dissatisfied with my car! - Honda Prelude Forum

cuseC08 · 08-15-2003, 11:16 PM

ok so i put down 172 to the wheels at the dyno with all my mods... and i'm dead even with my buddies stock prelude... well intake exhaust. What the hell? stage1 skunk2 cams must suck.... or i got scammed or something... why is my car not faster than before? i'm gonna do a compression test to see if my compression is ok... i'm thinking that my valves may not be seated properly because jg did my head work and they put oversized valves in without me knowing and after puttting the head back on i bent all the valves cuz they hit the pistons.... so i got the stock valves put back in and stuff but i'm wondering if they're not seated right... and the valve seats were inserts and they were replaced to stock size so that isn't the problem... hmm i wonder whats going on with this... oh yeah... I used to run stage2 cams and they were way too big... when i held them up next to my stock cams you could see the difference in size of the vtec lobes...but when i got the stage 1's i compared them to the stocks and they looked the same size... but the mid range lobes weren't skinny like they are on the stock cams so i know they aren't stock cams in a skunk2 box... but i'm kinda wondering if i am running stock cams without knowing it... wow that'd be rediculous. ok lemme know what you guys think.

ExodusFX · 08-16-2003, 01:24 AM

Have you tried adjustable cam gears to dial in the new cams?

TimeRacer · 08-16-2003, 05:52 AM

Machining in oversize valves and then putting in the OEM ones? I think you're asking for a leak there unless all the valve seats were recut. Have you tuned the car with all the mods?

nuro · 08-16-2003, 07:36 AM

i think its time to take your car to another shop and get it looked at + tuned.

71dsp · 08-16-2003, 07:47 AM

I wonder where your installer bought new valve seats. You can find uncut valve seats in different sizes, but Honda does not sell valve seats for the H22 head.

Did you dyno tune it with a wideband O2? I'd imagine the P13 ECU is not programmed correctly, your injectors might be too large (you can dial down the pressure to correct this), and your TB is probably too large. At least for NA use. They might work well with the nitrous, but for straight NA use, they could be hurting you.

Of course this is all speculation until you find out what kind of A/F ratio you're running, etc.

I would not only do a compression check, I would go ahead and do a leakdown check to see if there's any leakage anywhere.

Did you have any of these done when you bent your valves? Were the pistons damaged?

cuseC08 · 08-17-2003, 10:45 AM

ok... the car was dyno tuned on a dyno jet and the a/f was all figured out and made good, and the car sounds like it runs great, the mechanic before who put my old valves back in said the pistons were fine... and i just assumed he put the stock valves back in properly and never really worried about it... but if that was the case wouldn't i be burning through oil like crazy? cuz i'm not. Well i'm gonna bring it to this guys shop who specialized on imports and he's a good mechanic so maybe he'll be able to find something. Has anyone put stage1 skunk2 cams in and gotten anything outta it? anyone at all?

NXLude · 08-17-2003, 10:53 AM

The numbers on cams ore so shady right now......I just dont think that the skunks are as big as everyone claims......There must be something up with your car though.....you are losing some power somewhere......perhaps the cams arent adjusted poorly....who knows.....youll probably have to go diggin in it or something.....youd think that you would be making 185 or more with your mods....

TimeRacer · 08-17-2003, 02:16 PM

Only if your valve stem seals are broken would you be burning oil like crazy. If the valve seats weren't redone correctly you'd just be loosing compression and power. I'd also check your ECU since it would have to be completely custom done to Prelude specs.

cuseC08 · 08-17-2003, 04:00 PM

what do you mean check my ecu? how can i check my ecu? it was reprogrammed by erik's racing for my car is that what you mean? otherwise i have no way of checking it... but also i have the vafc completely tuned off the dyno so maybe that's good enough with the computer... i really don't think it has anything to do with the computer. also if i am at like 4000 rpms in fourth and just floor it until it hits vtec, sometime i get a cel... and then i just restart the car and it goes off... i never checked what code it was throwing but it's an obd1 ecu so i figure it doesn't matter right? Well i'm gonna have a leakdown test and a compression test done and see where i'm at after that... cuz that'll eliminate a lot of questions.

cuseC08 · 08-17-2003, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Satan_SRV
Intake
AEM CAI 2.75", K&N Cone Filter
64mm TB , IM ported to 64mm
Hondata IM Gasket

Fuel and Ignition
AEM FPR
Stock Fuel Rail
Stock Fuel
Stock Fuel Filter
RC 370cc injectors
Stock Ignition and Coil
TechTom P72 (like a hondata)
Apexi V-AFC

Head
H22A1 head ported by Top Power Racing
Valves deshrouded, head milled back 10 thou
Crower Stage 3 cams
Skunk2 cam gears
Jun Valvesprings
Jun Titanium Retainers

Block
H22A4 Block
89mm Iron Sleeves for 2.3L displacment
H22A4 stock crank, H22A4 crank 55mm mains
Crower ProBillet H22A I-Beam Rods
ENDYN Rollerwave 11.89:1 pistons and rings
Stock Head Gasket bored to 89mm
Prodrive oil pump gears
Power Enterprise Super Strong Timing Belt
H23 manual tensioner
Balancer belt still on

Stock pullies
Removed A/C compressor

Exhaust
Trust/Greddy SS Header
Random Technologies High Flow Cat
Greddy Power Extreme 2.5" catback

Drivetrain
Clutchmasters Ultralight Flywheel
Clutchmasters stage 3 clutch
Accord Euro-R Transmission w/ LSD
1-3.285
2-2.090
3-1.481
4-1.071
5-0.812
F-4.266
ES motor mounts

Keep in mind the LSD causes a good size drivetrain loss too

hey maybe you can tell me why my car only made 172 to the wheels with these mods??? is it cuz my stage1 cams are too small?

cuseC08 · 08-17-2003, 08:08 PM

also.... what do you think a stock 5th gen puts to the wheels? do you think i've gained power if i'm putting 172 to the wheels? i figured a stock lude puts like 164 or so right? so maybe my problem is, the stage 1 cams just aren't big enough? i have skunk2 stage2's sitting under my bed right now... you guys think i should put them in and get it retuned? that'll be another 500 dollars after installation of the cams and tuning.... i could just install the cams myself but i'd rather just pay a shop 100 bucks to do it... what do you guys think? is anyone running stage 1 cams and actuallyi making power? my friends think i'm losing power with the ported head and manifold.

ExodusFX · 08-18-2003, 04:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cuseC08
also if i am at like 4000 rpms in fourth and just floor it until it hits vtec, sometime i get a cel... and then i just restart the car and it goes off... i never checked what code it was throwing but it's an obd1 ecu so i figure it doesn't matter right?

Why would it not matter if you're throwing a code? Of course it matters. And by suggesting you check your ecu. He's saying maybe the low number lay in the ecu that you're using. Maybe whatever program they made for you isn't optimized for your current mods. And definetly get your vafc tuned ON the dyno.

cuseC08 · 08-18-2003, 04:42 AM

yeah but doesn't the vafc override the specs on the ecu anyway? so it doesn't matter i figure right? Also we sent the guy at erik's racing a list of the mods i'm running so he could tune the ecu to the car more easily... i mean obviously there's no proof that he did just that i know. The vafc is tuned on the dyno already. i went from 164hp untuned to 172 hp tuned... with more power across the whole chart which was noticable. I'm wondering... with stage1's what should i be expecting? cuz i figure about 180 or so.

cuseC08 · 08-18-2003, 04:43 AM

also... how do i check the low number lay in the ecu? what do i gotta do? send it out to get remapped again?

nuro · 08-18-2003, 09:24 AM

www.ntpog.org has dyno plots of fifth gens.

marcucci · 08-18-2003, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cuseC08

hey maybe you can tell me why my car only made 172 to the wheels with these mods??? is it cuz my stage1 cams are too small?

Was it actually tuned? You have a lot of fuel mods on there but without tuning you are probably squirting in WAY too much fuel. I'm not familiar with JG's work, I'd contact them and find out more about the work and what it goes good with (i.e. did they hog it out or just clean it up).

TimeRacer · 08-18-2003, 03:42 PM

If throwing codes and other things don't matter you're going to have to do a lot of work getting your car up to what it should be... good luck getting it all done. Since you have a LOT of IF's and I don't knows in your buildup. There's a ton of trouble shooting that you're going to have to do and I have no idea where to start.

nuro · 08-18-2003, 07:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TimeRacer
If throwing codes and other things don't matter you're going to have to do a lot of work getting your car up to what it should be... good luck getting it all done. Since you have a LOT of IF's and I don't knows in your buildup. There's a ton of trouble shooting that you're going to have to do and I have no idea where to start.

what he said. like i said before its really time to take your car somewhere else, to a place you can trust, and have them look things over in detail... because your numbers are def. not where they should be. good luck

NXLude · 08-18-2003, 09:25 PM

Man, you cant just tell someone your mods and have them burn a chip thats anywhere near accurate....its obviously not tuned right....go get it tuned a little better and you will see better results..

cuseC08 · 08-19-2003, 03:01 PM

yeah but what i'm saying is, isn't the vafc gonna over ride the fuel curve on the ecu anyways? so it really doesn't matter what's done to the ecu does it? i mean i have the vtec set with my vafc and i had the whole fuel curve re adjusted with the vafc... what else is there that the ecu could be messing up that the vafc doesn't already override? and also, i am having a different place that i trust look over the car and do a leakdown test on it to make sure i'm not losing anything there. also has anyone reported any good gains from the stage 1 cams? cuz doesn't our car put like 160 to the wheels stock? that means i gained 12 hp from stage 1's no?