I just had a LS/Vtec motor swap done on my 98 civic EX by a shop about 1-2 weeks ago. When I first got my car back, I was told by the mechanic that my car was running rich and would have to get it tuned in order to get rid of the problem, but I would have to bring the car back after I broke the motor in at 1000-1500 miles. When idling, the car's RPM bounces up and down every now and then. Now, ever since this morning, my car has been having a gas leak. I was just wondering if the gas smell is "normal" with the other issues. The mechanic lives about an hour drive away, which is why I'm debating on going back. Do you guys know what's wrong and should I be looking for a new mechanic or is what the mechanic saying reputable? There is also no cat on the car-could this be the reason? Thanks

Also, if it matters, it's a GSR tranny with a GSR head on a B18B1 block. Brand new goodyear gatorback timing belt, OEM water pump, oil pump, ARP rod bolts & headstuds, golden eagle LSVTEC kit, new clutch/flywheel were used.


Modified by froogle29 at 8:31 AM 10/1/2008

 

Well the smell of raw fuel and running rich are very different, check in the engine bay for fuel leaks, I would guess from the fuel filter or the rail or maybe a leaking injector. sounds like a nice setup btw, good luck.

 

thanks for the input. Also, I'm not sure if it matters, but I'm running stock spark plugs from the D series motor with PR3 pistons and a stock non-chipped p28 ecu. Do any of these factor into the reasons why I'm running rich or the gas leak? thanks again

 

Like he said, check for leaks at the fuel rail, injectors, and filter, also the lines from the tank to the filter.

The ecu you are running is completey wrong for your set up. get your ecu chipped, and have the car tuned.

 

Will do. The mechanic said (or advised) me to not get my car tuned and my ecu chipped until I break in the motor. Does running a non-chipped ecu damage my engine? Thanks

 

I imagine it can cause a catastrophic engine problem but its probably not likely. I would get it tuned asap. Either that or just get a GSR ecu to run in it in the meantime.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SilverAWD &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I would get it tuned asap. </TD></TR></TABLE>

 

running too rich or too lean can cause engine damage. A gsr ecu could be a good alternative until you can get an ecu chipped.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by froogle29 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">thanks for the input. Also, I'm not sure if it matters, but I'm running stock spark plugs from the D series motor with PR3 pistons and a stock non-chipped p28 ecu. Do any of these factor into the reasons why I'm running rich or the gas leak? thanks again</TD></TR></TABLE>

why are you using D series sparkplugs in your B series? thats pretty awkward man