Required noobi intro.... - Page 2

95 honda delsol · 11-23-2011, 01:45 PM

RATS!; derailed my own train of thought. (That's a Transportation Corps joke.) It's just gotta be something that isn't one of the "usual suspects". Anything else this noobi is missing?

legacyo13 · 11-23-2011, 02:07 PM

Did you reset the ECU? What did you pull the solenoid off of?

95 honda delsol · 11-23-2011, 06:09 PM

Did not reset ECU. I've never messed w/ one before. Thought it would work or not. Can something cause it to reset to a default value?
Solenoid was replacement from Honda.

RedWabbit · 11-24-2011, 10:00 AM

wait so vtec engages now but you're having other issues? you know you're not supposed to feel vtec when it engages. it should be a smooth transfer of power into the upper rpm band. when you feel it that means you lose power then you get it back when it engages.

MortsAccord · 11-24-2011, 01:14 PM

I just read the short list of mods in your avatar. Are you 100% positive it is a b18c? Next whats the compression check out at?

Octane boosters are crappy and can cause your gas to ignite too slowly. They sometimes say "for offroad use only" which could imply they contain things that may clog a catalytic converter, such as lead.

A severely clogged cat will limit you to a RPM. where no matter what happens the car just wont go past it, like a RPM wall.

95 honda delsol · 11-24-2011, 03:00 PM

That's what I was told. I had that thought here of late, too. No, I'm not sure enough to bey my life on it. The octane booster uses MMT instead of lead. Maybe it clogs the Cat too.

Yes, I understand that the VTEC is supposed to be a smooth transition; Because it wasn't, I thought maybe it was chipped. Anyway, it was acceptable to me (I enjoyed the afterburner-like kick). NOW it's more like it should be, transition-wise. However, it had more power before in both low and high rpm bands. Which lends further credence to the catalytic converter theory - clogged due to booster or physical blockage.

Haven't checked compression. Gonna check the Cat first.

95 honda delsol · 12-12-2011, 07:46 AM

The mechanic who has been doing the work thinks that if the cat is clogged I'd have much less power than I do, so we didn't pull it out of the exhaust. It still runs well, just seems to me to have less power than it did. Tried going back to reg (87) fuel, premium (93), reg w octane booster again and now mid grade (89 octane). Same results. I have noticed through out all of this, the engine will "miss" just a split second as I hit somewhere in the 3400-3800 range, generally in third gear only; just as though the power to the plugs is interrupted for just a split second. Any thoughts? Does this point back to the ECU and programming? or one of the sensors giving bad data to the ECU?

mlfoy · 12-27-2011, 08:03 AM

I would still suspect the solenoid first, imo.

95 honda delsol · 01-13-2012, 08:50 AM

ALCON: I'm back. Been working 12 hr days, yesterday was 18hrs! plus an hour commute each way. Anyway, The car still performs as last reported. I have been running premium fuel instead of regular, with or without octane booster. VTEC always engages at appx 5400 rpm. on the way up, I often notice a slight miss or bump in the rpms at appx 3400 rpm as I smoothly accelerate. Most noticeable in 3rd gear at 3400rpm. I don't notice it at all when I have my foot firmly planted against the firewall and I'm going thru the gears at a high performance rate. Hope you all had a great Christmas/New Years.

fdjkas · 01-31-2012, 01:37 AM

Since the VTEC engages, but not as well as it did, can we eliminate the solenoid as a problem

NaPPyDUgout01 · 01-31-2012, 07:10 AM

Did you check it for Ghosts?

Darkness · 01-31-2012, 07:52 AM

how does vtec not engage as well as it did? it's an on off switch....

Aeroscout977 · 01-31-2012, 11:02 AM

A partially clogged CAT will cause partially reduced power. Check to make sure you don't have to much back pressure. Also Octane booster is a waste of money.

95 honda delsol · 01-31-2012, 07:24 PM

ROGER on the octane booster being a waste of money.

Nope; haven't checked for ghosts. Or homotrons. Linda like electrons or neutrons; You know, those queer little things that get into electronic gear and screw it up.

My poor choice of words - VTEC does engage very well after installation of new solenoid. It just doesn't seem to have the same great power, feel and sound it did before.