Black Mamba modding and repair thread (1997 Civic HX 5-speed) - Page 11 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

tvbd56 · 08-02-2014, 07:43 AM

it's insane the amount of smoke that seafoam can put out. I've seen videos where you couldn't see the truck in the video because there was so much smoke, Maybe this will help with the lean burn problem.

Baltothewolf · 08-02-2014, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvbd56

it's insane the amount of smoke that seafoam can put out. I've seen videos where you couldn't see the truck in the video because there was so much smoke, Maybe this will help with the lean burn problem.

It didn't but it seems to run smoother now. I'm still trying to track down why it won't go into L /B, I have a feeling my o2 sensor might be dying, I don't see what else could be causing it to refuse to go into L/B.

Baltothewolf · 08-04-2014, 04:06 AM

So I was looking around to see if I could find d anyone with the 'surging and loss of power' like I'm having, and I ran across this guy. He literally has the same exact issue as me, down to the simple details. He ended up fixing it by replacing the upper o2 sensor and I'm kinda wondering if that might be my case as well, as it would explain the trouble getting into lean burn.

P/S. I'm at 199,779 and I'm fairly sure it's never been replaced.

(Other guy, not me):
My car is a manual 97 Honda Civic DX with 201000 miles and a 1.6L engine. For the last year or so, I have been experiencing a problem with the engine surging or losing power when driving in the city. At intermittent intervals with the accelerator held constant, the engine begins to bog down and surge, decreasing power and speed until the engine finally " catches" again, violently lurching the car forward. This problem is more common shortly after startup and seems to occur more commonly in 3rd or 4th gear between 25-45 MPH. The vehicle is also getting 20-30% worse gas mileage concurrently with the problem. If I were asked to picture the overall scenario, it seems as though the gas is building up in the engine, flooding it and bogging down the acceleration until the fuel is finally ignited and the car lurches forward.

In the past month, I have installed a new distributor cap with wires, new spark plugs, and had the timing belt changed. These new parts have not helped the problem concerned. The fuel filter was also replaced approximately 30K miles ago when the problem was first noticed, but this also did not eliminate the issue.

Baltothewolf · 08-04-2014, 10:49 AM

OP updated with current mods, repairs and information.

Baltothewolf · 08-05-2014, 05:44 AM

Upper grill block done! I also moved my front air dam closer to the front of my car and gave it a lot more curve. The only reason it looks warped is because it's hot out and I also scraped it really hard today due to me not being used to having it there lol. I plan on making a brace to put behind it tomorrow.

California98Civic · 08-05-2014, 01:28 PM

Nice progress. Around here I would scrape a airdam that low at more intersections and speed bumps. Even my own driveway. Remember that bracing behind it in the middle will keep it from flexing when it scrapes, which will increase the damage to it and maybe to your bumper cover and the mounting points. Maybe brace only at the corners?

Baltothewolf · 08-05-2014, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Nice progress. Around here I would scrape a airdam that low at more intersections and speed bumps. Even my own driveway. Remember that bracing behind it in the middle will keep it from flexing when it scrapes, which will increase the damage to it and maybe to your bumper cover and the mounting points. Maybe brace only at the corners?

Well the middle folds at high speed, and due to 80-90% of my commute is highway/freeway, 55-65mph I don't really ever scrape. Only reason I did scrape was because I had to take it to the bank because my Corolla was out of gas.

[Edit]: I thought about trimming 1/2 inch off the bottom, because it is really close to the ground lol.

mswehx · 08-05-2014, 03:28 PM

I only run motor oil(synthetic valv.) in my 97 hx trans. and have done since I bought Feb 97 and still no problems 5w-20 and always use seafoam 453,400 and counting. I clean my egr every 100k and have only replaced the primary 02(header)once .Still going strong.

Baltothewolf · 08-05-2014, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mswehx

I only run motor oil(synthetic valv.) in my 97 hx trans. and have done since I bought Feb 97 and still no problems 5w-20 and always use seafoam 453,400 and counting. I clean my egr every 100k and have only replaced the primary 02(header)once .Still going strong.

By valve you mean valvoline right? Also 453k miles holy crap lol, 50mpg on a car with so many miles is awesome haha.

Baltothewolf · 08-07-2014, 03:42 AM

So I tested my TPS tonight and it's fine, passed with flying colors. I am beginning to believe it's my o2 sensor that's causing the loss of power on cold starts and sometimes when cruising at speed more and more because sometimes I just can't seem to get good FE. I drive the same stretch of road, everyday to work, and I know what FE I get on a day with no winds, but sometimes I'm down by 5-8mpg for no apparent reason. It's driving me bonkers and it all started when TC's started showing up for clogged EGR passages.