General Tech Articles

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...

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...

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...

Directly from www.theoldone.com. <_<

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...

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...

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...

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...

d-series: http://www.knology.net/~jediklc/D.htm b-series: http://www.c-speedracing.com/howto/compcal...lc/compcalc.php

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...

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...

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...

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...

Double Clutching Q: What is double clutching? A: You just watched "The Fast and the Furious" didn't you? Real answer: Double clutching is a downshifting technique that promotes smoother transitions and lower transmission wear. It is useful for road racing, prolonging transmission life, and giving you an overall smoother ride. In normal driving, with modern cars- you don't need to double clutch... ever. When you shift, these neat little devices called "synchronizers" or "synchromesh" (or whatever other name you want to give them) in your transmission help your shifting by matching the rotational speeds between meshing parts. Why do you need to match the speeds between transmission parts when you shift? Simple- they won't go...

This is an article I wrote for Civicland way back at the beginning of the year, and have just refreshed for general consumption. If you actually need this to change out your headlights and corner lenses, god help you when you try to perform an engine swap. Aside from that, this might be useful for you, so here it is. ---------- DIY: How to install new headlights and corner lenses in a 5th gen Civic; stock vs Hiper bulbs What you'll need:10mm socket, ratchet, driver Medium sized Phillips screwdriver Your new headlights Your new corner lenses Some towels or newspapers An hour or two Note: If you're only replacing your corner lenses, only follow steps 2 and 6. Here we go... 1. Get your bumper off First, pop your hood...

This will work for usdm OBD-1 ECUs: Read the code on it. The 2nd to last # on an automatic ECU will have a 5. If it is anything but a five then it is a manual ECU. Jdm OBD-1 ECUs: Read the code on it.. if the last 3 digits are 900 or 901 it is an automatic ECU.

editors note: Originally posted by Adam P and edited for cleanliness.. How to Chip a Honda OBD1 ECU Saved here in the forums for preservation USDM OBD1 ECU Chipping So, you want to chip your obd1 usdm ecu. You didn't listen to me tell you to get a Hondata, or if you did listen and you are reading this... good job. On a scale of 1-10, the difficulty of chipping an ECU is a 3. Just follow these simple instructions and you should be revving past your stock rev limiter using your stock valve train and floating valves in no time, because chances you also didn't listen to me when I told you that your stock cams don't make power over 8000 rpm and your stock valve springs and retainers also can't handle the revs. So sit back, chip your ECU...