Egine has a "lope" - researched ALOT

ASSISTANCE Stock Engine-Bay Components
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Ok, quick history on my car. 91 LS, stock B18A1, stock tranny, only aftermarket parts on the motor is a no-name aluminum intake tube and cone filter (cleanable) that was on the car when I bought it in 2004, oil changes failed at catchin every 3K miles but they get done before 5K with Castrol Syntec 5w30 and K&N filters, 188k miles on motor/tran/body, minor oil burn at startup for about 1 minute till she starts warmin up, consumes about a quart of oil per month/1200-1300miles and I do my best to keep the oil topped off when I check it monthly.

She was wrecked when I bought her but I fixed the damaged front end and has gotten me faithfully from Wyoming to Canada, Montana, Colorado (ALOT), and several other states. About a month ago my MFR failed (finally) and while I was tryin to find one over the course of the following week I decided to try some Bardahl’s Stop Smoke/Stop Leak (that craps thick btw) for the oil burn/consumption she’s got. I followed the directions on it for a 4cyl engine and changed the oil as well. When i got her started up after freezing the old MFR, she had a “lope” like she was trying to imitate a big-block V8 and was running extremely rich. I figured the MFR might have something to do with it so I made no repairs till I got my new MFR but once that was replaced, she still ran like crap.

So over the course of the last 3 weeks pouring over the Helms Manual, the Hanes Manual, H-T.com, this lovely forum, and replacing the following parts/making adjustments as per others’ suggestions for any problems remotely similar on this forum, she still runs like utter shit. Here’s what I’ve done so far:

Ground connections - checked and cleaned
MFR - 3 weeks old and working
Fuel Filter - 2 weeks old
8mm Bosch (I hate Bosch stuff) Sparkplug wireset - 3 months old, resistance check today checks out
Denso spark plugs gapped to .042 - 3 months old, shows carbon building from running rich, clean em once a week because of it
Bosch 1 wire O2 Sensor - 1.5 weeks old, previous was caked in bleach white buildup, books say sign of silicone ‘poisoning’
Distributor Cap - 2 weeks old, contacts are clean
Oil change/flush w/ Castrol Syntec 5w30 and K&N filters - 4 days ago, changed the oil/filter>ran it for 10 minutes>>changed oil/filter again and left it, oil in the engine is pretty freakin clean
Original Cat - taken off 4 days ago and looked at by 2 general mechanics and the master tech at the local Honda Dealership and was told by all 3 it was fine
Original Ignition Coil - primary winding tested .8 ohms so it passed, secondary winding tested 15.7k ohms so it passed today
Original ICM - provides voltage when needed from the wires it should be, so it passed today
Timing, Ignition & Cam - done today but the ignition timing seems to fluctuate; my marks will match the flash of the timing light, I’ll tighten the distributor bolts, doublecheck with the light again, marks will be dead on but if I sit and watch it, it’ll randomly appear to advance or retard though the sound of the motor doesn’t change. :squint:

None of this has gotten rid of the lope and I’m not throwing any codes.

My problem started with the Bardahl’s and I’m out of money for further parts. She used to be my daily driver but now she sits in my parking lot a majority of the time cause I hate driving her like this. All these repairs/replacements/adjustments have made her run really goodaside from the lope (back up to 12 mpg instead of 8-9mpg, but its still horrid compared to her 29/33), which is robbing her of enough of her power that I actually have to downshift to make it up moderately steep hills which is a first for me in 5 years. When I run her above 5K rpm, she sounds like a wannabe stock car, like somethings clapping, at cruising speeds its almost like a misfire/lope. When I take my foot off the gas and let her roll in gear regardless of speed or gear, the engine fires fine and sounds normal. I’m stumped and out of ideas so ANY thoughts of what I could test next is appreciated ahead of time. :pupeyes:

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did you checked for possible vaccum leaks?

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I’ve considered that but no vac lines were touched when my MFR went in the shitter. If the lope had developed over time I would’ve paid more attention to vac possibilities but with it just springin up out of nowhere, vac seemed low on the totem pole and now that you bring it up I got no clue where to start. :bang:

Any suggestions for where to start testin for leaks on a $0 budget lol?

4

If i read this right it sounds like this happened after the no smoke stuff you put in the engine that stuff can cause problems rather then fix them.

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Yeah… but the mistakes been made and now all I can do is try to figure out what it did and try to fix it. :bawl:

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well sounds kinda like a sticky valve… my honda accord had a bent one any it sounded like it was running stage 3 cams… had less power then a geo… maybe that stuff gummed up the valve train… pull the cover off and check all your lash and everything… i dont really know man just a suggestion… also check your coil and Ignition modual (sorry cant spell) really sounds like an ignition problem

7

possibly a flat spot on the cam or follower?

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my dad had done the same thing on his car when he was younger he used motor honey bascially the same as no smoke and his valves started sticking the only real thing to do now is clean as much of the no smoke crap out as possible which would mean taking the valve cover off and what not.

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cheap way and very effective and safe if done right…get a quart of diesel and poor it in to the crank case through the oil fill and let idle for 15 min DO NOT REV THE MOTOR, PUT IT IN GEAR, NO LOAD AT ALL and then while still hot drain the oil and replace filter. then add new oil etc.

it will clean any and everything out of the oil system

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[QUOTE=integranewbie;2059690]cheap way and very effective and safe if done right…get a quart of diesel and poor it in to the crank case through the oil fill and let idle for 15 min DO NOT REV THE MOTOR, PUT IT IN GEAR, NO LOAD AT ALL and then while still hot drain the oil and replace filter. then add new oil etc.

it will clean any and everything out of the oil system[/QUOTE]

If its a sticky valve or plugged something from the Bardahl’s, it looks like the diesel-in-the-oil thing will be my next attempted solution as soon as I get another $30 for another oil change package. Couple questions though…

With the small oil burn she’s got, won’t it get into my cylinders and start igniting? :stare:

When I drain the dieseled oil out will the oil I put it become corrupted at all by fuel remnants? :think:

Do I start this procedure when the cars dead cold like after sitting all night or after its cooled down from being run (basically so its moderately warm)?

Will the diesel eat away at any seals or gaskets in the motor?

I know next to nothing about diesel fuel and engines so my questions may seem noobish.

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the only reason i recommend this is because diesel isnt highly combustable like gasoline…so getting past the rings wont be a hazard.

and also diesel is more oil based so it does lubricate to an extent so it wont hurt the seals…if anything clean the gunk out of the seal surfaces

it can be done warm or cold and as long as you drain it right away while it’s still warm it should all come out with the oil and no worries long term.

i’ve done it a couple times myself

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Alright looks like the diesel-in-oil method is my next job, I’ll post the results later.

Post any other suggestions if somethin comes to you guys, and much love and thanks for the input. :salute:

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just please do it as mentioned, IDLE ONLY and no more than 15 MINUTES

otherwise its just like a motorflush but affordable and will clean any junk out so if something is sticking such as a lifter, etc

goodluck

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Oh yeah i forgot to ask, do I add the quart of diesel in on top of the existing full oil capacity and run it like that or do I drain some oil out first?

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just add it in

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Hmm, never heard of that diesel thing before. I’d definitely research that before trying it.

Have you checked your mechanical timing?

Checking the ignition coil w/ a multi-meter is only a best guess, it does not guarantee that the coil is good. Although usually when the coil fails it fails completely and the car won’t even run.

The fact that the plug wires are new doesn’t mean they are good. I’ve had multiple parts be bad right out of the box. This is why I only use OEM parts now.

Sounds like I’m just saying the stuff you’ve already checked, but that’s because I’ve been through this sort of thing before, a lot actually. I’ve been learning that almost nothing can be trusted as a “known good part”. Just went through this with some injectors I used for my new build, they were fresh from getting cleaned and the spray patterns checked. Spent a day and a half troubleshooting why the engine wouldn’t start and then wouldn’t idle… turned out the injectors were bad. It was the last thing on my list of stuff I thought could be the problem.

I doubt you have extra parts laying around, but maybe you know someone who does? It’s times like this where it’s great to have an extra distributor, extra injectors…

Oh, and switch to some NGK copper plugs, they’re your best bet. You may need to charge them a little more often, but they work better and are cheaper than the fancy plugs, even when you take into account the fact you need to change them more.

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Yeah I read about your builds injector issue, that sucked man.

Unfortunately for me (and any other teg owners in Casper, WY) finding Integra parts are like finding a diamond among the dirt in the alley. With a population of only 60K or so and most of the generation before me bein rednecks or bikers, any model Acura is a rarity. Most of the parts I get new or used have to be shipped up from Colorado.

If yer referring to the cam timing, yeah I’ve checked that, set it, rechecked it and my marks are dead on… I even had a pair of stainless steel rods machined to a 5mm diameter just for doin the cam timing back when I put the new timing belt in.

The plug wires are still under warranty so I’ll take them in for a new set just in case. Wouldn’t suprise me if they’re bad… I’ve had nothing but bad experiences with Bosch stuff in all my vehicles. But I can’t be picky very often when I got 4 kids and my tegs one of the 2 vehicles I got.

The NGK plugs you mention… are those spark plugs or wires? And what exactly do you mean ‘charge them’? :think:

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Sorry, that’s a typo, it should read “change”

Anyone in the states has easy access to OEM parts: www.acuraautomotiveparts.org

True, you have to wait for the parts, but it’s a source nonetheless.

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not thread jacking

complete understand if the diesel things sound funny but i have done it on my own vehicles and others with no negative side effects. just an affordable option for him is all

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Get rid of that Bosch O2 sensor, and put in an NTK (NGK) brand
1 wire sensor.
Sparkplugs.com is your friend.