General Tech Articles

Articles not necessarily pertaining to swaps or forced induction. Suspension, brakes, engine building, general how-to's and so forth.
There are many things you can do to increase the power of your engine. I'll briefly list and explain just a few ways. 1) Decrease air intake temperature --Decreasing the air intake temp causes more oxygen molecules to fit into your combustion chamber, which then requires more fuel for combustion. This causes the combustion reaction to explode with more pressure, and more power. Hot air intake would not allow as many oxygen molecules to enter combustion, hence making a weaker air/fuel combustion reaction. 2) Increase the intake flow --It is very important to let the combustion chambers of your cylinders recieve as much air as possible. With a restricted air flow into the cylinders, it creates more resistance when the crank has to...
This article assumes you have your factory engine. So, for the hybrids, I wouldn't abide by this unless you were running an engine with moderate compression and no type of forced induction. Courtesy of the FTC.. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/autos/octane.htm The Low-Down on High Octane Gasoline Are you tempted to buy a high octane gasoline for your car because you want to improve its performance? If so, take note: the recommended gasoline for most cars is regular octane. In fact, in most cases, using a higher octane gasoline than your owner’s manual recommends offers absolutely no benefit. It won’t make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage or run cleaner. Your best bet: listen to your owner’s manual...
ECU Modes There are 2 main operation modes for the ECU. Open Loop OPEN LOOP - this is the mode your ECU is in until the coolant temperature and a couple other sensors get to operating values. The ECU also runs the car in open loop when you are at Wide Open Throttle (WOT) or if there is an error condition causing a check engine light. Limp Mode Open Loop can place the car into a fault condition called Limp Mode. The concept is that something is wrong and the ECU will allow you to 'limp home'. This means, rpm limit around 3k and pulls timing/fuel to generate just enough power to drive it home. This condition helps protect the engine components from further damage and saves you a tow to bring it home or to a shop for repair. If...
Lost motion assemblies are basically valve springs for the VTEC followers in your valvetrain. The normal intake/exhaust followers have valves and valve springs to press against so they're not flopping around all the time, but the VTEC followers don't. The LMAs help to control their movement. I took some pictures a year ago when I was swapping out my LMAs. I went ahead and marked one of them up real quick so you can see exactly where the LMAs sit and what they look like: The picture is of a B16 head with the cams removed. You can clearly see the cam journals and the retainers on top of the valve springs. The rubber banded items are the cam followers. The center one is the VTEC follower, and the ridge in the middle is what...
Originally posted on the now defunct: http://www.geocities.com/chipman_13/AN-NPT.html AN and NPT Fittings Chart "AN" Thread Sizes AN sizes, originally developed for use by the U.S. Armed Forces ("A" for Army and "N" for Navy), describe the outside diameter (O.D.) of tubing in 1/16-inch increments. For example, an AN 2 fitting will fit a tube with an O.D. of 2/16", or 1/8", while an AN 8 fitting will fit a tube with an O.D. of 8/16", or 1/2". Because the actual thickness of tube walls can vary from brand to brand, the inside diameter of a tube is not used as a reference. You will also find the dash (-) symbol or the word "dash" itself used in conjunction with AN sizes. A "dash six" fitting translates to AN-6. AN fittings and JIC...
Quick answer: Short block = the engine block without the head (block casting, pistons, rods, crank, etc.) Long block = the complete engine, including the head (engine from valve cover to oil pan) A short block and/or long block are NOT substitutes for what most companies sell as a "complete changeover package". These changeover packages typically include the transmission, ECU, and other accessories you'll need to make the engine run in your car. If you buy just the long block, you'd better have the transmission/wiring/ECU for your application- and if you buy just a short block, make sure you have the proper head as well.
Building an LSVTEC Building an LS/VTEC is not for the feint of heart or shallow of wallet, but it is worth all the time and money that it will take. In this article I will assume that you have read our recommended parts list, you have an understanding of engine building, you own a Helm's (or equivalent) manual, and you have the parts you need for the minimum (in my opinion) build. An engine stand is a nice tool to have, it is not necessary but it is very helpful. You can get them at any major parts store; I got mine from AutoZone for $65. Our LSVTEC parts list gives several options, here is the list (beyond block and head) that I would call a minimum: Pistons from any B16 because LS pistons do not have large enough valve reliefs...
Spark Plug Reading Get help learning if your car is running too rich, too lean, too cold or too hot. There is a great website with a load of pictures for each event located here: http://www.dansmc.com/sparkplugs1.htm There's a link on the page to additional 30 images of plug conditions. Spark Plugs While this is a motorcycle site, spark plugs react the same ways in cars.
J30 Honda Accord V6 J Series Torque Specs Torque Specs (ft/lbs) Auto Drain Plug: 36 Manual Drain Plug: 29 Spark Plug: 156 in/lbs Wheel Lug Nuts: 80 Water Pump Retaining Bolts: 104 in/lbs Thermostat housing cover bolts: 104 in/lbs Throttle Body Mounting Nuts: 16 Fuel Pressure Regulator: …i4: 108 in/lbs …v6: 22 Fuel Pulsation Damper: 16 Engine Stiffener Bolt: …i4: 10mm bolt: 33 …i4: 12mm bolt: 47 …v6: 28 Transaxle to engine bolts: 47 Subframe Mounting Bolts: …10mm: 47 …12mm: 75 Clutch Master Cylinder mounting nuts: 110 in/lbs Clutch release cylinder mounting bolts: 17 Clutch pressure plate bolts: 19 Drive-axle/Hub Nut: 181 Intermediate shaft bearing support bolts: 29 Brake Hose to caliper banjo bolt: 25 Master Cylinder Mounting Nuts...
How many valve reliefs are in D15B6 pistons? Q: Why does anyone care? A: If you're going to swap the head on an HF engine to a 16 valve D series head, you might need a set of pistons with 4 valve reliefs each. So here we go- courtesy of ryan89crx, who pulled the head on his 89 CRX HF just to see how many valve reliefs he had in his pistons. There are only 2 reliefs per piston. Thanks Ryan!
Reseting the ECU won't do anything for you. . . you can read the code from the same ECU service connector (passenger side under dash) however to reset the light follow these steps. 1. turn ignition switch off, remove ECU service connector 2. connect (jump) the MES connector (this is 2 pin yellow connector wrapped in yellow plugged in the front of the underdash fuse box) 3. turn ignition switch on 4. SRS light will come on for 6 secs then go out, remove the jumper within 4 secs after the light goes out. 5. the SRS light will come on again, reconnect the jumper within 4 secs after the light has come on. 6. the SRS light will go off, remove the jumper with in 4 secs after the light has gone off. 7. the SRS light will blink two times...
Introduction to Auto Insurance This article clarifies the auto insurance industry and terminology as a whole. There is a lot of misinformation that keeps appearing on the forum. Coverage Types Bodily Injury - BI - Bodily Injury coverage protects you when you are legally liable for injury or death to others caused by your vehicle. Some of these expenses include medical treatment, lost wages and compensation for pain and suffering. Your own legal fees, bail bonds and court costs are also covered. In the event of a serious accident these costs can become very substantial and if you do not carry a sufficient limit of insurance, the person you injure may pursue compensation from your personal assets and earnings. In most states, in...
Unsprung Weight - Part 1 By: Eric Albert Introduction Every car built today has some type of suspension on it. Whether it's a double-wishbone or a MacPherson Strut design, we, as tuners, need to know a little more about suspension that just 'dropping' the chassis down a little bit. Let's take a deeper look at what exactly the job of your car's suspension is. Suspension on the Clock So we all know that suspension works. It works for you, but it never gets paid. In the same way as you and I work, we probably have different jobs. Suspension is no different. There are a few different ways your suspension works. The main job of your suspension is to suspend your car above the road. If that was the only reason for the existence of...
Unsprung Weight - Part 2 By: Eric Albert Introduction In the first part of this series, we took a look at the effects of high unsprung weight on suspension and handeling. In this part, we will look at rotating mass. Be careful not to confuse unsprung mass with rotating mass. Reducing both is good, but they are not the same. Let's take a look. Rotational Inertia (or Momentum) Rotational inertia is a concept a bit more difficult to deal with than unsprung weight. Inertia can be thought of as why a car wants to keep rolling once moving, or remain in place once stopped (unless you forget to set the parking brake on that hill). I believe the terms momentum and inertia are interchangeable. The term “flywheel effect” also refers to these...
VIN #'s By: Chet Hewitt VIN # Identification 1983 - 1989 Example VIN: 2HGEH234XNH537228 1st POSITION NATION OF ORIGIN 1 = USA 2 = Canada 3 = Mexico J = Japan K = Korea V = France 2nd POSITION MANUFACTURER H = Honda 3rd POSITION VEHICLE TYPE M = Passenger Car, Built in Japan G = Passenger Car, Built in USA/Canada 4th & 5th POSITION, 1983 BODY TYPE SR = Sedan WR = Wagon 4th & 5th POSITION, 1984-86 BODY TYPE I ENGINE AD = Accord AE = Prelude Sedan AE = Civic, l300cc CRX AF = Civic, l500cc CRX AG = Civic, 1300cc 3 door AH = Civic, l500cc 3 door AK = Civic, 1500cc 4 door AN = Civic, Wagon AR = Civic, Wagon 4X4 BA = Accord 6th POSITION, 1983-86 TRANSMISSION CODE 2 = Semi-Hondamatic 3 = 3 Speed Automatic 4 = 4 Speed Manual 5 = 5...
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