Honda Civic / Del Sol (1992 - 2000) EG/EH/EJ/EK/EM1 Discussion

98 Civic DX Coupe not achieving rated power

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Old Apr 4, 2012 | 12:27 PM
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Default 98 Civic DX Coupe not achieving rated power

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Last edited by gnarlycs; Jan 13, 2013 at 08:22 AM.
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Old Apr 4, 2012 | 12:31 PM
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Default Re: Old Civic not achieving rated power

The engine was rated at 106hp when brand new. With losses from the drivetrain --about 10-15% correct me if I'm wrong--the engine actually had somewhere around 90-95hp. Now taking into consideration it's old and worn out, you might be making 70-80hp now.

The amount of money you'd have to spend on bolt-ons to gain 20-30 additional hp would be quite large. I would suggest a different motor choice or investing in a mild turbo setup.
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Old Apr 4, 2012 | 12:41 PM
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Default Re: Old Civic not achieving rated power

Well I'm really looking for an excuse to take apart my engine for the hell of it. So I kinda wanna clean something in it.
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Old Apr 4, 2012 | 12:48 PM
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Default Re: Old Civic not achieving rated power

Originally Posted by gnarlycs
Well I'm really looking for an excuse to take apart my engine for the hell of it. So I kinda wanna clean something in it.
Cleaning stuff usually means spending money on gaskets. This will not affect your engines output, I promise. However, it will make your wallet more streamlined.
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Old Apr 4, 2012 | 01:12 PM
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Default Re: Old Civic not achieving rated power

Mechanically, as long as it's had decent oils change intervals and has good compression,
I don't see why it would be making significantly less power than it used to.

Now if it desperately needs other maintenance, like an ignition tune-up for example,
then it could be loosing power and fuel economy.



Originally Posted by gnarlycs
Well I'm really looking for an excuse to take apart my engine for the hell of it. So I kinda wanna clean something in it.


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Old Apr 4, 2012 | 01:45 PM
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Default Re: Old Civic not achieving rated power

Originally Posted by kp
The engine was rated at 106hp when brand new. With losses from the drivetrain --about 10-15% correct me if I'm wrong--the engine actually had somewhere around 90-95hp. Now taking into consideration it's old and worn out, you might be making 70-80hp now.

The amount of money you'd have to spend on bolt-ons to gain 20-30 additional hp would be quite large. I would suggest a different motor choice or investing in a mild turbo setup.
or just get a faster car.
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Old Apr 4, 2012 | 01:53 PM
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Default Re: Old Civic not achieving rated power

Originally Posted by gnarlycs
I doubt it's actually achieving that now
And have you had it on a dyno to figure this out? Because that's the ONLY way you could know what the power output of your engine is now.

If it isn't smoking, misfiring or giving you any type of trouble, just perform all regular maintenance. It's a D16Y7. Those aren't really synonymous with the word "power". If you want more pep, find a transmission off of an EX.
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Old Apr 4, 2012 | 02:35 PM
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Default Re: Old Civic not achieving rated power

Originally Posted by RT_NEWYORK
or just get a faster car.
I'll assume that was poorly executed sarcasm.
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Old Apr 4, 2012 | 03:01 PM
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Default Re: Old Civic not achieving rated power

Does your ride go:

Bwaaaaa BWAAAAAAAAA BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

or

vroom vroom vroom?
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Old Apr 4, 2012 | 03:07 PM
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Default Re: Old Civic not achieving rated power

The rated power is at the flywheel.


Instead of taking the engine apart, would you settle for taking the car apart?

A Ls/b20 with a b16/GSR/Type R transmission would make for a great little DD. And wont totaly kill the wallet.
Play with that for a little while, and then can swap in a Vtec head.
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Old Apr 4, 2012 | 06:26 PM
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Default Re: Old Civic not achieving rated power

My car as a whole is in great shape besides the body, no rust, but lots of dents and scratches, etc. But the engine has literally no problems, it sounds great. It sounds really mean and aggressive, however it only sounds that way. It's just slow.. Some suspension pieces still have factory black paint on them showing absolutely no signs of rust, however it might have had those pieces replaced (IDK). But my car is in great shape as far as the inner-workings of it go.

Also, no I have no ran it on a dyno. I don't even know where to go to do that. And how much do they usually cost?
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Old Apr 4, 2012 | 06:45 PM
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Default Re: Old Civic not achieving rated power

Slam the distributor full advance lolz.
I would first just check base ignition timing correctly,
and see what window exists if any.
sorry if you had already done this.
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Old Apr 4, 2012 | 07:31 PM
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Default Re: Old Civic not achieving rated power

it's a y7, they're slow. Ask me how I know....


$40 is the normal cost for a simple dyno run around here.
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Old Apr 5, 2012 | 05:45 AM
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Default Re: Old Civic not achieving rated power

you are not gonna have as much "power" because your car is almost 15 years old. daily wear and tear takes a toll on every car. plus the d15y7 isnt a powerhouse just as grumble said, its not even vtec. if you want a faster car, id suggest looking on craigslist and looking for a swap, then you can rip apart a motor like you wanted and possibly rebuild your swap. granted, its not gonna be cheap.
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Old Apr 5, 2012 | 06:25 AM
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Default Re: Old Civic not achieving rated power

Plan a build
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