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

It is ok to drive while the car is running RICH?

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Old Oct 20, 2003 | 06:38 PM
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Default It is ok to drive while the car is running RICH?

My brother is going to give me his car pretty soon and he told me its running kind of rich. Is it okay for me to drive it around like that for a year or 2? I am only 16 and probably wont get it tuned or anything till I get enough money(which will take quite long). By the way he has a Gs-R head with Type r block. Running rich wont effect the motor or wear it down, right?
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Old Oct 20, 2003 | 06:50 PM
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Default Re: It is ok to drive while the car is running RICH? (XViEtBoiX)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by XViEtBoiX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> My brother is going to give me his car pretty soon and he told me its running kind of rich. Is it okay for me to drive it around like that for a year or 2? I am only 16 and probably wont get it tuned or anything till I get enough money(which will take quite long). By the way he has a Gs-R head with Type r block. Running rich wont effect the motor or wear it down, right?</TD></TR></TABLE>
running rich is relative. you could be washing the cylinder walls and that's not good.
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Old Oct 20, 2003 | 06:54 PM
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better tthan lean.
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Old Oct 20, 2003 | 06:55 PM
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Default Re: It is ok to drive while the car is running RICH? (XViEtBoiX)

Yup. You could totally wash out your rings and bearings, causing a total engine loss...

Spend the money and get it fixed.
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Old Oct 20, 2003 | 06:57 PM
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Default Re: It is ok to drive while the car is running RICH? (XViEtBoiX)

First off, your sure the motor is running too rich for itself?

In the short run, no. In the long run, yes. Running rich for TOO long will cause problems for your motor.

Number one, you'll waste more fuel. Number two, the inside of your valvetrain and the inside of the combustion chamber will have more carbon build-up. Number three, the spark plugs will foul up (get black) causing lack of spark and once again, wasted fuel AND power. Number four, blah blah blah...

Point is, try to determine why it's getting so rich in it's air/fuel mix. Don't mean to make you worried over fuel delivery issues, but it's a good idea to keep your engine running in its optimal range...neither rich nor lean. BUT, if you slap on a turbocharger for that engine, more air + more fuel = more power!

Try to take a look at the motor's components (i.e. fuel filter, spark plugs, idle speed, ANY check engine lights, etc.) and see how they appear. Pick up a repair manual for your car's motor (or a SIMILAR engine type of Honda's) and kind of go through the basic check-ups you can do. It also help to know when the last time the engine was tuned up (if it's been used for a while now) and who did the work, if any was done.

Basically, if you don't see black smoke coming out the exhaust (muffler, tailpipe, "fart" pipe), then the engine is probably not running OVER rich. Have fun!
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Old Oct 20, 2003 | 07:09 PM
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Default Re: It is ok to drive while the car is running RICH? (XViEtBoiX)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by XViEtBoiX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> ... By the way he has a Gs-R head with Type r block...</TD></TR></TABLE>
is it rich on all cylinders? does it have an aftermarket fuel pressure regulator? there's really only a couple of things that will cause it run rich.
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Old Oct 20, 2003 | 09:49 PM
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does a bit of backfire mean rich lean or something else?
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Old Oct 21, 2003 | 12:18 PM
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I do not see any black smoke or any smoke at all coming from the muffler. The car does idle a little rough though. How do you really find out if the motor is running rich? I have no clue, my brother just told me this... and he didnt say why. so more help is good. Thanks guys.
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Old Oct 21, 2003 | 12:25 PM
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Default Re: It is ok to drive while the car is running RICH? (Revolveu2)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by XViEtBoiX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> I do not see any black smoke or any smoke at all coming from the muffler. The car does idle a little rough though. How do you really find out if the motor is running rich? I have no clue, my brother just told me this... and he didnt say why. so more help is good. Thanks guys.</TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Revolveu2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yup. You could totally wash out your rings and bearings, causing a total engine loss...
Spend the money and get it fixed. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Ask him why, then tell us, it may possibly be an easy fix, or at least relatively cheap to fix...... but yeah, it is possible that you could f*** something up in the long run, especially if you want to drive it running rich for 2 years

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Old Oct 21, 2003 | 12:25 PM
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Default Re: (static456)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by static456 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">does a bit of backfire mean rich lean or something else?</TD></TR></TABLE>

backfire means its running rich, excessive fuel is being burnt off in the header
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Old Oct 21, 2003 | 12:29 PM
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Default Re: (pennies_hatchie)

Also, running rich will cause your catalytic converter to crap out early!!
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Old Oct 21, 2003 | 04:41 PM
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What is backfire? Have no clue what this is. Also he has no catalytic converter just a straight downpipe. Why would it run rich anyways? The engine has only about 20k miles on it. Man this is gay. I need to talk to him and clear this up.
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Old Oct 23, 2003 | 05:14 PM
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bump
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Old Oct 23, 2003 | 05:23 PM
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Default Re: (XViEtBoiX)

bump for you man...i want to know how long is too long? is it all relative?
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Old Oct 23, 2003 | 06:17 PM
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Default Re: It is ok to drive while the car is running RICH? (XViEtBoiX)

if you have a cat converter you can destroy the inside and it will plug the exuast
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Old Oct 23, 2003 | 06:31 PM
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Default Re: It is ok to drive while the car is running RICH? (Who Said)

just my .02 but check your o2 sensor. Thats causing me to run too rich. I'm buying a used one from a ht guy soon so i hope my problem goes away.
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Old Oct 23, 2003 | 07:03 PM
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Default Re: It is ok to drive while the car is running RICH? (ramz7887)

My car runs hella rich too, is there a way I can fix it or do I have to take it and get tuned? No smoke, but it fouls plugs pretty quick. And I get headaches from the fumes while driving
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Old Oct 23, 2003 | 07:09 PM
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Default Re: It is ok to drive while the car is running RICH? (XViEtBoiX)

your brother sounds pretty cool if he is giving you that car. I would just ask him why it is running rich. It would save you a lot of trouble.
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