First build.... Doing D16A1 w/ Turbo Kit

[steelermike27]

Does anyone have any tips/tricks/common errors/mistakes/ or experience on building an engine? Especially that of a D16A1 that will be going into my 1989 Acura Integra LS. I'm about to start the build, and i want to know just what i could be looking out for. i know it takes patience, but i wanted to know if there were any tricks of the trade type things.

[TalonTsi97]

make a member journal and document your ideas, plans, and work instead of posting this in a few different places.

All i can say is research, research, research, think before you do anything, buy the rite part the 1st time, and good luck.

[Sberk06]

just out of curiosity, why do you want to go with a sohc if you're doing a swap. why not either the b16,b17, or b18. they're all reasonably priced now.

[crazysaywhat]

yea what are your plans and goals for this motor? when ur thinkin about cutting a corner, dont it will only leave you pissed in the end...

[steelermike27]

The D16A1 engine is one of the only d-series engines thats DOHC. I found it to be a cheap and basic first build. and being it's the smae engine i have in the car right now, i would only need to tune the ECU and not spend a fortune on a new one for a b-series. My budget isn't exactly the beggest, but i do plan to slowly but surely make some progress with what i have.

[Ridachu]

4r-4 has a turbo del slow...hes selling (8])buy it a call it a day, he might be able to give you a hand and ive been hearing a lot of positive feedback about john(highmilehatch) from street solutions

heres some opinion of mine, do the job right once or do it a crappy way 78947893798 times, in a nutshell your going to spend no less than 2k on a RELIABLE turbo build and the same way with a natural aspirated build(non turbo)

another opinion would be bolt ons (intake/exhaust(the correct one)/a stock tune/etc etc) they'll help and ull prolly end up using them if you build up your engine

do some research especially on d-series.org theyll help a lot
gl with ur build

[crazysaywhat]

well hey if you need any help just pm me and lemme kno... im pretty sure i can help you over the phone its actually not hard to build a motor, its mostly having that balls and the know how that if you take it apart you can get it back together, and make sure you have a good torque wrench (sorry i dont trust ****ty tools when it comes down to it)

[highmilehatch]

Did you follow the link I gave you about converting to OBD-1? You need something like Hondata or Neptune that has full control of the fuel and ignition maps to make it reliable. What is your plan from start to finish? Turbo setup, fuel, etc...?

[steelermike27]

yes i took a look at the link you sent me about converting to obd1. im thinkin i may convert it later on down the line, for now, i just wat to get the engine in and boost it, i'll focus on things like hondata later. if i were to convert it, i would def use the Hondata (s300?) for full tuning capability. i know its highly recommended to convert, but ill look further into the build and see if its worth it to just convert it right off the bat.... my budget is kinda limited and time's awasting. i already found everything perfect so it all bolts and welds up together with no issues.... atleast its projected no issues haha.... i know theres going to be alot of things tht come up and wind up not as planned..... i found a full turbo-kit (bolt-up), Skunk2 intake mani, 60MM throttle body for b-series (i read b and d-series bodies are interchangeable, cast iron turbo header w/ 38MM wastegate, stage 2 clutch, pistons, rings, and valvetrain.... i have been told that stock crank and cams are useable for up to 8 lbs. this is exactly what im lookin at my power rating to be is about 8 pounds. i dont need a daily driver that boosts anymore than 15 pounds.

[highmilehatch]

Originally Posted by steelermike27

i have been told that stock crank and cams are useable for up to 8 lbs. this is exactly what im lookin at my power rating to be is about 8 pounds.

Dude, you need to back up and rethink this whole thing or your just going to end up with a blown engine real quick. Whoever told you stock cams and crank good to 8 lbs has absolutely no idea what they are talking about. PSI is completely irrelevant, it's how much air a given turbo flows at that psi. If you bolt on this turbo kit, and leave your stock injectors in place, and do not do anything to control ignition or fuel under boost, your engine will blow up. I can't make it any simpler than that.

[steelermike27]

the turbo kit comes with a fuel pump and regulator. im buying RC 550cc DSM injectors off my buddy whos gotta talon. i know that stock internals are never good for boosting. i just wanted to see how good the info was this dude told me. i can't seem to find cams or a crank thats aftermarket/forged. i looked everywhere.

[highmilehatch]

You still need something to control the injectors. You can't just put the injectors in and expect your stock computer to know how to control injectors that are more than twice the size.

[420sx]

Originally Posted by steelermike27

the turbo kit comes with a fuel pump and regulator. im buying RC 550cc DSM injectors off my buddy whos gotta talon. i know that stock internals are never good for boosting. i just wanted to see how good the info was this dude told me. i can't seem to find cams or a crank thats aftermarket/forged. i looked everywhere.

Honda cranks are good to several hundred horsepower. Upgrading it would be pointless. You can boost on stock internals no problem, but if you decided to upgrade them, it would be pistons and rods you'd be looking for, not a crank or cams. The kit comes with a fuel pump and a regulator. Fuel pump makes sure the fuel is available, but you need something to control HOW MUCH fuel goes into the engine. Just because you have the supporting mods to deliver the fuel doesnt mean it will automatically be delivering the correct amount. Tuning is an essential part of an aftermarket turbo build. With a ****ty tune (or no tune), your motor WILL blow up. If youre smart, you'd plan ahead to spend at least 1/3 of your total budget on tuning equipment and dyno time.

I understand your budget is limited, but trust me, tuning is not where you want to cheap out. Do you really wanna spend all the time and effort collecting parts, installing parts, etc only to put a rod through the block 2000 miles later? Even if it takes you another YEAR to save for your tuning stuff, youd be better off, because without it youre just going to be building the same motor over and over again, never getting to really drive it. Get it dyno tuned. You wont regret it.

Originally Posted by highmilehatch

You still need something to control the injectors. You can't just put the injectors in and expect your stock computer to know how to control injectors that are more than twice the size.

This.

[BoostedSOHCkthx]

Not to be a jerk, but you have some researching to do. I spent months reading up in my spare time. Like highmilehatch said, you're going to end up with a blown engine. Dont cheap out on parts, and ESPECIALLY the tune. I put 500$ into my budget for a tune, and even though I didnt need it, I knew I wanted to take it somewhere I can trust. When I'm over on my other forum, I constantly see threads like this, and I always advise to research a lot before you boost. If you dont mind blowing up a motor, have at it. If it's youre only mode of transportation, you should probably take care of it

[steelermike27]

well now i kinda will be focusing more on the tune. these are true points, And a few things happened recently to the car that is allowing me a little more time to do ALL the work i need to do. my clutch went, then with the car parked in front of my house, someone came and bashed my window in, thus getting my dad to give me permission to park the car in the garage and he is letting me do the whole project at the house. so i will admit, i do need to focus on the tuning. i need to convert to obd1 and get Hondata S300, and find somewhere around here who's good at tuning.

[420sx]

I would recommend Vince at R/T Tuning. He's a wizard when it comes to tuning Hondas (or anything really) and is located right in Lansdale.