help

importlover · 09-27-2005, 05:51 PM

I am new to this site and this is the first forum I have tried. I have a 2000 civic ex coupe 5 speed D16Y8. I was making progress slowly in the quarter mile. I recently got my time to 15.9, then I added an ACT street disc and flywheel, along with a Skunk2 cam gear, Unorthodox pulleys, and a Skunk2 Pro series intake manifold. Now my time is 16.2 all damn day. When the clutch was being installed the air assist valve solenoid was broken off of the trans. I plugged the hole for now. Is there any way that this part makes that much difference? If its any help I also have a VAFC2 and an MSD ignition. Any suggestions are appreciated.

**webby** · 09-27-2005, 06:07 PM

I wish I could help.... anyone on here?

iwu · 09-27-2005, 06:24 PM

My guess is you lost HP somewhere with the cam, pulley or intake manifold, my money is on the cam.

You really can't just keep adding things to an engine and expect it to keep making more HP, at some point you are going to need to add fuel. Are you sure your injectors and fuel pump are good enough?

importlover · 09-28-2005, 10:51 AM

Well, I've called at least 4 different shops. They all have good reputations. I was looking into getting a new fuel rail, injectors, and a pressure regulator. Every one of the shops said I would be wasting my time. They said, unless I was running forced induction, the stock fuel settings will be fine on hondas. These were all tuning shops, and one of them has an 8 second civic hatch, so I took there word for it. I hope it just needs to be tuned and it's nothing big.

***Rainman*** · 09-28-2005, 10:59 AM

my guess would be the pully. But even I don't take my own advice.
Sometimes the aftermarket pullies are not as good as the stock ones. For honda, I bet you have a good stock one.

Hondaid · 09-28-2005, 11:03 AM

First off (and this is somthing that always bugs me) You put a cam gear on it........But what about a Cam?? Cam gears are made so you can adjust the Valve timing for tuned Camshafts. Plus none of these are gonna give you a HUGE gain. Maybe your best bet is the Intake Mani.

Sounds like if you're losing time it could be somthing as stupid as needing a tune-up. Clean the Air intake, new plug, Wires, Cap, Rotor. Honestly you're not gonna get anything serious out of a D motor unless it's Built to High hell, or you run a Blower or Snail.

iwu · 09-28-2005, 11:22 AM

So if it's not the fuel, I would agree with Hondaid

Maybe even remove the cam

iwu · 09-28-2005, 06:23 PM

This is a good article

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=105024

**webby** · 09-28-2005, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iwu

This is a good article

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=105024

interesting and also true.

Nice article- never read that one before.

**2fast4u2** · 09-28-2005, 07:51 PM

Very good article!!

***Rainman*** · 09-28-2005, 08:38 PM

I agree with that to an extent. There are some modifications that I have personally done that have made a big gain in my driving experience. Examples would be, Intake, Exhaust, Springs. Now here is the kicker, I created a home made ram air for my 94 PGT and it had more pull than when I took it off, and put on a $200 PRM intake.
So just because it is expensive, does not mean it is better.
Like I said earlier about the stock pully, often, stock parts are the way you should keep it.
Nothing wrong with wanting to tinker with your car, but if you really want power and good handling, buy it that way stock.

**webby** · 09-28-2005, 08:56 PM

^ Do You Drive a RED PROBE?

Hondaid · 09-28-2005, 09:10 PM

One thing that bothers me about that Artical is it makes it sound like you can't improve on stock.........and that's not true. If you don't know what you're doing then Yeah leave it stock. I'm 21 and have been working on Hondas since I was 10. My dad has been working on them since the 70's and when he was my age was head of a pit crew for a Funny Car, and I learned everything from him. People like me with the background and knowlage that I've obtained can improve. I don't mean to sound full of myself though. I sit for sometimes months planing my next Major Mod. The most recent one I've been planing for over a year. Meanwhile some tool kid with a DC5 is pissed at me casue the intake and header I put on isn't making him hit 10's. Most of these kid don't understand the blood and sweat that goes into these cars that actually produce power.

Sorry though.....I had to get that out.

***Rainman*** · 09-29-2005, 08:46 AM

LOL!!!! OMG WEBBY! I just sprayed my snapple all over my desk! LOL!!!! Man that was hillarious!

WOW... you remember out running that cop by the convo? LOL!!! Everywhere I went... cop...do you drive a red probe? LOL!!

tomasro · 09-29-2005, 09:47 AM

Think about momentum: your flywheel may be the problem. they are meant for quick revving like in a slolom course, but for a drag you'll want a heavier flywheel. Lightened pulleys will also do the same thing, so you've got a double problem for a drag car.

Even though your engine is important in the drag, think about how you are using the energy too: lighten the load and stiffen the supension. It's all physics!

iwu · 09-29-2005, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hondaid

One thing that bothers me about that Artical is it makes it sound like you can't improve on stock.........and that's not true. If you don't know what you're doing then Yeah leave it stock. I'm 21 and have been working on Hondas since I was 10. My dad has been working on them since the 70's and when he was my age was head of a pit crew for a Funny Car, and I learned everything from him. People like me with the background and knowlage that I've obtained can improve. I don't mean to sound full of myself though. I sit for sometimes months planing my next Major Mod. The most recent one I've been planing for over a year. Meanwhile some tool kid with a DC5 is pissed at me casue the intake and header I put on isn't making him hit 10's. Most of these kid don't understand the blood and sweat that goes into these cars that actually produce power.

Sorry though.....I had to get that out.

I don't think the article was saying you can't improve stock at all. Certainly you can. Usually you improve on stock but you add noise, or environmental polution, or both.

My Focus was a PZEV model and the intake was designed to be unserviced for 100k miles, and let out no evaporative emissions, which means it was very very restrictive and contributed to pumping losses. An aftermarket filter on that car added 10hp, which is unheard of from an intake.

Sure if you strip out cats and such you gain power as well as long as you retain enough back preasure.

Anyway... I still think it's your cam that is causing the problem. I wouldn't mess a whole lot with cams without actual tuning... I don't know a lot about Hondas but on the Focus you could adjust the stock cam and gain a bit of peak HP but you would lose elsewhere and for sure if you were going to install aftermarket you would need a tuner shop to help you out.

**webby** · 09-29-2005, 05:27 PM

this is true- Usually power does move in the power band. What you gain up top, usually you lose down low.

I know as soon as I put the intake on my car I noticed a good deal of loss down low, but it sounded great. The car pulled harder up top and was much louder, but down low I surely lost power.

09-27-2005, 05:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
importlover Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Leonardtown, MD(45 mins South of D.C.) Age: 27 Posts: 9 iTrader: 0 / 0%	help I am new to this site and this is the first forum I have tried. I have a 2000 civic ex coupe 5 speed D16Y8. I was making progress slowly in the quarter mile. I recently got my time to 15.9, then I added an ACT street disc and flywheel, along with a Skunk2 cam gear, Unorthodox pulleys, and a Skunk2 Pro series intake manifold. Now my time is 16.2 all damn day. When the clutch was being installed the air assist valve solenoid was broken off of the trans. I plugged the hole for now. Is there any way that this part makes that much difference? If its any help I also have a VAFC2 and an MSD ignition. Any suggestions are appreciated.

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09-27-2005, 06:07 PM	#2 (permalink)
webby Acorns! Join Date: May 2005 Location: Storage Room B Posts: 12,611 iTrader: 11 / 100%	I wish I could help.... anyone on here?

09-27-2005, 06:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
iwu Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 106 iTrader: 0 / 0%	My guess is you lost HP somewhere with the cam, pulley or intake manifold, my money is on the cam. You really can't just keep adding things to an engine and expect it to keep making more HP, at some point you are going to need to add fuel. Are you sure your injectors and fuel pump are good enough?

09-28-2005, 10:51 AM	#4 (permalink)
importlover Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Leonardtown, MD(45 mins South of D.C.) Age: 27 Posts: 9 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Well, I've called at least 4 different shops. They all have good reputations. I was looking into getting a new fuel rail, injectors, and a pressure regulator. Every one of the shops said I would be wasting my time. They said, unless I was running forced induction, the stock fuel settings will be fine on hondas. These were all tuning shops, and one of them has an 8 second civic hatch, so I took there word for it. I hope it just needs to be tuned and it's nothing big.

09-28-2005, 10:59 AM	#5 (permalink)
*Rainman* El Presidente' Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 849 iTrader: 0 / 0%	my guess would be the pully. But even I don't take my own advice. Sometimes the aftermarket pullies are not as good as the stock ones. For honda, I bet you have a good stock one.

09-28-2005, 11:03 AM	#6 (permalink)
Hondaid Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 54 iTrader: 0 / 0%	First off (and this is somthing that always bugs me) You put a cam gear on it........But what about a Cam?? Cam gears are made so you can adjust the Valve timing for tuned Camshafts. Plus none of these are gonna give you a HUGE gain. Maybe your best bet is the Intake Mani. Sounds like if you're losing time it could be somthing as stupid as needing a tune-up. Clean the Air intake, new plug, Wires, Cap, Rotor. Honestly you're not gonna get anything serious out of a D motor unless it's Built to High hell, or you run a Blower or Snail.

09-28-2005, 11:22 AM	#7 (permalink)
iwu Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 106 iTrader: 0 / 0%	So if it's not the fuel, I would agree with Hondaid Maybe even remove the cam

09-28-2005, 06:23 PM	#8 (permalink)
iwu Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 106 iTrader: 0 / 0%	This is a good article http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=105024

09-28-2005, 07:51 PM	#10 (permalink)
2fast4u2 Acorn! Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 13,493 8thcivic.com member #15 iTrader: 11 / 100%	Very good article!!

09-28-2005, 08:38 PM	#11 (permalink)
*Rainman* El Presidente' Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 849 iTrader: 0 / 0%	I agree with that to an extent. There are some modifications that I have personally done that have made a big gain in my driving experience. Examples would be, Intake, Exhaust, Springs. Now here is the kicker, I created a home made ram air for my 94 PGT and it had more pull than when I took it off, and put on a $200 PRM intake. So just because it is expensive, does not mean it is better. Like I said earlier about the stock pully, often, stock parts are the way you should keep it. Nothing wrong with wanting to tinker with your car, but if you really want power and good handling, buy it that way stock.

09-28-2005, 08:56 PM	#12 (permalink)
webby Acorns! Join Date: May 2005 Location: Storage Room B Posts: 12,611 iTrader: 11 / 100%	^ Do You Drive a RED PROBE?

09-28-2005, 09:10 PM	#13 (permalink)
Hondaid Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 54 iTrader: 0 / 0%	One thing that bothers me about that Artical is it makes it sound like you can't improve on stock.........and that's not true. If you don't know what you're doing then Yeah leave it stock. I'm 21 and have been working on Hondas since I was 10. My dad has been working on them since the 70's and when he was my age was head of a pit crew for a Funny Car, and I learned everything from him. People like me with the background and knowlage that I've obtained can improve. I don't mean to sound full of myself though. I sit for sometimes months planing my next Major Mod. The most recent one I've been planing for over a year. Meanwhile some tool kid with a DC5 is pissed at me casue the intake and header I put on isn't making him hit 10's. Most of these kid don't understand the blood and sweat that goes into these cars that actually produce power. Sorry though.....I had to get that out.

09-29-2005, 08:46 AM	#14 (permalink)
*Rainman* El Presidente' Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 849 iTrader: 0 / 0%	LOL!!!! OMG WEBBY! I just sprayed my snapple all over my desk! LOL!!!! Man that was hillarious! WOW... you remember out running that cop by the convo? LOL!!! Everywhere I went... cop...do you drive a red probe? LOL!!

09-29-2005, 09:47 AM	#15 (permalink)
tomasro Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: San Carlos, CA Age: 25 Posts: 1,445 Turner iTrader: 2 / 100%	Think about momentum: your flywheel may be the problem. they are meant for quick revving like in a slolom course, but for a drag you'll want a heavier flywheel. Lightened pulleys will also do the same thing, so you've got a double problem for a drag car. Even though your engine is important in the drag, think about how you are using the energy too: lighten the load and stiffen the supension. It's all physics!

09-29-2005, 05:27 PM	#17 (permalink)
webby Acorns! Join Date: May 2005 Location: Storage Room B Posts: 12,611 iTrader: 11 / 100%	this is true- Usually power does move in the power band. What you gain up top, usually you lose down low. I know as soon as I put the intake on my car I noticed a good deal of loss down low, but it sounded great. The car pulled harder up top and was much louder, but down low I surely lost power.