High Compression D-Series (Honda SOHC VTEC) build

[downest]

Of course I didn't get any pics of it in, stupid I know. Here it is, ready to go and about to be bolted to the hoist:


... and you all know what happens next:



So as of Sunday, I got the motor in the car. I'm missing a few little parts and need to fix one connector on my harness (ground ring terminal). Need to find some fuel rail crush washers, attach 2 plugs on the back of the block, shift linkage, and exhaust. The passenger side ball joint doesn't want to go in, but I haven't been back to try it since I got some sleep finally, so it's on the jackstands still. I also need to set the timing and the valve lash. I usually do the lash on the stand to save my back a little, but I couldn't turn the damn thing over by hand easily, probably should have used a bit more assembly lube. Once I get the other stuff settled, I'll fill the oil and turn it over a bit to circulate oil and move the pistons so I can set the lash. My friend is coming back up from RI this week to tune, so I can't really drive it much until then anyway.

[JiM P 2001]

sweet!

[mikecentola]

Looking Good!

[4ADAM12]

I bet you're getting a little antsy to get back out on the road and running to full potential, I know I would be.

[downest]

Yeah, for sure! I got everything hooked up and ready to go, set the valve lash and filled the fluids. As I said before I was having trouble turning the motor by hand once I got the head on, I think I need to re-lube the cam, I'm trying to find my Crower cam lube. I used assembly grease because I couldn't find it, I think the cam lube might help, I'm pretty sure it's just having trouble turning the cam, the cam gear is a PITA to move too.

[downest]

Everyone loves an update...


I've had a bunch of problems so far, I'm getting a little frustrated but keeping at it when I have time. My friend came up from RI came this weekend and we got busy on his WRX and the CRX. Couldn't get it started at first, we found out that cams like mine that draw very little vacuum (usually ~-10psi at idle) coupled with the low compression of a fresh motor just don't pull enough air to start up easily for the first time. One of Matt's friends told us to run compressed air into the intake manifold with the throttle plate closed... so we did:



and helped the compression a bit:


and you can see by the smoke it worked! Took a little while to get all the oil out but it ran without smoking fine... but there were other issues.

more smoke!


While we were working on the WRX, the CRX leaked over a quart of oil right on to the shop floor! I was worried it was my engine, but I use oil in the tranny too, turned out my 250k mile non-grinding tranny decided it's done with holding oil, the input shaft seal is dead... and the linkage seal is on the way too. Time to get some seals I guess... it's just a pain to do.

I don't use the VTEC pressure switch, no matter what I did last year when I was installing the swap it wouldn't work, it would throw a code every time I should have been VTECing it up. So I rewired it and left it unplugged, no problems. Another friend of mine was here last week for a little CRX meet, and I traded with him since his switch plug was broken, and mine was fine. Since it's really a plug for me I don't care. Turns out he may have tightened it a wee bit too much, and it cracked the solenoid thing, and when I gave it some throttle this happened:

VTEC Squirt


So I thought it wasn't tight enough and went to check it, it fell apart in my hand:



and some of the oil on my car, the windshield was far worse:



At least my oil pressure is good :P Since I don't need the switch anyway, a friend of mine closed it up with a TIG, and it works now. Matt and I went out using a friend's solenoid at 5-6AM sunday to give it a safe enough tune so I can move it around a little this week, but it's really rich and not that fun to drive, especially in the high cam (but it idles like stock!). We should be tuning it right this weekend.

So... monday I got the welded solenoid back and went up to the shop to install it, and to clean all the oil off the car and the engine bay. It took a while to get everything off, there's still some on my wiper blades in front, I may just replace them since they're about due. Anyway, I drove it around gently a bit, and took a little trip down to Albany to get my fuel pressure gauge. Just as I was getting back into Troy, I started to hear a knock! Great... so I very gently with my fingers crossed drive up the hill and park at the shop. No knock at idle, that's good I guess? I got really angry and let it sit for a few hours. Went back up later that night not really knowing what to do, the motor has maybe 100 miles on it and shouldn't be knocking. I went to show my friend... knock was gone! After it warmed up, there was the knock again, but not so much. I wasn't sure if it's rod knock, the only time I had that before the engine blew a hole in the side pretty quick, and it vibrated like crazy.

So I read up on it and talked to some people, and yesterday I was up at the shop briefly to pull the spark plug wires and check. Once it warmed up it was there again, if a little quieter. Pulling plug wires didn't change anything, still a weird intermittent knocking like a diesel engine. I wanted to get it on the lift and drop the oil pan and do a change, but there wasn't space and I just came home and did some other things. Read up some more and I think it might be the LMAs, they've been out and sitting for a long time, and I didn't know I had to soak them in oil. I'm going to head back up and check them out this morning, I think that's the problem. One or more might be stuck, the problem is intermittent and sounds a lot like the stuff I've read about noisy or bad LMAs. I don't know if it goes away when I get into the high cam, I don't really want to drive it that hard when I'm not sure, so I'm thinking about jumping +12V to the solenoid to engage the high cam and revving it then (free revving parked) to see what happens. I'll push-test them first of course.

Damn VTEC... every time I go over to the bench to work on something I'm reminded that I have four D16A6 heads just chillin out over there...

anyway, updates to come again when I get the problem pinpointed today. I'm also heading to NAPA to get a stethoscope to try and isolate it.

[JiM P 2001]

Hey, at least it runs and drives... you'll get the kinks out soon enough... Keep up the good work!

[downest]

Well, I'm not really driving it because I don't want to mess anything up.

I checked the LMAs and they sprung back fine, but I took them out and let them sit in oil for a few hours, and pumped them in and out while they were submerged. Reassembled, checked the valve lash again. A couple of the intake valves were a little tight, so I got everything the same, 006 intake and 008 exhaust as per the Crower specs for the cam. Retorques all the bolts in the head, but nothing was really off anyway. Set the timing to 12BTDC. Then when it was warm I changed the oil.

I used a clean pan to check for metal flakes or anything that would indicate a bad bearing, didn't see anything. I even took the filter apart to see what was in there, what a pain in the ass. I didn't want to hacksaw it because that would put more metal flakes in there, so I mangled it in the vise and used a hammer and chisel/screwdriver. Nothing. There was a little piece of RTV, on one of the circumferential holes that's visible on the filter when you hold it normally.

I did a compression test after that, 200-220-220-200. I think the middle two had a little oil in them still, as it was on the plugs. I regapped the plugs from 025 up to 035. Started it back up and it ran smooth, the knock is again intermittent, now it's quieter and at higher RPM only when it does appear. I'm stumped! I'm going to borrow a laptop later if I can and see what my AFRs look like, but it's louder than what I've heard detonation to be with my old motor (more of a clatter than a metallic buzzing).

[downest]

I tried a stethoscope on the motor, it seems the noise is coming from cylinder #4. It's still inconsistent, but it seems to be loudest just above the engine code plaque. It's also pretty loud in the left-most valve cover bolt.

[downest]

Pulled the oil pan... looks like the #4 rod bearing is cooked. It's not welded to the crank yet, but I have a spare crank so I'll be pulling the motor again soon.

I checked my extra crank and I got the letter codes, I need to get the bearings ASAP. I'd like to pull it sunday and get everything done.

[Shawn96VR-4]

Ouch. How does the crank look?

[downest]

It's not usable without a regrind. I have a couple of extra cranks, so I'll be using one of those, putting it in this week.