Need help from other 3.2L CTSC 9PSI Owners

[McAttack]

I'm having a problem when I'm running under 3500RPM's, 2 issues in particular.

1. A turbolag or delayed reaction from a standing stop or slight roll in first gear

2. A surging or bucking effect while cruising in any gear under 3500RPM's

Have had this setup on the car for about 3 months and 4500 miles now. Both effects have been evident since day 1 but have become slightly more obvious since my few trips to the strip. I let fellow NSXer Larry Bastanza drive the car this past weekend and he confirmed it.

Has anyone else encountered these problems?

What is it and what can be done?

While it has been a bit annoying, the turbo lag almost got me hit recently while trying to change lanes on the highway.

For good measure, I'm planning on changing out the plugs tomorrow and may look at swapping out coils one by one if that doesn't work.

I have spoken with CT and the numbers (O2 sensor, A/F ratio, etc) seem ok.

Larry B suggested it may be generationg too much heat and to put the 6lb pulley on to see what that does.

Anyone have any other thoughts?

Thanks In Advance

[8000RPM]

I recall hearing about an issue that sounds similar to what you are describing during one of my past conversations with Number9, who also has a 3.2L CTSC.

I am sure he will chime in here soon.



[This message has been edited by 8000RPM (edited 24 September 2002).]

[Number9]

Just so it's clear, if you're using the high-boost CTSC kit on a 3.2L, you're a beta tester. Only a handful sold early this year, maybe one or two dozen by now.

I upgraded from the std kit to the high boost kit. Std kit worked really well, high boost kit produced about 10 ft/lbs torque improvement across the rev range and about 20 RWHP gain at peak RWHP. Experienced concurrent lag issues and part throttle-to-full throttle jerkiness however. Did not experience these issues in any noticeable form with the std kit. Added ESM, helped the jerkiness quite a bit, though I'm still experiencing a little bit of lag a low RPM when transitioning from part to full throttle. At 4K+ rpm, this is not a problem.

So if you don't already have the ESM, then get it and see if it helps. If you already have it, and if the low RPM driveability is important, then the 6-psi kit might be the way to go. Better driveability, but with less torque across the board and commensurately less power.

Interestingly enough, haven't heard any of these issues cited by the high boost 3.0L group, so it could be an issue with the way the later drive-by-wire throttles interact with the high boost installation.

[McAttack]

Thanks for the input. (Misery loves company) Through Larry Bastanza I heard from Mark Basch who said it is most likely the regulator which need adjusting. While it may not be "perfect" it should be better than what I am experiencing now. I'm going to have my mechanic look at this and if I have good results, will let you know. Perhaps it may help with your as well.

[McAttack]

Hi.

Brought my car to the mechanic yesterday. He test drove it and (fortunately) felt the problem.

First off, it was misfiring. Secondly, it was burning very rich. The plugs had soot on all of them. Third, he believes one plug was actually out!

I told him to replace all the plugs. He adjusted the A/F ratio from 27.? to 25 (When the reading was at 20 a ways back, it was noticably lean.) Comptech said this reading should never go above 29.9 even under full throttle. It didn't. For the record, I'm not exactly sure what this # is, just what (we believe) it's supposed to be at.

Well, I picked up the car yesterday afternoon and drove back to work. In the 5 miles, it was PERFECT. Nice and responsive. Less turbo lag effect, although still a little (no big deal). No surging effect at all.

It just so happens, we JUST finished a project at work yesterday a.m. so, why not, off to the dragstrip! Unfortunately, after 2 hours, I only got one run in. The bad news is my time was lousy. The good news is the car ran great. I clearly felt the difference.

Hoewever, as I came off the strip, the engine light came on. I drove home no problem but, although it ran well, it was not as good as the drive up. Not sure if the stress of redline or the NOS affected it but I'm planning on going by the mechanic today to get the codes. That's it for now.

Oh yeah, one other thing....this time I did NOT need to shift into 5th!

[sjs]

Good to hear you're making progress.

As for those numbers you quoted, either they weren't talking A/F ratios or the numbers were wrong. Under light load/idle/cruise the number should be around 14. Under hard acceleration it should be lower, around 12. No way to run at 20+ and still have an engine. Perhaps he was measuring a byproduct of combustion (with a smog sniffer) which can give a rough indication of mixture.

Did you ask him about the clutch while he was driving it?

[SpeedDemon]

Originally posted by McAttack:
Nice and responsive. Less turbo lag effect, although still a little (no big deal). No surging effect at all.

Since we're such ninny's for terminology here..

You might want to call what you currently describe as "turbo lag" a "hestitation" instead. If memory serves, you have a supercharger, so you're gonna throw someone sooner or later by saying you have turbo lag . It will also get you more informed responses (ie, people have a better idea what you mean).

OK THAT SAID, glad to hear things are looking up for you and that you're on the road to being better tuned!

Looking forward to hearing the results once you have a better chance to make some runs.

[McAttack]

Originally posted by sjs:
As for those numbers you quoted, either they weren't talking A/F ratios or the numbers were wrong....

Did you ask him about the clutch while he was driving it?

I think the ##'s rep the O2 mapping but not pos

Larry said NOTHING wrong with the clutch. A week later, he still has the calf pain to prove it!

[tunapie]

What injector size does the 9lb kit use for the 3.2L. Thanks, Dan

[TheSwishh]

I am pretty sure that Comptech uses an RC 320CC injector for that setup.

[Number9]

I believe the high boost CTSC uses the same fuel injectors as the GruppeM. From the FAQ: "Comptech keeps the stock fuel injectors and boosts rail pressure to 100 PSI. The 9PSI kit includes Honda high-flow injectors (Honda part #06164-POF-000). They are not used in any US vehicles but can be ordered from Japan. The fuel pressure regulator is a generic 'Super FMU' from Vortech Engineering and is pre-set by Comptech for their kit."

[McAttack]

QUESTION: How does NOS affect the ECU? At the very least it's causing the engine light to come on. (usually attributable to the O2 sensors) CT's ESM works with the ECU for their SC but is the NOS confusing it by making it run leaner/richer?

Any way to anticipate this so the computer will react OK and not light up?

Factor X has a similar setup. Anyone know if they experience this?

[tunapie]

From your first post I am not clear on all the information with your car. At what rpm band is it running rich. How is it doing at WOT to 7,000 rpm. To tell you what is going on in your car a wide band A/F meter would be a big help as you drive around town. I am in the process of tuning my car so I can't let you use mine right now. I don't suppose you live in central California. Dan