Intermitent hesitation, rpm counter dying on over run


jesse888

Ek9+Turbo+Nurburgring= Heaven
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So I've had this issue for alittle while.
The cars feeling alittle low on power and hesitates coming up the Rpms.(feels abit like its struggling for grip but isn't)
Also on the over run anything above 7k rpm the tach needle dies off completely, let the revs come back down to 7k and the needle comes back. Anyone ever heard of this?

I rebuilt my old dizzy with cap,rotor and ignitor
Also replaced the whole dizzy
New spark plugs in there gapped just over .5mm
Still doing it so far. The needle thing I can live with but the hesitation/power loss obviously needs to be sorted.

Power loss isn't engine related I don't think. Compression is strong across all four cyl.
Any input from anyone?
 
No body heard of the dying Rev needle before?
Going to try a buddies ignition leads as mine are a good few years/trackdays old now. Hoping they are abit knackered
 
I have mate but it's usually related to rev limiters cutting the ignition side of things for lauch/rev limits etc. Your using apexi vafc controller? Hopefully it is the leads mate, if not maybe @Vtec6000 could shed some light?
 
It's only done it since it was mapped and it's only off the throttle above 7k. So not an issue just annoying.
The hesitation/power loss is an issue and annoying lol

I'm pretty sure the power loss is ignition related, engines good and the turbo is making the pressure as its always done.
 
I use Apexi avcr so could be that aswell I guess. Easy check just unplug it..
 
Maybe worth a try mate but I would probably be thinking dizzy/wiring side before the controller. But I'm probably not the best person to advise...
 
Yeah my original thought was dizzy, rebuilt my original one then replaced that with another one. Still does it.
 
As far as I can remember all earths are there and have clean grounds to the chassis.
I'll check them though just incase
 
I won't be able to play with it for a while, going to borrow a friends ignition leads over Xmas so I'm hoping that sorts it.
 
Dude check this out might help you out


Check spark1) Unplug all four fuel injector clips to avoid flooding the cylinders with gas during the procedure. (Thanks goes to Sonia's Driver for this tip.)

2) Buy a spare NGK spark plug for your engine (inexpensive $2-3) and gap it properly.

3) Remove the plug wire from one spark plug and insert the spare plug into the end.

4) While firmly grounding the threads of the spark plug against a clean metallic area of the valve cover, have a buddy crank the engine. If you are concerned about getting shocked, you can wear a rubber glove on the hand holding the spark plug, though this is really unnecessary if you take care to keep fingers or other body parts away from the spark plug tip.

5) With the engine cranking, you should see bright white spark (with only a faint bluish tinge) rather than weak orange, yellow, or blue spark at the tip of the plug.

6) Repeat procedure above for the remaining three spark plugs.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outcomes and troubleshooting

A) Some or all plugs have no spark or weak orange, yellow, or blue spark

Check the plug wires, distributor cap, and rotor. See FAQs sticky for diagrams ofcomponent parts.




B) All plugs have weak orange, yellow, or blue spark


Check whether the coil in the distributor is bad. The service manual or FAQs sticky has a diagram that describes resistance measurements to test the coil. Here are some tips for doing the coil test:
------------------------------------------------------------Ohm/Resistance testing the coil

Remove coil from the distributor for tests. Make measurements inside a room at about 70F. Note that Ohm scale recommendations below are irrelevant if you are using andigital multimeter that auto-ranges.

Primary coil resistance
The spec reading for the primary coil reading is very low resistance, so you need to use the lowest Ohm scale (e.g., 20 Ohms) for testing.

Steps:
1) Set multimeter to the lowest Ohm scale.
2) Touch the two meter probes together and note the reading. This reading represents the internal resistance of your multimeter.
3) Measure the primary coil resistance and note it.
4) Subtract the meter internal resistance reading from the primary coil resistance reading to obtain the actual primary coil resistance.

Secondary coil resistance
This is much easier.

Steps:
1) Set multimeter to the 20K (20,000) Ohm scale.
2) Measure the secondary coil resistance.
3) Done
------------------------------------------------------------

A bad ICM can also sometimes cause weak spark. AutoZone tests ICMs for free. Also, here's an ICM testing DIY:

http://www.team-integra.net/forum/bl...eshooting.html



C) All plugs lack spark


Do these steps in order:

a) Check whether the timing belt snapped or stripped. This is most easily done by removing the oil filler cap and, while a buddy cranks the engine, by peering into the hole with a flashlight to look for evidence that the camshaft is turning (e.g., movement of the rocker arms). If the belt snapped (=no rocker armmovement), install a new timing belt, tension it properly, and then compression test the cylinders. The latter step is essential as major engine damage may have occurred when the timing belt snapped/stripped.

b) Check whether the important G101 ground wire on the thermostat housing (see FAQs sticky) is loose or corroded. If so, clean it thoroughly with steel wool and tighten. By the way, if G101 is disconnected or loose, the engine will lack bothspark and fuel.

c) Check whether the CEL remains ON when the key is turned to ON(II). If so, pull the code(s) (see Codes sticky). If a code for one of the distributor sensors (codes 4, 8, or 9) or the igniter/ICM (code 15) is retrieved, then the distributor subassembly or igniter/ICM, respectively, is possibly bad. Further troubleshooting here would be:--->(for sensor codes) measure the resistance of the sensors (spec = 350-700 Ohms) and their corresponding wires for a short or open.

--->( for code 15) (i) have AutoZone test the igniter/ICM, (ii) test theBlk/Yel wire attached to the coil and igniter/ICM for battery voltage with the key in ON(II), and (iii) test the Yel/Grn wire running between the igniter/ICM and the ECU for a short or open.
d) Check whether battery voltage is reaching the coil and igniter on the Blk/Yelwire in the distributor when the key is turned to ON(II). If not, there may be a bad wire from the ignition switch (or for 98-00 Civics, a blown fuse 9 in the under-hood fuse/relay box). A bad ignition switch is another possibility but, in this case, the engine will lack both spark and fuel.

e) Check whether the coil or igniter/ICM in the distributor is bad. Again, there are resistance tests for the coil (see FAQs sticky and above), but take the igniter/ICM to AutoZone for testing.

f) In some cases, lack of spark is due to a bad ECU. This is usually only considered if all tests described above yield negative results.






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Thanks.
I've swapped all the dizzy parts out and replaced the dizzy also so I should be able to rule that out.
I swapped the plugs out aswell as they where afew years old.
i'll make another ground for g101 to chassis and see if that helps.
 
Have you checked your plug wire resistance? One could be out of spec or more ?
 
I've not, they are a good few years old and seen some abuse.
Going to try a friends leads Boxing Day so should be able to rule that out also.
 
Think i fixed it.
Power is most certainly back!
I swapped back to my original(rebuilt) dizzy.
At the same time rotated it backwards like 2mm if that. I'm not sure what the timing was when it was mapped as I didn't check it before hand and have had the thing in bits several times since then.
I also repositioned the ignition leads alittle differently to how I had them.

I'm very surprised(to the point of doubtful) that moving the dizzy back such a small amount would make such a difference so I'm still suspect of the leads. The hesitation I was feeling may well have been wheelspin/slip as it did it today in 3rd but it's smooth in 4th..
Completely lights the tyres up in 2nd lol

Driving home from work had a Porsche Cayenne driver humiliate himself after being up my backside in traffic.
Got the WTF look once he finally caught back up again lol
 
Please have you car checked again. The dizzy should have been set to base timing before it was mapped. And this other one you have put in should have been set. You could be running more or less ignition.
 
I've read all this before guys. I'm aware of the risk I'm taking.
The problem is I don't know what the base timing was when it was mapped because it wasn't checked/set.
I've then stripped the whole engine down 3times since then so I've been putting the dizzy on by eye/memory to how it was before.
The car won't be going on track until it's got it's new parts on anyway and road mileage is a minimum so I should be fine. Like I said it was a minuscule amount of adjustment that I could well have had the timing wrong from one of the rebuilds.
 
A couple of mm could easily be a few degrees.

I would be setting the boost to minimum, retard it slightly and just avoid driving it until it's set up again.
 
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