General Tech Articles

Articles not necessarily pertaining to swaps or forced induction. Suspension, brakes, engine building, general how-to's and so forth.
How to Change your Axle(s) on 88-00 Civic, 90-01 Integra The axle swap only takes about half an hour (for me). If it's your first time, budget out about 1-2 hours. You'll need a 14mm socket, 17mm socket, 32mm socket and breaker bar (for the spindle nut), ratchet and torque wrench, hammer/mallet, pipe wrench (my preference). Get some cotter pins to replace the old crusty ones from your castle nuts too (two total if you take EVERYTHING apart). What I basically do is: Remove center cap from wheel or remove hubcap- this may require wheel removal Have the car sitting on the ground on all wheels Remove spindle nut from end of axle through center of wheel (it's really hard to do with the car in the air) Jack up corner of car Remove wheel...
Okay, after seeing how messed up my tires looked after the 30.5mm drop from the Tein SS coilovers, I decided it was a good idea to get a camber kit and fix my camber problems. I went with a Skunk2 front camber kit (which I got new for $175). The kit is very simple. It comes with two adjustable upper arms. The install is simple enough but Skunk2 does not provide any instructions, so I figured now would be the time to write up a how-to article. :) Here we go: The Skunk2 camber kit [attachmentid=44] you'll need these tools [attachmentid=45] First, jack up the car and take the wheel off. I started on the driver's side (left) first. [attachmentid=46] Look at the tread... ouch [attachmentid=47] A couple pics of the OE upper arm...
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...
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...
Building an LS All-Motor Monster Just because you don't have VTEC doesn't mean you can't romp on others who do. In fact, the LS B18B1 motor is a very good starting point for building a good-power, street-able motor on a budget. Let's take it in 2 steps- head and block. The LS Head As we all know, the LS head has horrible flow ratings in comparison to a VTEC head. No problem. With some machine work, a port and polish job can up the flow a good amount. The intake manifold is also highly restrictive. A simple bolt-on upgrade to a Skunk2 unit will help get some power in there as well. Cams: how big do you want to go? Crower makes some good cams for a reasonable price. at nearly half the cost of VTEC cams, LS cams can be had...
Here's a quick lesson into how and why you'd want to solidify your motor mounts. Let's start with a little bit of theory. Back in the day, engines were just bolted to the frame rails of the cars making for very little inter-chassis movement(engine moving inside the car). This was ok, because with a V8, the power hits every 45 degrees alone the axis so the vibration is distributed pretty evenly over a circle. However in I4 configurations, the power hits every 90 degrees of the crank turn and it's momentum sometimes is transferred forward or backward depending upon where in the cycle, each cylinder is. This is why they came up with rubber engine mounts, that look something like this: This flexibility makes it so that the harsh...
There are two main battles about break-in. First, is the easy break in. Personally, I don't buy this anymore. But, for the record- here it is anyway. Let the engine idle for 10 min then idle at 2000 rpm for 10 min. turn car off and let it settle for about 5-10 min. 0-200 miles. Try to keep the highest rpm under 3000 rpm. Every 15-20 miles, spin the engine to 4500 rpm in first and sometimes in second gear. 200-400 miles. Try to keep the revs limited to 3500 rpm. Raise the revs rpm to 5500 with the same frequency as above. 400-600 miles. Go to 4000 rpm for driving limit. Raise the revs to 6000 - 6500 rpm and include 3rd gear pulls, same frequency as above. 600-800 miles. 4500 rpm driving limit. rev it to 7000 rpm and...
Adjusting Cam Gears By: Adam Pilchak This procedure was performed on my 94 del sol with a JDM b16 sir II swap. It will be the same on any b16 engine and you can more than likely follow a similar procedure on any b series engine. First, make sure the car is not SUPER hot. You will need to remove the valve cover to do this job, so make sure the car is cool and all that stuff. Also, click the images for a larger version. First, gather all your tools: 19 mm socket wrench, timing light, 10mm socket wrench, 12 mm wrench, 12mm socket and a good set of Metric Allen wrenches. In order to change the timing on a b series engine with the valve cover still intact, we need to remove it. This can be accomplished by taking off the 8 chrome...
How to: Leakdown and Compression Tests There is some confusion between the leakdown and compression test. They are two different tests that test two different things. In this article, we will explain the basics of how to do each test, and what the results mean. Compression Test: To do a compression test, you remove the spark plug and put in the gauge. Remove all the spark plug wires from the dist or just undo the coil if so equipped. Now turn the key with the throttle wide open and keep cranking the car until the gauge reading rises as high as it seems it is going to go. Repeat those steps for all the cylinders. You want all the numbers to be somewhat close of each other. If some are way low, you know you're losing compression...
Tire Sizes and Ratings Explained Tire sizes have gotten more complex over the past couple years. Most of us know what a 205/40/17 is, but what the hell is P205/50R15 87S?? We'll take a look at all these numbers and explain what they all designate. Since 205/40/17 is really a short hand, we are going to take a look at this later tire size: P205/50R15 87S. Let's start our way from left to right P The P is easy. It simply designates that the tire is a passenger car tire. 205 This number designates the width of the tire in mm. This is the actual contact patch that sees the road. 50 This number is the profile or aspect ratio of the tire. This number is a percentage, and is never a static number. It is based on the width of the tire...
Computing The Compression Ratio of a Motor By: Dennis Adams Compression Ratio To measure compression ratio of an engine there are two variables you need to be familiar with. One is swept volume and the other is total chamber volume. Swept volume can be thought of as the displacement for a single cylinder or the area a piston travels from bottom dead center (BDC) to top dead center (TDC). Total chamber volume is all the area above the piston at TDC. This area includes the piston dish volume, the piston valve relief pocket, ring land volume, compressed gasket volume, piston to deck volume, combustion chamber volume of cylinder head. Some other factors you'll need to know engine displacement, cylinder bore, and cylinder stroke. The...
Creating an HF All-Motor Monster By: chet Creating an HF All-Motor Monster Overview: This is dedicated to everyone driving around in an 88-91 CRX HF getting 50 miles to the gallon. Honda’s little 8-valve motor is great for fuel economy, but as you HF drivers will attest lacks the power to chirp the tires when driving spiritedly. For those wanting a very inexpensive solution, keep reading. For fewer than 500 dollars you can transform your CRX HF into an all-motor beast that’s capable of running high 14’s. The Setup: For starters, you’ll want to find a DX head off of any Honda motor. Newer heads are better for the obvious reasons and they can be found everywhere. Look to spend no more than 50 dollars on a clean...
Fixing an Erratic Idle By: Adam Pilchack Let me give you some background on my del sol if you haven't been around long. It will be a year ago in March that I put my JDM B16 SIR II into my del sol. Since the day it went into the car, it would not idle correctly. There was always a surge. The following is a list of steps I took to cure my idle problem.. it took me just shy of a year to get it to work properly, but it's done!! 1) Check the voltage on your Throttle Position sensor. Sometimes when doing swaps, you have to use your old throttle position sensor because the one that came with the swap is almost always broken. The Honda ECU looks for .5 volts when the throttle blade is closed and 4.5 volts at wide open throttle. You can...
By: Adam Pilchak B18C5 intake manifold onto a JDM B16A SiR2 The Integra Type R intake manifold is designed to utilize high-end power. It combines a large, high volume plenum with short intake runners to produce high end HP and torque. This item can be acquired from any Acura dealership with the part # 17100-P73-A00, and is a great combination with CTR or ITR camshafts and a header, to increase overall airflow. Start by removing the b16 intake manifold from your engine. This can be accomplished by removing the 10 nuts that hold it to the cylinder head. You also need to remove the intake manifold support bracket; this is a black mount underneath the IM. There are three bolts holding that to the block, and two holding it to the IM...
Choosing the Correct Wheel By: Chet Hewitt Overview: Aftermarket wheels play a major role in the import performance scene. In many instances the first “upgrade†made by auto enthusiasts is getting alloy wheels. Usually, these wheels are “plus sized†and chosen for their looks. However, most people fail to consider all of the aspects concerning this very important piece of performance. Alloy Wheels provide superior strength and are usually lighter compared to steel wheels. There are some misconceptions that are often overlooked. Bigger wheels are not always better and “mag†wheels are not usually magnesium. Hopefully this article will help in making an educated decision when purchasing a pair of alloy wheels...
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...
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...
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...
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