvation in my car.

Basically it happens in most left hand turns, in the past 3 weeks at Heartland Park and MAM. Camber and elevation are non-issues at these tracks.

 

the SI oil pickup is in a fairly deep well in the pan, so i don't think it could be oil starvation. But you should run an oil pressure guage to be sure.

 

they moved the fuel pumps for 90-91 but they still have the same problem. my 91 does it if its too low. i just keep it above 1/4 tank at all times now no matter what. it definetly helps.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pimpwagon &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">they moved the fuel pumps for 90-91 </TD></TR></TABLE>


I don't think that's true, because they have the same part # for 89, 90 crx and 90 civic si fuel tanks.....I think they did change the location and made a window for easy fuel pump access in 92+.....good luck