Okay I need some help as I am not very savvy when it comes to Hondas but I'm still learning.

Here is my set up:

b16 (84mm bore) block guard
CTR head and cams
11:1 compression
AEM Fuel rail and FPR
RC 550cc injectors
255 walbro
Skunk2 cam gears
Aem underdrive pulleys
Fidanza fly
spec2 stage 2 clutch
AEM SRI
DC header and exhaust
Stock and intact cat
stock Manifold and TB.
350 miles on build.

Set up was dyno tuned Monday Jan 25, 2010 by John Vegas in Tampa


Here is the problem:

I was riding home from class and got up to about 5200 rpms and the car lost power. Seemed like the car was not firing on all cylinders. Got home and checked the plugs. All of them were white; snow white. I know this means lean. Now, i went ahead and replaced the plugs, the wires, and the distributor cap just to b/c it needed it and i thought it might be an ignition issue. Drove the car and was fine for 10 mins and then back to the feeling of not firing on all. Now I'm sure it's and issue with fuel. I am in the works of replacing the filter and i called John to see if he had any advice.

Any advice from you guys? I know the basics of a motor and the mechanics of it. But I am clueless when it comes to tuning and fuel injection. Anything else I should check or do? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Start with the fuel system stuff:

- clean filter?
- fuel pressure correct?

If there is not an obvious fuel problem, start checking your harness. A loose connection is a classic cause of intermittent problems like this. Then make sure all of your grounds are good. Lastly, check your alternator output - an inconsistent voltage can cause the sensors to produce incorrect signals and throw off the tune.

Best of luck with your project.

 

^^^

thanks for the advice hopefully it's not something serious.. already vested too much money in this car to tear it apart again.

I really hope it's something as simple as the fuel filter, I hope it has nothing to do with the tune.

 

New filter... and fuel pressure good..

I did check the alternator with a Multimeter and the battery read normal. Started the car, volts read low 14's. Then turn on some accessories and the volts drop down to high 11 and low 12...

Car is still acting the same could this be a result of not enough volts? Still need help on this... anyone.

 

For an 84mm bore, your going to need to have the block sleeved. You aware of this?

 

Did the volts stay down that low with all the accessories on or did it jump up to the 14 range? When the car is off what is the voltage reading on the battery?

 

yes sir I am...I had the engine built in orlando.

and it stayed that low with them on; and when the car is off it reads high 12.8.
When I accelerate the engine speed the volts would go up. Did a compression test and they as follows 1,2,3,4... 210, 220, 210 and 195ish.

 

I don't think your problem has anything to do with the compression or the general condition/health of the engine itself. Sounds like a fuel or ignition related issue. You say it feels like there is no power... when you step on the gas, does it accelerate at all? Is it slow to rev? Does the firing pattern sound different at all?

 

it does accelerate but it is slow to rev and sounds like boxer engine when it revs... no power though.

 

I agree with this as the most likely problem area.

- did the car run fine immediately after the tune?
- how long from the time you had it tuned to when you noticed the initial problem?
- did you change ANYTHING between the tune and the problems?
- go over the harness and make sure all of you sensor connections are good.
- go over all of your grounds and make sure they are all clean.

I have tuned a couple of cars with wonky alternators and they would just not run consistently until we fixed that issue. Have the battery and the alternator tested - I think AutoZone will do it for free.

Best of luck.

 

Tune was done this past monday and I had problem on Wednesday night. I'll have the battery and Alternator checked.

The whole fuel system is new with exception of the lines... lol

Also I checked battery ground, tranny ground, and the engine ground. Are there more then that? sorry Im a noob. And I'll check all the sensors and plugs again.

 

at the very least the charging system sounds weak. Check your battery with the car off and you should see 12-12.5 V, any less than that and your battery may be on its way out. If the alternator isn't putting out at least 13.8+ V at idle with the accessories on, I'd say it's also on its way out.

 

From what you have provided me, your problem isn't in the charging system. Im not sure why the focus is there? Anyways, check your plug wires, plugs, cap and rotor. I am thinking you will find your problem in the plug wires themselves. If you have another set of plug wires, swap them out and try that.

 

The battery is good and stays around 12.8volts. It does drop with accessories off though.... down around 11.9-12.4. with the motor on and no accessories it is around 14+.

I replaced the plug wires, plugs, cap and rotor already tho. It was good up for up to 10 mins then once i drive the car it goes back to the sluggish feel and boxer sound.

 

The boxer sound is the sound of a cylinder that is only pumping fuel/air and is not firing. You have something going on with your ignition system, I assure you that. Its especially obvious to me since you replaced the wires and cured the problem, then it came back. You should now know where your problem lies, its just a matter of finding out the cause. Check the wires again. Look to see if they are broken/burnt. Check the rotor and the cap. Perhaps the cap is cracked allowing the spark to arc and short to ground? Maybe the coil is dying? Since its a coil, it would be effected by heat. Maybe the 10 mins of driving produced enough heat to cause the problem to resurface? I think you should focus your attention on the distributor and wires.

You in the northern California area perhaps?

 

no man, I'm in Tampa, FL. That seems to make sense. I'll check the cap and the rotor and the wires along w everything with that. Now how would I check the coil to see if it is going bad. Also what if the distributor was going bad? how would I determine that?

 

I agree that normally means a dead hole, but he said all of his plugs were indicating a lean burn. If a cylinder is not firing, the plug will make it pretty obvious - usually it will literally have gas all over it. When a car is very lean, it runs with a similar sound, like a continual series of tiny muffled backfires.

 

Well I replaced the plugs and now they seem wet with fuel... so it seems like a ignition problem. I showed my plugs to my tuner and he said they look fine to him. In fact he was the one that told me do a compression check but the numbers were good and strong. Keep in mind the motor is still in it's "break in period" and im only 350 miles deep.

 

Yes but I think you need to learn to kind of look past certain things when trying to troubleshoot over the internet. Sure, he said they look lean TO HIM... but perhaps he let them sit for a period and the fuel that was all over the ends evaporated? Perhaps he had a low light condition? Maybe he didn't check them closely for signs of detonation? Everyone seems to have their own idea on what lean looks like.

Anyways, the boxer sound is a dead give away. Every single time I have run into this its been a cylinder not firing. I've been doing this for many many years so I am pretty confident, as I am sure you are, that this is a dead cylinder. Hes got something going on with the ignition system. What it is, I don't know for sure. Trying to troubleshoot over the internet sucks sometimes.

 

agree... internet sucks but I take it as a learning experience and try everything with in reason. Now how the hell do i check for a faulty dist or coil?

 

If you suspect a dead hole, check each plug to make sure it is firing. The simplest way is to pull one plug wire at a time and see if it affects the idle. If the idle changes, put it back and move on to the next wire. If a cylinder is not firing, pulling the plug will have no effect.

 

I understand that. Its why I didn't assume the sound he is describing was a dead hole.

 

Are the plug wires installed in the correct firing order?

 

okay... when I removed each plug wire then the car idled worse with each one being removed. My tuner looked at my compression number and said that those number aren't great for a low mileage motor. so now what? take the motor out? If that's the case then I'm going b20... ****ing motor.

 

Probably should do a leakdown at this point.