My 90 hf well seasoned b16 swap has been running great for many miles, never any real problems I didn't create until recently. Car was originally a 90 HF stock, with just the 1st gen b16 swap about 5 years ago. It was converted a couple years ago to OBD1 with a new dist and 4 wire 02 and running a chipped P28 ecu. No problems for like 15K miles.

Began as a no start situation after sitting 5 minutes while I was at post office. Came out out, cranked strong and wouldn't fire. Tried numerous times pausing a minute between each attempt. I tried to roll start it, no luck.

Swapped in a replacement main relay from a boneyard I had as a spare in the glove compartment and it fired right up. Drove home a couple miles. (not to self - wondering if all EF relays are the same)

Car starts a few hours later, and begins loosing power like something is holding it back. When hitting vtec and at WOT, it sounds like a truck going nowhere. I stop and let it cool. This is where it gets wierd, parking brake racthet doesn't work...no more notches when engage. I look underneath car and smell a bit of melted plastic like the exhaust has heated up something nearby. Let car cool more and then it starts fine and I limp it home, but this time barely making it. Seems to get worse with engine warming up.

I thought perhaps the cat converter might be plugged since all the starts (when the relay failed) probably filled the intake with raw fuel....who knows?

I have since borrowed a fuel pressure kit from autozone. I test at 30 psi at idle and 40 when bumping the linkage.

When I pinch the line to the fuel regulator the fuel pressure stays at 30 psi no matter what I do to the throttle.

Thoughts?

Autozone specs said a 99 si B16 should test at 38-45 psi pinched. This was originally an HF with as far as I know stock HF fuel pump which by the way has worked flawlessly with great power for years.

Am I correct thinking the converter might be plugged up?

 

BUMP, surely somebody's been here before...or has an idea about this.