I lost to a non-vtec stock civic!!! Help!

[K240]

Ok now that i have your attention, one of my friends has a stock, non-vtec civic. i didnt exatly lose, but i was steadily right next to him until third, then i started to pull. I should have been pulling on him from start to finish...I have been notcicing a loss of power.....What could my problem be?

[PGBrian]

a dying motor.

[w1ngzer0]

not tuned correctly?

[Spongebob]

u need a turbo kit.

[K240]

wow, very informative...btw i just did a headgasket/ resurfaced head/valve job on it....

[DawgMode]

i think an sr20 is calling your name

[180fan]

tune up time.

[chandler]

well for starters, compression test, then plugs wires cap rotor, maybe coil, clutch? fuel filter? do the basics, whens the last time you tuned it up?

[Clatch]

I hate to say this but are you sure you were driving right? What rpm's did you shift at? Did you launch? Did he launch? How well has your car been taken care of? My car is bone stock (except for a pop charger and aftermarket LSD ) but is has been serviced religiously, and I pull hard on Civics from start to finish. Also check your oil, maybe you had an oil change you forgot about, or your spark plugs and wires. Hell I'd even run a compression test too. I guess the best bet would be to take it down to Nissan or a tune-up shop.

[masticatingcow]

LOL @ SpongeBob and DawgMode. Good one guys. What you're saying is "Well, you narrowly beat out a D16 Civic, so you should definately throw MOST of your present setup out the window and throw down thousands of dollars to install a turbo kit." I ask, do you guys need a turbo to beat a stock Civic? No... I have mildly tuned my car similarly to K240 and most of the time, I have no problem being first across the line.

What's interesting to me, K240, is that you started to pull on him in the late gears. Theoretically, the very opposite should happen: you should jump him on launch and then, if the Civic were to pull at all, it would be later, in second or third gear.

If you have been experiencing a loss in power, you definately need to have that addressed. When was your last tuneup? Oil change? You know, I had a similar problem a while ago and it turned out to be the EGR valve. You may want to have that checked, along with your MAFS and vacuum lines.

Good luck.

[K240]

masticating cow-

I have replaced the fuel filter/spark plugs/wires/distributor cap and rotor, i also am getting the EGR code....my mechanic tested the EGR and said it was fine....also he checked the MAFS, and it was fine too...i just got the headgasket/resurfaced head/valves done too. =[

[Luke]

Look around for cracked/broken vacuum hoses. There's so many back between the intake manifold and the firewall. Back when I had the KA, a vacuum hose on the bottom of the EGR was cracked causing power loss and surging (and the EGR code). I didn't find it by just looking, i had to feel around under there. You should inspect the vacuum lines and replace them if you have the time.

[180fan]

If he had a busted vac line, wouldn't the idle be a bit rougher than normal? What kind of conditions are you experiencing? Have you done a plug read? Like listed above, have you checked out your compression numbers? Although with bad compression shouldn't there also be some roughness with the idle? My tune up did alot for my power and mileage when I still had my od KA.

Seafoamed first. Replaced my o2 sensor with a bosch unit, ngk iridium plugs, aurora ignition wires, oem dist cap/rotor, cleaned the plugs on my injectors with a small flat head screw driver and some electronics cleaner, cleaned the mafs, replaced the fuel filter with an oem 300zx filter, replaced the air filter, and just hosed down the inside of the intake collector with carb cleaner and used a old rag on a stick to soak up alot of the crap that came down from the upper area. It is a good idea to replace your vac lines though, s13's are old enough to say most of em need new vac lines and it's not like vac lines are all that expensive either. Saves alot of headaches later. But defintely check your timing too, does alot for mileage and power.

[Spongebob]

Nah i dont need a turbo to beat a civic dx, just my trusty sohc engine and a worn clutch.

[sr20det]

when i first got my 1991 240sx se with hicas. of course it has vsld. i woop the (****) out of an civic Dx by 4 cars length and woop the **** out of an honda prelude 1989 dohc vtec by 2 cars lenght and yeah my car is all stock with no modifications.

[w1ngzer0]

valve job?

[PantherRacer]

TURBO! TURBO! lol, I bet your friend was happy he kept up wit you lol.

Yeah man sound like something's leaking/ improperly connected.

it wouldn't help to thro down sum thousand dollars to be able to wake up and hear your sweet KA Blow off some boost....that'd scare some ricers off

[Zydeco]

Have you check your grounds. I used to get check engin for my EGR and it was only my negative termal was not so grate. cleaned it and bam no more ERG disfuncation

[skydragoness]

when i first got my 1991 240sx se with hicas. of course it has vsld. i woop the (****) out of an civic Dx by 4 cars length and woop the **** out of an honda prelude 1989 dohc vtec by 2 cars lenght and yeah my car is all stock with no modifications.

Since when did 3rd gen Lude's have Vtec? All they have (the Si model) is a sissy 2 liter 135hp engine. Unless this guy was swapped.

Anyhow. Maybe your timing is off. I advanced mine to 23 degrees, made a huge difference, it was at 15 before (OE spec is 20) and very very laggy.

[SilviaBoston]

Maybe the guy took too much off the head or you changed something so drasticly the engine is all out of whack or something like that...