Write-Up: AEM Fuel Rail Install on a 5th gen - Honda Prelude Forum

dohcpower v2.0 · 09-30-2002, 08:09 PM

If you have a turbo prelude, a nitroused lude that needs an extra port for the fuel noid, or just had a buck 30 that you wanted to blow on a mod, then the AEM fuel rail is for you.

Here is the install on my 98 type sh.

Before you start, match up the part number on the box you got with the website. Don't wanna get all excited if they sent you the wrong one. If you have driven your car for an hour in traffic(like me), let it cool down before you start to work, or be like me, and work on it hot because you live dangerously.

Grab a beer, it cuts down on how much the burns hurt. You want to remove the vacume line that runs to the egr. Unplug it from the egr, unsnap it from the plastic protector of the injector wires, and move it out of the way. Next, take a flat head screw driver, and poke it in the holes on top of the plastic cover, to pull it off the fuel rail. If you just pry it apart, it will unsnap, and you can move it out of the way. Removing the PCV valve is a good way to make some extra room. Disconnect the fuel pressure regulator vacume hose from either ends, and place it aside. Unplugg the 4 injectors, and the IAC valve, and move the bundle of wires aside.

You should look like this now.

Next you want to relieve pressure from the line. Using a 17mm socket, slowly loosen the fuel line bolt. Have a rag or something down there to catch the fuel that will be sprayed. Once pressure is relieved, remove the nut on the top. Careful, there are 2 crush rings you NEED to keep(unless you bought new ones). There is one on top and bottom of the actual fuel line. Save them. Don't drop them and loose them like i did.

. Next, grab your 10mm socket, and remove the two bolts that hold down the regulator. Move it aside, and put the bolts in a safe place. There is a tiny o ring in the bottom of the regulator, make sure you don't loose it.

You should be there now.

Ok, now comes the fun part. You need to remove the 3 10mm nuts that hold the rail to the car. The outer two can be reached with a 3/8 racket, and a swivle socket. The middle one i got with a 10mm open end wrench. Once all 3 screws are gone, gently pull back on the rail. The injectors should come out with it. Make sure you keep track of all the o rings. There are 2 per injector that sit in the manifold(1 plastic, 1 rubber), then there is 1 small on ring at the top of the injector, and one small filter per injector up top. Remove the rail and injectors, and find a suitable working location.

There is wut your car should look like(yes, i am missing some o-rings in that shot)

Your suitable working location.

(cont...)

dohcpower v2.0 · 09-30-2002, 08:17 PM

If you noticed, things were kind of dirty in there, so now is a good time to clean some stuff up. Take a towl, and clean the injectors, and get all the grime off them. Clean up where the injectors sit in the manifold as well. I decided to replace the rubber o-rings in the manifold at this time as well. They are only a few bucks, keeps things clean.

You are going to want to remove the small o-rings uptop, and replace them with the new ones supplied with the rail. Use some needle nose plyers, they work wonders.

There are the injectors with the new o-rings. Oh my.

Next you are going to want to plug up all the ports on the AEM rail you aren't going to use. Don't pay too close attention to my picture, i screwed up. You want the fuel line to go into the large middle port, and block the two sides, and the far left port. Use the crush rings provided between the bolt and the rail. The right 3 holes are for the regulator. The smallest hole to the left is your extra tap for a fuel noid, or a fuel pressure gauge. Using thread lock is recommended. No tephlon tape(sp)!!

Quick comparison of the rails.

A quick, WTF, where do i put the fuel line.

Thinking i had it right, but it is wrong. DON'T DO THIS!

dohcpower v2.0 · 09-30-2002, 08:24 PM

Lubricate the o-rings up top of the injectors with motor oil, and slide them into the rail. The oil helps them into the rail a lot better. Make sure each injector has the small filter uptop. They get stuck in the stock rail, so just pull them out with some plyers, but gently. Put the o-rings on the bottom of each injector, and grab the rail. You want the plug to be facing upwards. Place the rail and injectors as a unit in the car, and line up the injectors. Gently push down so the slide right on in. Once it is in, grab your 3 10mm bolts, and slowly tighten them down, evenly all across so it eases the injectors in.

Rail in car. Sweet.

Next, connect the regulator to the rail. It is in a bit of a different location, so you gotta bend the tube a little and hold it in place while you are tightening it down. Use the same 2 10mm bolts you pulled out before.

Regulator on. Of course, if you have an AEM regulator, install that in place of the OEM.

Next, you want to put the fuel line on. Remember how i had it in the thumbs up picture, well, this is wut it is suppose to look like. It was impossible to put the line at the end, just the way the brass fitting on the end of the fuel line is. Place your first crush ring down, then the line, then the other crush ring, with the 17mm bolt up top. Tighten down snugly. Not too tight, don't wanna fudge anything up.

Mmm the right way. Pain in the ass once thread lock has set in to move the bolts.

dohcpower v2.0 · 09-30-2002, 08:30 PM

Almost done. Calmn your horses.

Take your injector harness, and plug back in all your injectors, plug back in the IAC, and reconnect the EGR vacume. The fuel pressure regulator has moved, and the stock vacume line will NOT fit. So grab the vacume line from the resonator you took off for your CAI install, or go steal some tubing off your friends car. Cut it to length, and attach to the manifold then the regulator. Plug back in the PCV.

You are pretty much done with this install if you are a bum..

This install gets a 3 beer difficulty rating.

Put key in ingnition, DON"T START, let fuel pump run to pressurize system, inspect for leaks. If there are leaks, inspect and fix. I didn't have any leaks, so there for no leaking fuel pictures.

If you are a pro like me, here comes the fun part.

Placing your AEM sticker, cuz i only buy products for the stickers.

But to PROPERLY finish the install, take some electrical tape, and tape over the injector wires so they are all black, and not yellow and crap. Since the stock plastic harness cover won't fit back in, and you don't wanna cover up that awesome anodized finish, just tape them up. Might wanna zip tie that EGR vacume line to the harness to keep it from flopping around.

You are done!

Congrats!

Now go pee out those 3 beers you had.

5150 · 09-30-2002, 08:49 PM

mmm....siR valve cover...good write up!

dohcpower v2.0 · 09-30-2002, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 5150
mmm....siR valve cover...good write up!

Homemade valve cover.

01ludesh · 09-30-2002, 09:07 PM

what exactly does a fuel rail do??

dohcpower v2.0 · 09-30-2002, 09:12 PM

Flows more fuel to the injectors. With an added fuel pressure regulator, you can up the fuel pressure, and it will force more fuel into the cyclenders each time the injector is opened.

It really doesn't too much good for n/a, unless you have a crazy build up, but it is great for s/c, turbo, or nitrous.

I mainly bought it for the extra port for my fuel 'noid cuz i didn't wanna tap into the stock rubber fuel line.