DA Integra

The Honda Integra was the successor to the rather odd Honda Quint, a five-door hatchback off the Accord platform and using bodywork from the Honda Civic which was known outside Japan as the Honda Quintet. It was also briefly sold in Australiabadged as a Rover, as was the Quintet.


It was introduced in 1985 as the Honda Quint Integra, and was available in either a 3 door or 5 door bodystyle or a four-door sedan. A DOHC 16v engine was optional, which was revolutionary technology for a car in its class at the time.

In 1989 the second-generation Integra was released. The five-door hatchback was discontinued, while the sedan and three-door hatchback continued to be available. Honda's VTEC system was introduced in the XSi and RSi models.

In 1994, a restyled third generation was introduced. This generation was available in various trim packages including the LS, GS, GS-R, and ultimately, the Type R in 1996. All engines were DOHC 1.8 liter fours, but the GS-R added VTEC (Honda's variable valve timing system) and a dual-stage intake manifold to produce 170 hp. The Type-R was a limited production factory racer, making 195 hp from its hand-built engine.

The fourth generation Integra, produced from 2003 onwards, has an entirely new 2.0 L engine with much more potential.

Befittingly, the DA6 & DA8 became very popular and even till today, there are still many satisfied owners happily using their Integra XSi & RSi. Subsequent VTEC Hondas, especially the EG6, DC2 and of course the mighty Type-Rs have hogged the limelight but the DA6 & DA8 Integra will continue to hold a unique, very special place in Honda's history as the first VTEC-Honda.



The top-end Integra XSi/RSi was produced from 1989 till 1991 before receiving the 2G 170ps B16A and a very mild body revision. As a result, XSi/RSi with the 1G 160ps B16A are now already in their second decade of use. How well will they hold up to age ? Of particular concern would be how the 1G B16A itself will perform after more than 10 years of use.



In this new TOVA series, I will focus on this great model in detail, paying special attention to the question of how well 1G models are lasting their age. We start off this series in typical TOVA style, by looking at a relatively stock model.



Stock New Zealand Registered Integra XSi



Tamati who lives in New Zealand is a regular visitor to TOVA and credits me for giving him a lot of ideas for modifying his recently purchased pre-owned 1991 DA8 4-door Honda Integra XSi. The car was originally a used-import from Japan, re-registered in New Zealand and Tamati bought it over from the first New Zealand owner. In his email, Tamati told me he recently dyno'ed his car and sent me the dynochart. This started off a sequence of emails that provides me with the perfect set of materials to examine what a relatively stock 1991 Integra XSi, well looked after and in excellent condition, is capable of doing.



In terms of "modifications", Tamati's added the following to his engine:



K&N FilterCharger Air Filter

Resonator removed, replaced with a custom underbody ram-air pipe

Throttle body heating by-passed

Engine timing advanced by 2 degrees (to 17 degrees)





The K&N filter is a direct replacement drop in model - remove the original stock panel filter and put the higher flow K&N in. The higher flow is claimed to enable more air into the engine, thus enabling more power. But a rather more significant mod would be the removal of the resonator as that would really help in high rpm air-flow. But even including the K&N filter, Tamati's modifications to the engine are in actual fact very mild so the engine itself can really be considered relatively stock.



This stock "status" carries over to the rest of the car. The suspension - springs and shocks are standard but as with all enthusiasts, the wheels are replaced with larger 15" x 7" Ensure Racing wheels and 195/50VR15 tyres - stock DA8 tyres are only 195/60 HR 14 so the larger rims are popular to add an aggressive look to the car.



In the well-kept interior, MOMO items replaced the stock steering wheel, shift knob and harness pads. The shifter itself was changed to a Dynamik Tuning Adjustable short-throw shift. An A'PEXi Rev SpeedMeter (RSM) is supplements the stock JDM speedometer (which stops at 180kph) showing vehicle speed in digital format. The RSM can also do standing start acceleration timings; 0-100kph, 0-400m, etc as well as lap-timing. Also very apparent from the photos, Tamati's DA8 interior is in exemplary condition - certainly not looking at all like it's gone through 10 years of use !



The Dyno-Pack Dynamometer

Tamati's car was measured on a New Zealand designed DynoPack dyno. I first got to know about the DynoPack from Doug (of HONDATA fame). The DynoPack works along the same principle as the DynoJet but instead of measuring power by having the wheels turn a huge drum, the driving wheels are removed and an electrically retarded measuring device is mounted directly to the wheel lugs. DynoPack claims an extremely high sensitivity - the ability to measure the apparent loss in power when the car's headlights are switched on !



The dyno run itself was conducted with the bonnet down and a large fan blowing air against the front of the car. A lot of enthusiasts feels that this is more representative of the actual air-flow conditions that the car will experience in real life. Nevertheless I personally feel this method of dyno-ing will give a less than absolutely accurate reading because I think that a fan will never be able to generate air-flow equivalent to that when a car is moving at speeds of up to for e.g. ~140kph (the speed equivalent to 8000rpm at 3rd gear on an Integra XSi).



It was also raining at the time of the dyno run, which was conducted in a workshop with the roller doors open and an outside temperature of about 16-17 degrees Celcius. The low ambient air temperature will give a beneficial effect to the absolute power output from the car (irregardless of the SAE corrections), maybe as much as 3-4ps! The car was running on RON-98 petrol for the dyno-run.





The Dyno Result



The DynoPack registered the following results :



Peak Power = 101.2 kW ( 137.6 ps ) at 7584rpm

Peak Torque = 133.8 Nm ( 13.6 kg/m ) at 6968rpm



As we have seen from our Civic series, a 1st generation B16A with a manual gearbox will be expected to dyno at 160ps less 15% power loss due to the gearbox. This of course works out to 136ps at the wheels. Tamati's car dyno'ed at close to 138ps at the wheels. While the engine's power output benefits from very low ambient air temperature, dyno-ing with the bonnet closed will degrade power output so the two conditions will actually neutralize each other. This means the minor mods to the engine will have a nett though very small effect in increasing power output. With some nett gains expected from the mild mods, the 138ps at the wheels dyno result correlates very well with a relatively stock 1G B16A indeed.



Even more significant are the rpm points at which peak power and peak torque were measured. The peak power of 138ps was measured at 7584 or around 7600rpm. Peak torque was measured at 6968 or around 7000rpm. Honda's specified stock figures for the 1st Gen B16A are indeed (at the engine) 160ps at 7600rpm and 15.5kgm at 7000rpm. So, as can be seen, the peak power and torque points were measured at exactly the stock points as specified by Honda.



I think Tamati's dyno result is very significant; the car and engine, is already into its 2nd decade - 10 years of age. That it can still deliver the baseline reference power output including matching the stock spec'ed peak power and torque rpm points speaks very well for the durability and quality of the 1G B16A indeed.





Conclusion

Tamati's Integra XSi have demonstrated that a relatively stock 1G B16A if properly looked after and well kept will last extremely well, indeed even able to deliver power levels as good as if it is a brand new engine. As can be seen from the photos provided by Tamati, the interior of the car and the car itself looks very new.



This is very significant news for Integra XSi & RSi owners. As explained, 1G DA6/DA8 Integra XSi/RSi are well into their 2nd decade of use by now. But Tamati's example tells us that irregardless of age, a well looked after Integra XSi/RSi, properly maintained and exemplarily kept will run just as well as when it was brand new !

Engine cranks but does not turn over in hot weather? You may need to replace your Main Fuel Relay (FI).




You need to take off the knee panel of both driver and passenger side, then the center console. You will have to take off the metal panel behind the driver side knee panel as well. Right under the cluster you will see 2 relays, a smaller relay in the front and a bigger one in the back mounted together. The FI main relay is the bigger one in the back. Unplug it and put the new one on.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



The main fuel relay is located behind the driver's side knee panel.



Using a flat head screwdriver you can pry the circuit board from the plastic covering by pushing on the two tabs on the side.



Unplug the wire harness.



Pop out the new one and plug it back into place.

On metric ISO (International Standards Organization) bolts the numbers on the head refer to; example 8.8, 9.8, 10.9.......




The digits to the left of the decimal point indicate 1/100 of the ultimate tensile strength in Newton’s per square millimetre(N/mm).

The digits to the right of the decimal point indicate the ratio of yield strength to ultimate tensile strength.



Conversion factor;

One unit of stress 1 N/mm is equal to 145.037 psi



So a 10.9 metric ISO bolt would have a minimum ultimate tensile strength of 145,000 psi and a minimum yield strength to ultimate tensile strength of 130,000 psi.



If the numbers are underlined this refers to low carbon martensitic steel



So where does this leave us when referring to SAE standard bolts?



ISO 6.8 = SAE 2, don’t use on your car!

ISO 8.8 = SAE 5 or 120,000 psi minimum

ISO 10.9 = SAE 8 or 150,000 psi minimum

ISO 12.9 = NAS 624-644 National Aerospace Standard or 180,000 psi minimum



Now I don’t want to get into mechanical properties but if you must know 10.9 ISO bolts are generally medium carbon steel with additives such as Boron, Mn or Cr, quenched and tempered. Or alloy steel quenched and tempered.

ECU Codes.




Depending on which year your Teg is, there are two different ways to check your ECU code.



1990 and 1991 Tegs:

Your ECU is located under the carpet on the passenger side of the car. You have to pull back on the carpet to expose the ECU which is brass in color. There is a circular window on the face of it with red LED in it. This LED will blink and this is where you read your code.

To get the LED to blink, you must turn the car to the "ON" position but do not start it. The LED will blink with slow blinks and with fast blinks. If you have four slow and two fast, that is code 42.



1992 and 1993 Tegs:

Your ECU is located in the same spot as 90-91's but you won't be reading the code off the ECU. For you, you must jump a connector and then your Check Engine light will blink to tell you the code.

The connector you must jump is located under the glove box and should be green in color. How to jump -- Helms: Chapter 11 page 40




0 - ECU

1 - Oxygen Sensor

3 - MAP Sensor

5 - MAP Sensor

6 - Crank Angle

7 - Throttle Angle

8 - TDC Position

9 - No. 1 Cylinder Position

10 - Intake Air Temperature

12 - Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) System

13 - Atmosphere Pressure

14 - Electronic Air Control

15 - Ignition Output Signal

16 - Fuel Injector

17 - Vehicle Speed Sensor

20 - Electronic Load Detector

22 - VTEC System Malfunction

23 - Knock Sensor

41 - O2 Sensor

43 - Fuel Supply System

45 - System Too Rich or Too Lean

48 - Primarry Heated O2 Sensor

54 - Crankshaft Speed Fluctuation Sensor

61 - Primary O2 Sensor Circuit

63 - Secondary O2 Sensor Circuit

67 - Catalyst System

70 - Automatic Transaxle

71-74 - Random Misfire

80 - Exhaust Gas Recirculation

86 - Engine Coolant Temperature Circuit

90 - Evaporative Emission Control System Leak Detected

91 - Fuel Tank Pressure Circuit

92 - Evaporative Emission Control System Insufficient



NOTE: Some trouble codes are not listed for certain models and some codes only apply to California cars.

Polishing Valve Cover.




Okay guys....here we go. This is how I polished my 2 valve covers. Understand that it takes A LOT of work and patience. It's going to look worse before it looks better. The more time you spend on it, the better it will look. First let's start off with a list of "what you'll need":



1. Aircraft Paint Stripper

2. Rubber Gloves

3. Old toothbrush or paintbrush (that you don't plan on using again

4. Dremel tool with the small sandpaper drum (for those nooks and crannies), and the polishing pads.

5. Hot Glue Gun

6. Coarse Sandpaper (5 sheets each)

200 grit

300 grit

400 grit

7. Fine Sandpaper (3 sheets each)

600 grit

800 grit

1000 grit

8. Heavy Duty Polishing Compound (red)

9. Light Polishing compound (white)

10. Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish

11. A polishing wheel is VERY helpful...but not necessary



Steps:



1. OUTSIDE (have a hose with high pressure nozzle ready). Put on the rubber gloves and brush the aircraft stripper LIBERALLY onto the valve cover. DO NOT

INHALE....NASTY STUFF. Make sure you got everything and let it sit for 10 minutes. Get the hose and spray it off (make sure there the residue doesn't fly onto any other painted surfaces...like nearby cars). Check to see that all the black crinkle paint is stripped off. If not reapply to the "stubborn areas" and wait another 10 min. Hose it off THOROUGHLY! Repeat until all paint is gone. Should only take 2 times at most.



2. Get the 200 grit sandpaper and go to town on all the "flat" areas. This will take some time and it a VERY laborous task. Take MANY breaks. Once you have all of the texture off. Go to the next step.



3. Take the Dremel sanding drum (remove the coarse sandpaper by loosening the screw) and wrap a small piece of 200 grit around the rubber drum. Use the hot

glue gun and glue the back of the sandpaper to itself. Make sure all glue is covered by sandpaper. Tighten screw and you now have a small portable high speed sander. Use this at the SLOWEST setting on the Dremel to remove the texture from the hard to reach areas (nooks and crannies). Be careful not to remove too much material. Move around a lot.



4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 with 300 grit sandpaper but since there is none or little texture to remove, simply work until the DEEP scratches from the 200 grit are gone.



5. Repeat step 4 with 400 grit sandpaper until the scratches from the 300 grit are gone.



6. Repeat step 4 with 600 grit sandpaper until all the scratches from the 400 grit are gone.



(YOU GET THE POINT). Repeat until you go through all grits (200, 300, 400, 600, 800, 1000).



7. Now get out the heavy duty rubbing compound (red paste). Use the Dremel polishing wheel to apply this to the whole valve cover. Work it in real good. Be careful not to nick the valve cover with the Dremel chuck.



8. Remove the heavy duty compound with a clean rag.



9. Repeat steps 8 & 9 with the light polishing compound (white). The valve cover should be looking pretty dang good by now.



10. Repeat steps 8 & 9 with the Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish but after it's been worked in, remove it using a fine terry cloth or cotton towel.



Now wash the valve cover thoroughly (inside and out) and you're done.

Milling your cylinder head is a cheap way to raise compression, much cheaper than swapping out pistons. But then why not do this? The main reason is that when you mill the head, you are putting slack in your timing belt because essentially the head is getting "shorter". Needless to say this is a bad thing. Now I know many people that have milled their heads 30 thousandths and are fine...and 30 thousandths is a lot. Expect this to raise your compression approximately 1 whole point. So if you're at 10.2:1, you'll be at 11.2:1. This is just and approximation. Here's the formula you need to calculate true CR....




CCV = combustion chamber volume

CV = cylinder volume

MHV = milled head volume

CR = ( CCV + CV ) / CCV



To calculate CV (cylinder volume)

CV = (stroke) x (bore)^2 x (Pi/4)

CV = 7.7 cm x 8.1 cm^2 x .7853981633974

CV = 396.8 cc



To calculate CCV (combustion chamber volume)

Rearranging the equation CR = (CCV + CV) / CCV

CCV = CV / (CR - 1)

CCV = 396.8 cc / (10.2 - 1) = 43.1 cc



To calculate MHV (milled head volume)

(amount head was milled) x (bore)^2 x (Pi/4)

.030" mill off the head = .076cm

MHV = (0.076 cm) x (8.1 cm)^2 x .7853981633974 = 3.92 cc.



To calculate new CCV with milled head

CCV = CCV = 43.1 cc - 3.92 cc = 39.2 cc



To calculate new CR with milled head

CR = ( CCV + CV ) / CCV

CR = (39.2 cc + 396.8 cc) / 39.2 cc

CR = 11.12:1

Fix Bouncing Tachometer.




Your tach bounces around, you get a misfire, and you get a code 15. Ok, the reason this is happening is because you are not getting a GOOD connection on your igniter. Those connections have to be TIGHT! Also, dielectric grease will help a TON! This is how you fix the problem.



Remove your distributor cap. If you still have the dist shield in place under the cap, then you will have to remove the rotor, and the shield. If your shield is already gone, you do not need to remove the rotor. When looking down onto the distributor, you will see the coil, the rotor, and some wires leading to a small, brown thing. This is the igniter. There will be 4 connections. 1 on the side, and 3 on top. Honda uses spade connectors to make these connections to the igniter. Remove, and work on only ONE CONNECTOR AT A TIME. Take each connector, and with it removed from the igniter, place it in the needle-nose pliers and crimp down a little tighter on the spade connector. Then put a dab of dielectric grease inside the spade connector. Then put the connector back on the igniter. The connection should be very tight. Do this with all the connections to the igniter. Replace the rotor (if you removed it) and then the cap. Then, under the fuse panel under the hood, remove the ECU and Hazard fuses for about 60 seconds. Replace both, and restart the car WITHOUT touching the gas. Let it run for 60 seconds without ANY accessories on. Then after 60 seconds, turn ALL the accessories on and let it run for 60 seconds. Turn the car off, restart it, and go have fun.



I was having this very same problem with my 92 GSR. After trial and error I found this to be the problem. I fixed it the first time without dielectric grease. The problem came back a few days later. I then redid the procedure and used dielectric grease. It has now been one month, no problems. Also, I did pick up a power gain as well.

Cleaning Your Engine.




Stuff you'll need:

1. Simple Green or some other degreaser

2. Liquid Dish Soap

3. Sponge or wash mitt

4. Bucket

5. Old tooth brush

6. 3 small plastic bags

7. Masking tape

8. Hose/water/high pressure nozzle

9. Towel or air compressor with air nozzle (for drying)



Steps:

1. Wait till engine is cool and then wrap your filter (if you have an air intake) with a plastic bag. Also wrap your distributor with a plastic bag. If you have an MSD or other external ignition device, cover that too.



2. Pull spark plug wires and use masking tape to cover the spark plug holes. This will prevent water from getting down near the spark plugs and rusting them out.



3. Now pre-rinse your engine with a light spray of water (you should have put your car in a shaded area if possible to avoid water spots).



4. Take the degreaser and spray it on the "nasty" areas. Try to stay away from belts and rubber parts. Also, if you have polished parts, try to keep it off of those. Let it soak for about 5 minutes.



5. Agitate the real "nasty" areas with built up grease with the old tooth brush. It shouldn't be hard after the degreaser has had time to do it's job.



6. Put some liquid dish soap in a bucket and add water. I personally like "JOY". Anyway, use the sponge or wash mitt and run it over your underhood and anything you can get to. Once again, stay away from the belts.



7. Now use the hose with a high pressure rinse to remove all of the degreaser and soap (along with all of the grease, dirt and grime). It's a good idea to spray your fenders and surrounding area as well in case any degreaser or dish soap got on the outer paint.



8. Get a towel to dry out your engine bay and under hood. If you have access to an air compressor with air nozzle, that works great to blow the water off of the engine. No towel necessary.



9. Remove all of the plastic bags/masking tape and reinstall your spark plug wires.



10. Now at this point, you can use some 2001 or other vinyl protectant to plastic parts and Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish for the polished parts. If you are real eccentric, get some paint polish and do the underside of your hood and shock towers.



That's it. It's really simple and if done once every couple months, will be easier every time you do it. Best of luck and if you have any questions, just let me know. Later.

Painting Valve Cover.




ATTN: It is NOT RECOMMENDED to pry off the valve cover with a flat head screw driver. Damage may result.



This is not as hard as it sounds… I am just telling you in great detail.



1: What you will need



A: Aircraft coating remover: You can pick this up at Wal-Mart where they keep all their sand paper and automotive paints, if I was doing it I would buy 2 cans of it because while your valve is off you aren’t driving your car anywhere to get more supplies. This stuff should be more then $5 a can.



Total: $5



B: 500-Degree Engine paints: I picked this up at my local part store. It will say right on the "High Temperature Engine Paint" most of them will say 500 Degrees. Choose whatever color you want you should have a good selection. Again I don’t think this will be over $5 a can.



Total: $5



C: 500-Degree Engine Grey Primer: Should be in the same can your paint come in, you can try to paint without this but I wouldn’t suggest it. Paint without primer won’t stick very well and you may get "fish eye’s".



Total: $5



D: New Valve Cover Gasket: This is where you get into some money, I just when to my local parts store and went up to the desk and told them what I needed and told them what kinda car, then they ordered it, it took 2 days to get in.



NOTE: you MAY not need this you can try to put your old one back on, but a new one is suggested.



Total: $43* (see additional comments below)



E: High temp gasket glue: Again I picked this up at my local parts store, you might be able to get it at Wal-Mart. My gasket glue was orange.



Total: $3* (see additional comments below)



F: 10.m.m Socket, 12.m.m, socket driver, maybe a few other things but all this should be stuff you have around the house, if you don't have any tools I would not attempt this.



G: Sanding block and an assortment pack of sandpaper.



Total: $5



Total project cost around $68.00



Removing the valve cover.



A: Removing Valve cover



B: Remove all spark plug wires and mark some sort of marking on them so you can remember which ones went where.



C: Remove all the bolts off of the valve cover, there will be between 8-10 holding the valve cover down, just look at it closely you will see them.

Most of the bolts are 10 mm.



D: Remove valve cover.



E: Remove little black "O" rings from the top of the valve cover, they should be under where you removed the nuts and bolts from on top.



F: Pull off valve cover seal, be sure to take off the "O" that are under the spark plugs holes too, this will prevent you from losing them.





2: Removing Factory black finish.* (see additional comments below)



A: Lay valve cover out on the sidewalk or a cement surface where there is a hose around, hose the entire valve cover down with the air craft coating remover, let it soak on for about 10-15 min., then take a small brush over the valve cover to loosen all the paint, then hose it off with water. You may have to repeat the procedure a few times to get all the factory finish off.



WARNING: Try not to get any of the aircraft coating remover on you it BURNS!



3: Cleaning your valve cover



The aircraft coating remover make like a sticky film on the metal which paint does not stick to, there are 2 way of cleaning your valve cover…



1: Run it in a EMPTY dishwasher, make sure it’s ok with the folks first, this is the way I use and it works great, gets off ALL the grease and film,

and it doesn’t hurt your dishwasher. Then allow it to dry for about a half-hour. I know it sounds wired but this is the best way I found… and it

was my old man’s idea.



2: Go buy some Castrol Super Clean or some Mean Green degrease, then soak the valve cover down the take a brush over it then hose it off, repeat this 2 or 3 times. Then towel it off, then allow it to set for about an hour to dry.



4: Primer your valve cover.



A: Find a good place to paint lay some newspapers if needed.



B: Spray your valve cover down with a light coat of primer, then give it another coat of primer about 10 min. later.



C: After 2 coat of primer are on the valve cover let sit for 5 more min. Before starting the next step.



5: Painting you valve cover.* (see additional comments below)



A: Get your chosen color of paint out, and begin by spray light coats on the valve cover just like you were with the primer.



B: Just continue step 4 (b) (just use paint instead of primer) till the entire valve cover is entirely covered with paint.



C: After you are done painting I would suggest letting your valve cover dry for 5-7 hours before trying to but it back together.



6: Putting it all back together.



A: Take a dry rag around where the valve cover seal goes on the valve cover and the engine and remove all access oil.



B: Get the high temp gasket glue out and the valve cover seal (new or used) and place a small dot of gasket glue on the lip where the seal goes on both the valve cover and where the valve cover goes on the head, make a small dot every 1/2 inch (don’t forget about the "0" rings that go under the spark plug holes). Remember I said you may be able to reuse your old one, just good judgment, I recommend replacing it.

After that, place you valve cover down on top of your head, make sure you valve cover seal stay’s in place.



C: Re-install the hard black rings that go under the bolts on top.



D: Re-bolt your valve cover on, re-install spark plug wires, and the spark plug wire holders and anything else you took apart.



E: Wipe off and excess gasket glue that may have came out. It will have cam out between where the valve cover and head meet, just wipe it off with a dry rag.



7: Polishing the "H" emblem.* (see additional comments below)



A: Take the sanding block and a piece of 600 grit sand paper and lightly sand the emblem and what ever else like the letters "VTEC" or whatever. BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL. Sand slowly if your sanding block slides off the letters and on to your valve cover it can screw the paint all up.

Advanced Timing.


Timing @18 deg BTDC works well... More power and MPG! However, you have to use Premium Fuel. Ignition timing should be 16 +or- 2 degrees BTDC. That means you can run the car reliably in 14 or 18 BTDC.

To advance your timing properly (as directed in the manual), you need a timing light. A timing gun with adjustable knob is recommended. I think you can borrow one from any auto parts store. And Yes, the way to advance your ignition is to turn the distributor counterclockwise (toward the firewall).

*NOTE: Before attempting this make sure you have high octane fuel 92 or better.

1) Since you will be turning the distributor to adjust, loosen the distributor housing bolts slightly (not the distributor cap screws).

2) Find the "Timing adjustment connector" under the dash (passenger kick panel area). This connector has a green/white wire & a brown wire. You need to connect the two somehow (do not cut into the wires). Connect them by using a jumper wire (bent paperclip).

3) Start the engine and let it warm up to normal operating temperature.

4) Connect timing gun. The timing light has connectors to your car battery (+ & -), and a Clip for hugging the #1 cylinder spark plug wire. Clip the Cyl#1 spark plug wire (dont disconnect wire from spark plug). Then, connect + & - to the car battery. The timing gun will emit a strobe light when the trigger is pulled. Locate the marker (aiming point) on the timing belt cover. It is located above the crank pulley and its the one you'll be aiming at.

5) Adjust the timing knob on the timing gun at +18deg. Aim the light down towards marker on timing belt cover and the crank pulley.

6) You should see the red timing line on the crank pulley. This is the line that you have to line up with the marker on the timing belt cover. With your left hand, turn the distributor until the timing line on the crank pulley lines up with the marker.

7) When both are aligned, tighten the distributor housing bolts, disconnect the timing light and your jumper wire under the dash. Done!

*Note: If you couldn't find the red mark on your crank pulley, you'll have to make it visible somehow. The marks sit inside grooves on the crank pulley. With motor off, I used a red pen to remark the timing line.

For the LS/VTEC you'll need the following:


1. b16a/b18c/b17 head, cams, head bolts, cam seals, and ECU.

Most people get the b16 head 'cause it's way cheaper and easier to find. the gsr combustion chamber is smaller yielding a higher CR and more hp (slightly). The best reason to use the b16a head is you can use Integra typeR (ITR) intake manifold with it, shown in figure1. As you can see, the TypeR manifold has much shorter/fatter runners than that of the b18a (1993 shown).

2. If you get a b16 head, you need a b16 intake manifold. Same goes for the other: you'll need the respective intake manifolds.

3. You'll also need a 92+ b16a fuel rail or 92+ Integra one if you use the ITR manifold.

4. You can use your (teg) distributor but you have to chop off one of the legs to make it fit (the one that gets in the way of the VTEC solenoid.).

5. You need to tap and seal an oil-line on the back distributor side of the head (shown below) and bore out two of the dowel pin holes on your new head. The dowel pins on the b18a/b are in the Back but the ones on the VTEC heads are on the Front so you need to enlarge the ones on the back of the head to 14mm to match your block (shown as #1 and #4 on the pic below).




6. You'll have to get a steel braided oil line, fittings, and a T joint to run the oil from the block (oil press. sender hole) to the VTEC Solenoid.

7. You need a B18a/b head gasket and an intake manifold gasket that corresponds to your manifold. not to mention a VTEC valve cover and VTEC sparkplug wires.

8. You can use your b18a/bTB, but a gsr/ITR one is recommended due to their superior flow characteristics.

9. Also, your upper radiator hose will be about 2" too short. You'll need to get a universal hose from pep boys ($10).

10. Since the most common b16a heads come from 89-91 b16a's, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting better/new Valve springs because after a decade or so they become soft and this can happen:



You should expect to pay the following:

b16a head: $300-350 USED

head bolts(10) $60 NEW

intake man $250 NEW

cams around $250 each NEW

Ecu $300

head gasket: $50 NEW

fuel rail $50 used

wires: $70

spark plugs: $10

valve cover $180 NEW or $50 USED

cam seals $15

steal braided oil line: $20-50

fittings: $10

I think that's it. this comes to $1300-1700 depending on what kinda deals you get. Expect not to rev more than 8K* without problems and 185-195hp. If you get b16a2 pistons, properly tuned you should have about 190-200 hp to the flywheel. This is more than enough to take out your local G3 GS-R! That's all I can think of.

*Disclaimer: REV AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! Although, if built properly, this can be a very reliable and powerful setup, you can serious jack-up your motor if you don't take the proper precautions. Examples of this would be assuming that 10yr old springs or rod bolts are as strong as new.

According to the Service manual the ECU reset procedure is the following:


ECU Reset procedure. (Perform every time when troubleshooting)

1. Turn the ignition switch off.

2. Remove the BACK UP fuse (7.5A) from the under-hood fuse box for 10 seconds to reset ECU.

CANADA: Remove the HAZARD, BACK UP fuse (10A) from the under-hood fuse box for 10 seconds to reset ECU.

(The following is not found anywhere in the service manual, but makes sense, so I follow it.)

Now when starting the car, let the car idle for 5-7 minutes with all accessories off and don't press the accelerator at all. Let the car warm up to normal operating temperature before pressing the accelerator. REMEMBER DON'T PRESS ON THE GAS PEDAL UNTIL IT HAS WARMED UP FOR 5-7 MINUTES. When the car has warmed up for 5-7 minutes turn the ignition off. ECU has been successfully reset.

You have to take off your front bumper (two screws in on each fender lip, two bolts behind each bumper signal, and a couple underneath). Now all you have to do is remove the three bolts that hold the resonator in. Two out of the three bolts are kind of hard to see and you are going to need a long socket extension to reach them. Once it is unbolted, pull it out. DONE! Real simple. Might take you 20 minutes.

If you don't want to take off your bumper, you can just take off the cover under the resonator (plastic mudguard that covers under the passenger side fender and underneath part of the front bumper). After you take that panel off, just take off the resonator by unbolting them.

The bolt sizes on the bumper and resonator (at least on my '90 LS) are 10mm and 12mm. The larger bolts behind the bumper signal lights are 12mm and the bolts under the car are 10mm, as are the 3 bolts holding on the resonator. All screws are Philips.

Parts you'll need:




Powered Phillips screw driver (I used a mikita two speed)



Four screws (roughly 3/4" to 1")



12mm Ratchet (I believe it's 12)



Cost: I just did my girlfriends and the screws cost me .09$. It took me 15 minutes and I have no technical skills what-so-ever.



Benefits: This will give the same sound as removing the resonator (Deep throaty growl and loud as hell above 5000 rpm.) Increased power due to the increased air flow.



First, unclip the top half of your air box from the bottom half.

Remove the top half of the box from the intake pipe and your air filter from the car and set it outside.

Use your ratchet to remove the bolts from the bottom of the air box. Remove the bottom of the box.

Put the bolts in the bottom half of the box and put the bottom half of the box outside the car.

Take the air filter, put it in the top half of the box. Now, use the screw driver with Phillips bit and drive the screws in to the corners of the filter. Make sure they go into the top half of the box.

Then put the top half of the box (complete with screwed in filter) in to the intake pipe like it was and put the box back where it used to be.

Ok, on the intake hose there is a tube (2 on the 90-1 models) the one with the little black valve thing. Now each of the two times I first got my Tegs I always checked out the tubes. Ok, the valve have a pic with an arrow pointing in one direction to the valve. I'm not sure where exactly it is supposed to point, but I turn mine so the arrow points away from the intake hose and to the dashpot (you may not know what it is but you will when you see it). Anyhow, in each case on my two Tegs they arrow was pointed toward the intake hose and I reversed it, which cut my gas from (93 octane) $15 every 6-7 days to every 9-10 days. May not be significant for most but I was spending $60 a month on gas and now only $45-50.




Like I said in both cases that is where the arrow pointed so maybe I brought it back to the original configuration, maybe not. I any case I'm sure you guys would like to save on gas.



The only difference I feel is a very slight power decrease below 1000 rpm, and if you drive in this range frequently you don't really drive a Teg. Trust me, the car is not going to start shutting off or anything.



Anyways, to be more specific whether or not the direction of the arrow is stock or not I do not know, but on my first car (91) I re-arranged the valve so that the arrow was facing the intake (or pointing left if you are standing in front of the car).

As you probably know, Acura goofed when they routed the hood release cable under the driver's side fender. Anyone can just pull off the plastic cover that's under the fender and open the hood just as if they had pulled on the lever that's in the car. They can then disconnect the battery (to kill the alarm) and or help themselves to anything under the hood.
Here are the instructions on re-routing the hood release cable so it passes through the engine compartment instead and is not accessible from the outside.

First, the disassembly.....

Remember to start by opening your hood first, once you start pulling stuff apart, you would not be able to open it.

You need to remove:

1) The drivers side kick panel.
2) The two screws (10mm) that attach the hood release lever next to the fuse panel.
3) The drivers side front mudguard. (if you have mudguards)
4) The front drivers side plastic inner fender cover. (it will be easier if you remove the tire)
6) The metal bracket that holds the three engine wiring harnesses.
(it is located on the firewall just behind the drivers side strut tower). Disconnect the three plugs so you can work easier.

Now remove the hood release cable from the hood release lever inside the car (you need to turn it a certain way so it will slide out.)

Look under the fender and notice which cable is the hood release (there are two other rubber hoses down there.) The hood release cable is the thin black one that has plastic clips attaching it to the fender every couple of inches. There is a rubber grommet where the cable goes into the car. Pull on the grommet and it will come out.

Pull the cable out of the hole making sure it doesn't catch on anything inside the car.

Now you need to remove all of the plastic clips that hold the cable to the fender. You can pry them off with a screwdriver. (save a couple for use later)

Once the cable is free from the clips, go around the front of the car and find where the cable goes into the fender (just behind the Drivers side headlight.) Pull the cable back so it doesn't go into the fender anymore.

Now route the cable through the inside of the engine compartment towards the firewall. I had to go over the strut tower because there wasn't enough slack to go around it.

The best place I found to drill into the firewall is right next to where the clutch cable goes in. I drilled about 2 inches to the drivers side of the clutch cable. Make the hole large enough to fit the end of the cable through.

Now run the cable in through the hole. The tip of the cable has to pass behind the fuse panel and come out where the hood release lever goes.

Attach the cable back to the hood release lever and bolt the lever back on.

Test the lever now to make sure it works. If the lever is hard or gets stuck, check for any kinks in the cable, the cable must stay as straight as possible.

Push the rubber grommet up to the hole you drilled in the firewall (use black sealant to seal it)

Now determine the best place to attach the plastic clips to hold the cable securely. I drilled a hole in the top of the strut tower for mine and re-used an existing hole on the side of the engine compartment for another one.

Now reattach the engine harness cables and the bracket for the cables.

Seal the hole under the fender where the cable used to enter with sealant.

Re-attach the fender inner cover and mudguard.

Put tire back on if you took it off.

Re-attach kick panel cover inside the car.

That's it, you should be done. It took me about 45 minutes.

1ntegra

This DA represents West Coast all the way. This DA is sick!

Sid Cardenas' 1992 Acura Integra GS-R


The 2nd generation Acura Integra was one of the most popular and heavily modified Hondas of its time. In the early-to-mid '90s, Ron Bergenholtz had the DA to beat; early 2000s saw Joel Ray's timeless build; and still later, Parnell Navarro and his orange Mugen Integra were a force to be reckoned with. Today, you don't really see too many DA Integras that capture the spirit like those of the past. Sure, you'll go to a meet occasionally and see one on a nice set of old school wheels, but it's either missing something or is beat up from years of use. It's almost impossible to find one with that unique style and flare possessed by the current generation-until now that is. Sid Cardenas unknowingly took the mantle and now has arguably the most recognizable 2nd generation Integra in current times. We say "unknowingly" because he never intended to land this role. No, this Integra came from humble beginnings.

1991 Acura Integra LS - Hiding Age


Despite Its Advancing Age And Life In The Shadow Of Its Successors, The Second-Gen Integra Has A Loyal Owner And Fan Base.

The 1989-1993 generation Honda Integra bears the code E-DA. This is the most important generation of models in Honda's history as this is where the legendary VTEC system was introduced. The very first VTEC engine was the 160ps version of the DOHC VTEC B16A and the very first model to use this engine was the DA6 Honda Integra RSi/XSi, first introduced by Honda in April 1989. Thus as the official JDM Honda factory manual for the DA6 states, the first VTEC engine in the world is a B16A bearing the serial number 1000001 and was used in an Integra RSi or XSi which beared the chasis serial 1000001 !

There were two main variants of the top DOHC VTEC model, the RSi and the XSi. The RSi was the base model without any options, while XSi was the full options variant with climate control and optionally sunroof and ALBS. This top ranked DOHC VTEC model was complemented by more docile models that uses dual-carb'ed or PGM-Fi versions of the versatile ZC engine but in the more compact SOHC configuration. Similarly there were base and full options variants of these SOHC engine Integras coded RX/RXi and ZX/ZXi respectively.

In 1991, the range received minor cosmetic changes. More significantly the B16A engine was enhanced to current generation specs; 10.4 CR, wilder cam-profiles; producing 170ps. The 1991 revision also saw the introduction of the first 1.8l engined Integra. The DOHC (non-VTEC) B18B was first used on the 1991-1993 Integra ESi where it produced 140ps.

An interesting fact about the 1991 revision of the DA-Integra is that it is relatively unknown ! Most publications, even japanese, focus on the original 1989-1991 line-up as it is more famous and popular. The specifications and model line-up for the 1991 revision are obtained from the japanese Hyper-Rev magazine. The RX/RXi models were listed as being deleted from the line-up and the 1.8l ESi model added. While I cannot confirm the correctness of this infor, I can confirm that the 1.8l ESi do in fact exist since I've checked a real example up-close. What I do have some reservations though is the gear-ratio data for the 170ps B16A which are identical to those of the EG and current EK-series Civics.

The specification data here are from two different sources. The 1989-1991 line-up data were obtained from the official Honda JDM catalog for the Honda Integra which will therefore be absolutely authoritative. The specs for the 1991 revision as noted are sourced from the japanese Hyper-Rev magazine which is a non-Honda source so I cannot confirm their absolute accuracy.




Model Line-up 1989 to 1991
Source : Official JDM Honda Integra Catalog 1989-1991

3-door Coupe 4-door sedan
Model Integra RXi/ZXi Integra RSi/XSi Integra RX/ZX/
ZX-extra Integra RXi/ZXi Integra XSi
Code DA5 DA6 DA7 DA8
Engine ZC PGM-Fi B16A ZC carb ZC PGM-Fi B16A
Length(mm) 4390 4480
Width(mm) 1695
Height(mm) 1325 1340
Wheelbase(mm) 2550 2600
Clearance(mm) 150
Weight(kg) 1040-1110 1060-1170 1030-1100 1060-1130 1120-1190
Tyre Size 185/65R14
85H 195/60R14
85H 185/70R13
85S 155/65R14
85H 195/60R14
85H



Engine Line-up 1989 to 1991


Engine ZC carb ZC PGM-Fi B16A
Capacity(cc) 1590 1595
Bore X Stroke(mm) 75.0 X 90.0 81.0 X 77.4
CR 9.1 10.2
Specification 16V SOHC dual Keihin carbs 16V SOHC PGM-Fi 16V DOHC VTEC PGM-Fi
Max Power(ps/rpm)
manual/(auto) 105/6300 120/6300 160/7600
(150/7100)
Max Torque(kgm/rpm)
manual/(auto) 13.8/4500 14.5/5500 15.5/7000
(15.3/6000)
1st Gear MT/AT 3.250/2.705 3.250/2.647
2nd Gear MT/AT 1.894/1.560 2.052/1.566
3rd Gear MT/AT 1.259/1.027 1.416/1.111
4th Gear MT/AT 0.937/0.780 1.103/0.810
5th Gear MT/AT 0.771/- 0.906/-
Reverse Gear MT/AT 3.153/1.954 3.000/1.904
Final Drive MT/AT 4.250/3.933 4.437/3.933 4.400/4.428




Model Line-up 1991 to 1993
Source : Hyper-Rev Vol27 'Integra'
Note that this is not an official Honda source so the data here will not be authoritative

3-door Coupe 4-door sedan
Model Integra ZX Integra ZXi Integra RSi/XSi Integra ZX-extra Integra ZXi Integra ESi Integra XSi
Code DA5 DA6 DA7 DB1 DA8
Engine ZC carb ZC PGM-Fi B16A ZC carb ZC PGM-Fi B18B B16A
Length(mm) 4390 4480
Width(mm) 1695
Height(mm) 1325 1340
Wheelbase(mm) 2550 2600
Clearance(mm) 150
Weight(kg) 1030-1050 1060-1080 1060-1130 1030-1050 1070-1090 1130 1130-1150
Tyre Size 185/70R13
85S 185/65R14
85H 195/60R14
85H 185/70R13
85S 185/65R14
85H 195/60R14
85H



Engine Line-up 1989 to 1991
Note : Same caution applies as for Model Line-up


Engine ZC carb ZC PGM-Fi B18B B16A
Capacity(cc) 1590 1834 1595
Bore X Stroke(mm) 75.0 X 90.0 81.0 X 89.0 81.0 X 77.4
CR 9.1 9.2 10.4
Specification 16V SOHC dual Keihin carbs 16V SOHC PGM-Fi 16V DOHC PGM-Fi 16V DOHC VTEC PGM-Fi
Max Power(ps/rpm)
manual/(auto) 105/6300 120/6300 140/6300 170/7800
(155/7300)
Max Torque(kgm/rpm)
manual/(auto) 13.8/4500 14.5/5500 17.4/5000 16.0/7300
(15.6/6500)
1st Gear MT/AT 3.250/2.722 -/2.647 3.230/2.647
2nd Gear MT/AT 1.894/1.555 -/1.483 2.105/1.566
3rd Gear MT/AT 1.259/1.027 -/0.974 1.458/1.111
4th Gear MT/AT 0.937/0.780 -/0.725 1.107/0.810
5th Gear MT/AT 0.771/- -/- 0.848/-
Reverse Gear MT/AT 3.153/1.954 -/1.904 3.000/1.904
Final Drive MT/AT 4.250/3.937 4.437/3.937 -/4.428 4.400/4.428

DA5-DA9, DB1-DB2


Honda debuted the second generation Integra in 1989 as a 1990 model, now powered by a new 1.8 L engine (B18A1) making 130 hp (140 hp 1992-1993), giving the model a necessary boost in performance. The three-door hatchback (DA9 chassis code) continued to be available, but the 5-door hatchback was discontinued due to poor market reception and was replaced by a more conventional 4-door sedan body style (DB1 chassis code).

Trim levels for 1990 and 1991 included the RS (base model), LS, LS Special, and a new GS trim level that featured anti-lock brakes, a first for the Integra. The 1991 GS had the option of leather interior.

For 1992, Acura added the GS-R trim level (DB2 chassis code), powered by a variant of the very successful B16A engine, called the B17A1, which was only available in USDM (United States Domestic Market) models. The difference between the B16A and B17A1 is the deck height and compression ratio and its displacement, the B17A1 is a 1678 cc engine. It featured a VTEC system, as found in the then-new NSX, bumping output to 160 hp (119.3 kW) and a 8000 rpm redline. The transmission shared the YS1 code from the base models, but was only slightly taller in gear ratio to the Japanese market S1/J1 transmissions featured on the XSi's B16. Other features exclusive to the GS-R include the charcoal grey cloth interior (leather as a rare option), body-colored trim and front lip, and the third brake light mounted in the spoiler. Sunroof, power everything, and 14-inch 6-spoke aluminum wheels came standard as well.

The 92–93 Acura Integra GS-R is the rarest Integra to date because of its B17A engine, low production numbers, and unavailability in the used car market. This model Integra holds its retail value extremely well because of its rarity, reliability, and performance.[citation needed] It is estimated that approximately 1,200 were manufactured in 1992, and around 1,000 in 1993, for a total of around 2,200 ever produced.[contradiction] The 92–93 USDM GS-R was available in only three colors: Milano Red, Frost White, and Aztec Green Pearl . Canadian market GS-R's came in Milano Red, Black Flint Metallic, and Aztec Green Pearl.

Other small updates came on to all trim levels in 1992, namely new front and rear bumpers, a new steering wheel, new taillights, new ECU, new camshafts, and chromed interior door handles.

The second generation was the last Integra to be sold without airbags in the United States. Motorized passive seat belts were used instead. Canada and the rest of the world received standard seat belts.

This generation also saw Acura make a bit of a marketing shift. Prior to the 1991 model year, Acura had made a minor point of the supposed understated elegance of minimal exterior badging. Therefore, from the 1986 to 1990 model years, the only external clues to any Integra's identity came at the rear, where badges for "Acura" "Integra", and the trim level appeared. For the 1991 model year however, Acura's "A" caliper logo appeared for the very first time on the front of the hood, as well as between the taillights. Every Integra made since then has had the "A" badges. 262,285 units were sold from 1990 to 1993.