I am new to Hondas, but am an instructor on the east coast for DE events. We tracked our 89 CRX SI today for the first time and I have a fuel starvation poblem. Unless the tank is slap full, the car cuts out on left hand turns when the fuel sloshes to the right. This happens from 3/4 tank or less. We are good for about 8-10 laps and then need to top off.

Any of you experienced Honda guys run into this and are there any inexpensive fixes? All thought appreciated.

 

Wow... not so common I would think.
Simple troubleshooting should solve this though?
Is it a stock tank? If not check the location of the fuel lines and how they are routed.
Checking the fuel pick up line for location inside the tank.
If its moving about not on the bottom, and not attached, it would cause this issue.
Clogged fuel filters, bad pump, and lines are all things to look at first.
Wiring?
Id think the last thing would be the injectors or fuel rail.

 

I've run my 97 civic with stock tank on track till the gas light came on and it still wasn't cutting out.

 

i have the similiar problem that i need to take care of ASAP ever since i replaced my gas tank and fuel filter with cheap aftermarket part that what i get when you use cheap parts. plan to either fix problem and check what dirty 19 said or replace with race fuel tank.

it happens when i get close half way to empty and i start to break hard it will shut off i have not really tested it in hard turns.

good luck like dirty 19 said this not common and check the obvious and if anything has been replaced

oh yeah i ran my own custom lines so i might have more problems than you.

 

Check the fuel pump pickup in the tank. There's a little plastic tube that can get cracked or worn out, and when it does it screws up the vacuum or something, creating symptoms identical to what you're describing. There are people with starvation problems, but the severity of your issue sounds more like something is broken.

 

This is common on all EF 88-91 ....its the baffle not designed very well

 

It is in fact more common on the 88-89 cars than the 90-91 ones. I know of many autocrossers that can run their EF tanks at 1/8 or less. I could not run with any less than 5/8s to 3/4s of a tank, which meant sloshing so I always just ran it full. My chassis was an 89 Civic hatch STD. The people that claimed to run at 1/8 or less fuel were all in 90-91 chassis, or had updated their tanks to the 90-91 version. No one seems to know what the difference between the 2 is. Just that the newer ones work better.

Do a search here. There have been many discussons about this exact issue over the years. I ended up having my OEM tank baffled right to the top of the tank with the required trap doors at the bottom, and I was then able to run 1/8 or less fuel and never again had any issues with starvation.

 

well mine was also a 89 std then i tried a 89 SI then a 88 crx and a 90 civic it happened at shannonville on all of them how'd they let it go from the factory with this **** deisgn Anyways like Jaker said because he knows.

I haven 't done my doors yet Jaker but here are the pics of the tank

The problem is the fuel comes out over the left side of the baffle then the drain back holes on the bottom are so small that the fuel can't get back in fast enough.


I'm so excited I hope it works that well

 

Nice work. I actually ran the baffle right up to the top of the tank (within about 1/4" of the top cover to be welded back on). I also put 2 little trap doors at the bottom, one on each side that were hinged to open to the inside of the baffled area. That way, when going around a left corner, the trap door on the left of the tank would open to allow fuel outside the baffle to flow into the sump, and the trap door on the right of the tank would be forced closed by the G forces, to stop the fuel coming out. While going in a straight line, the doors would "leak" enough that the sump would stay full, and the return from the fuel rail also dumped inside the sump/baffle to help keep things topped up.

 

^OK I will try that , how did you make the return line dump into the baffle did you use rubber fuel line?


That tank/baffle is a aftermarket tank from Parts Source for a 89 civic by the way. I haven't seen inside a 90-91 tank or OEM tank

i would like to see inside a eg or type r tank lol

 

more pics i need to do the same and how are you welding the tank back together and avoid rust so not contaminate the fuel?

thanks

 

The OEM return is attached to the fuel pump holder, and runs down the side to dump right near the fuel pump pick up.

Didn't bother with any special coatings. The guy that did the welding is an Government certified aircraft welder that specialises in fuel tank, heat exchanger and propeller/ propeller hub welding, and he didn't see any need. I trusted his judgement.

 

Like already mentioned its a very common problem with EF's period. My 90 civic si would starve with about 3/4 tank of fuel and now 88 std does it even worst. A close friend of mine Chris Janusz built a baffle in his tank, but I never took the time to talk to him about it in detail. If he has pictures I will post them up. Considering I need to do it as well. Let me know if your design works out also.

 

WOW! Good feedback guys. Thanks much. Jaker-I was at the track when I wrote that and DID do a search but it came up with nothing. Looks like I need to find a good welder and have a spare tank baffled. I can see where it would be OK to just keep it topped off for autocross, but it started cutting out after about 8-10 laps on the track.

 

Just FYI, the information is DEFINITELY in the RRAX archives. You might have to change your search criteria a little bit, but I can 100% guarantee you it is there. Try terms like "fuel", "gas", "gastank", "starve", "starvation" etc.

 

Is it necessary to run a separate anti-surge pot/fuel pump next to the fuel cell, in order to prevent fuel starvation?
I ran a fuel cell in my race Cobra sometime ago and if the fuel got down much below half full, on some bends I got fuel starvation. I dare say it can hinge also on the selection of type/make of fuel cell

 

Here you go...

 

Nice piece, but it belongs in a show car, not a race car. You get hit or stuff that car into a wall and that piece will be rolling around in the trunk spraying fuel everywhere. You don't mount something like that with self tapping sheetmetal screws and you damn sure don't use rubber push on hose and fittings.

I see marshmellows and an insurance claim in that guys future.