Tonight I was going down the road and when I was switching into 4th gear I accidently dropped down to 2nd. This is not a good thing at all. I quickly pushed the clutch in and put into 4th. All seemed fine going down the road (not check engine light or anything like that) until I was pulling into a parking lot and the rpm's were going down and the car stalled on me. When I trid to start it back up, it sounds funny and idles really bad. Like I have huge cams in it or something. I took it down the road and it drives fine until I come to a stop and then it acts like it wants to die on me. A couple guys said that I probably messed the timing up. I called the Acura 1800 line and had a tow truck come to tow it and he said that my car was too low and he refused to tow it for me. I asked about a flat bed and he said that it would mess my car up. I had no choice to drive it home (about 14 miles) and that is when the check engine light came on. Has anyone else ever had this prblem? If so, could you shed some light on me and let me know what I my have screwed up? Much thanks in advance. I am going to call the dealer in the morning and try to drop it off and see what prblem is. I hope it is just the timing. Wish me luck.

 

could be timing with the rough idle.

But with the misshift, a rough idle and hard starts can also be signs of bent valves.....does the car have a lack of power? is the exhaust sputtering? If it stalled on you.....thats definetly not a good thing.....possibly bent some valves......did you get to see where the revs went up to?

I hope it's just timing.

keep us posted (well, just me at the moment)



[Modified by Ricehornet, 3:27 AM 6/13/2001]

 

The revs probably hit 9.5 or a little higher. The exhuast is sputtering and there does not seem to be any lose of power. When I drove it home, I got on it a little just to see (took revs to about 6k) and all seemed fine up in the higher rpm's. It's just the lower rpm's that it is having the problem. I just hope all this will be covered under warrenty.

 

Definately bent valves. Be happy you didnt drop a valve. It will cost a little money to fix, but it could have been worse.

 

good luck I'd agree probably bent valves.

 

uh... what's the CEL code.

 

I once dropped my R into 2nd @ about 80 mph on the highway. I pushed the clutch in and everything was cool. is your car stock?

 

If the tach said 9.5 then you probably hit 9-9.1.. which isn't good, but isn't all that bad either, I've hit higher than that in a 97 R before (stock motor) but that car never stalled afterwards either..... If it's not timing then it's a bent valve.. like GZR4DR said, just be _glad_ that you didn't drop a value.. replacing a bent valve isn't nearly as bad

But the CEL code will help to determine it, but I'm sure Acura will tell you whats up with it shortly anyways.. be prepared to pay tho

 

Bent exhaust valves and its not really under warranty unleast you got a hook up at the dealer. Time to send your head to portflow and get some cams and valve train.
I wish you the best of luck, on the good note when you or your mechanic takes the valve cover off the part that holds your valve/spring, could of came loose as well and you can just get away easily by doing a valve adjustment. But since its idling bad its 99% you bents some exhaust valves.
EVIL


[Modified by Evil GS-R, 7:27 AM 6/13/2001]

 

After hearing all of the stories about bent valves I must say that I am very lucky. Last summer when letting my friend drive me to my wedding we shifted poorly and brought the revs well into 9K and nothing happened. I even had the dealer do a special check everything this spring. I used the excuse that the car was hibernation all winter so I wanted a full check of the engine to make sure that everything was working properly since is was sedentary for so long.

I will admit as well that I have made a few of those mistakes as well. I guess it is all a matter of luck.

 

That happened to me before in my 3000GT SL except I was doing 105mph in third when I accidentally went to second. The car redlines at 7,000rpms but the needle shot to the end of the tach 9,000rpm's. At that speed it was actually turning to 10,000rpms. Needless to say it stretched the timing belt which had to be replaced but it didn't bend any valves. Mitsubishi has a engine cutoff if one downshifts past the limiter. I am suprised honda doesn't have the same.

 

Heh, their special test was probably just having a mechanic take it on a banzai run. You think I'm kidding?

Warren

 

I just dropped my car off at the dealer a little while ago. One of the guys heard the way it was idling but he couldn't give me a idea of what was wrong. Oh well, I am just going to go back to bed for a while and maybe hear something from them sometime today. I had a hard time going to sleep lastnight. Just say that it is not coverd under warrenty, how much is this going to cost me? Oh, to answer your ?'s about my car being stock. My car has a AEM CAI and a Apex N-1 exhuast. There is no motor work done. I would like to do some cams and stuff like that, but I can't spend that much $ right now. I will keep all of you all posted.

 

exactly same problem with my friend. EXACTLY THE SAME.

1. bent valves
2. defective clutch

cost 4000US to fix it, Acura warrant it though

Acura change the following things for him
1. all valves
2. block
3. all pistons
4. cylinder head

cam and cam gears stay, clutch is not warranty because it's a wearable item.

He ended up paying ~100US for the clutch...
and basically a new engine.

 

YOU TOOK YOUR CAR TO THE DEALER WITH THE AEM???? WHY?
THEY MAY NOT WARRANT IT IF THAT'S THE CASE, DEPENDS ON THE DEALER.
My friend's car is stock when he had the miss-shift, bent valves problems, so they warrant it and
He asked what would happen if a header and an intake are installed, the dealer said forget about
The warranty thing if that's the case.

 

That's because dealers are stupid. They have to PROVE a part did the damage. They're not going to prove an AEM bent some valves.

 

you are right, they are damn stupid.

COREY ITR#625,

but it really depends on which dealer you go to. The one that my friend go to explicitly said that
for intake header, flywheel, pulley, turbo, supercharger
anything that has a direct connection to the engine will void the engine's warranty.
So, AEM will for sure void the warranty of it.
If a particular dealer gives you a hard time, go to another one and until you find one that will do the warranty work for you.
but if I were you, I will really take out the AEM.

 

AEM voids the warranty?

Maybe in the Socialist Paradise of Canada... but I've had warranty work on my ITR with the AEM on there (no bent valves, just a MAP sensor) and my dealer didn't bat an eye.

 

yes, I came across 2 dealers that will not do warranty work to the engine if AEM is installed.
They said there is always a chance of aftermarket parts doing damage to the engine.

The dealer you went to did the warranty work for you doesn't mean another dealer will do
exactly the same thing. They do the warranty work and then Acura America approve it and
send the money back to the dealer. So, some dealers will take the risk and some don't because
after they do the warranty work, they may not get the money back from ACura America.
For any warranty work claim, the dealer has to send the defective parts back to Acura America
for examination.

 

I've had this happen a while back at VIR. I was racing a CRX and I mis-shifted the upshift from 4th and hit 3rd. The revs jumped "only" to 8.1K rpm because I was lucky that I was short shifting the car at that time. What hurts the engine is not necessarily how high you hit (although the higher the revs go, the worse), but the fact that the engine is forced to those high RPMs very fast and suddenly. 8.1K is not too far from our regular shift points, anyway. However, forcing the engine to suddenly rise up in RPM is what causes damage.

The car then felt like it was not making the same power due to a loss in compression and the oil pressure was reading about 30 psi higher. Needless to say, I came in the pits that same lap. The engine did stall at idle. The race shop we go to, OPM Motorsports, took the engine apart. No vales were bent, just the valve guides. The guides were replaced and the head was put back together and the engine is now running stronger than it ever did.


[Modified by Hracer, 12:39 PM 6/13/2001]

 

Cita: THe AEM wont matter in this case, there will be *no* evidence of hydrolock based on what happened. IF the dealer even bitches just call up Acura's main CA office and file complaints. Now.. I can see his repairs not being covered by warranty because it'll be obvious that the motor was overreved, but it wont be because of the AEM.

Also, dealerships will warrant clutches, we've had a 97 R with 43,000 miles (~7500 of those road racing, about 2000 more autox and a few thousand drag) and Acura paid for the clutch, just gotta find a good dealership. (oh yeah, that car had an AEM, rollcage, race tires on the car, helmet in the car and exhaust when it went into the dealership).

Having said the above, yes some dealerships are asses when it comes to warranty work, not so much because of the "risk" involved but the fact that cash jobs always pay better than warranty work.

 

http://www.sema.org/warranty/

Good website...

 

Sounds like you bent valves, for sure. I guess it's all the luck of the draw. Two years ago I had a Mugen N1 OBD 1 ecu in a '94 HB with a bone stock GSR motor in it. I used to spin that puppy to 9k+ sometimes, and the car ran low 14's shifting at 9k . When I finally sold it last year, I popped a stock GSR ecu back in and sold it to some kid. That motor hasn't dropped or bent a valve to this day. And that kid beats that GSR like a rented mule. I see him all the time. I guess it's all luck!

 

I have not heard anything yet on my car. My dealer has seen my AEM and has never said anything about it. Only that I have a chance of hydrolock. My AEM has nothing to do with what happened to my car lastnight. It was more or less drivers error than anything. If it is the case that they won't warrenty my car for it, I will take it off and put the Apex intake on it. It is not a CAI. Or maybe get the Comptech Icebox. I am not going to worry about it anymore. I will just wait for the news from the dealer and I will let you all know something tomorrow probably. Still crossing my fingers though.

 

I wish I would have caught this post earlier.I have had the EXACT same thing happen.I checked the code myself b4 taking it in.It was a misfire code in cylinder 3.So I took it in and played dumb.It also helped that the people at the dealer are my friends.Anyhow,it ended up being three bent valves in #3 and #3 rod was bent.All replaced under warranty