+1 for all of that.Originally Posted by OlongJohnson
Great example of something being more than the sum of parts. Tractor motor is something you get used to. The 93's and up have better manners so far as oversteer goes. One of these was my first autocross car. Up against early miata's and 924's at the time, my 91 was super competitive if I did my part. Blue interiors? You get used to them.
Where would you fit Targa tops in the equation? Fixed roofs ended for the Corvette with the C6, and even with the C6 only the Z06 and above came with the fixed roof.
@Welder
My guess is the iVTEC's cam gear on the front bank is malfunctioning. Those are SOHc engines with VTEC on the camshaft itself and also variable valve timing on the self adjusting cam gear. That system acting up at the cam gear will cause misfires and other stuff at higher rpm. IVTEC systems generally don't have a set on/off switch based on RPM alone like earlier VTEC stuff, it's based on throttle position and RPM and vehicle speed and all sorts of other variables.
The J35 in that car has a chain, but I've also seen timing belts jump teeth on older belted engines like the Mitsubishi 6G72.
@OlongJohnson is 100% right about t top models being less rigid and more leaky and problematic than hardtop models across the board on 90's cars. The only cars I've seen it make little if any difference on are the NA2 Acura NSX and the C7 Vette. The Z32 300ZX gets an honorable mention since it was one of the most rigid T top cars ever thanks to being designed as such. But thr Z32 is dated and working on one is more akin to an aircraft due to component depth issues and other "takes 6hrs to do a 1hr job" sorts of things caused by that tight engine bay.
Hadn't thought of that. I wonder if the diesel treatment could have loosened some sludge or gunk that made its way into the oil flow path for that gear.
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Not another dime.
Possible, and that kind of thing is one of many reasons why I prefer to do the diesel treatment as a turn the engine by hand and soak-the-cylinder overnight thing. Then I drain all of it then change the oil before running the engine.
But vvt cam gears are a service wear item and sometimes just go bad, as many Subaru WRX and Ford 3v 5.4L V8 owners can attest. Ford calls them 'cam phasers' and there's a lot to read about them.
I'm well aware of the 5.4L issues. Have overlooked many pickup trucks for sale because of it. I didn't know Subarus had problems with them, but it doesn't surprise me.
Mostly, my family members just drive Toyotas forever without having any significant problems.
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Not another dime.
Structurally, targa tops are the same as a convertible. The A-frame is not bracing the top of the car to the rear, therefore it's weaker.
If you ever look at buying something with the idea of tracking it, the even bigger issue to check is whether the integral roll bars will be accepted for track use by your local tracks and whatever organization holds track days. The track could have stricter or lesser requirements from a car club (like Porsche Club of America) that rents out the track for the weekend. Some will say "any convertible made after XYZ year is okay as long as the factory roll protection is installed and functional". Some will say factory is okay, but only rigid protection and not pop-up roll bars that only activate in an emergency. Some are much stricter and will only allow a precious few convertibles with factory protection that is specifically designed to track use and much stronger than the rest. In many cases, you may be required to install an aftermarket rollbar which can interfere with the use of the convertible top.
Some will also require a "broomstick test" to make sure that your head doesn't stick out past the roll bar when wearing a helmet.
Targas can have some advantage in this regard, as more tracks are likely to say, "Targa? Sure that's fine, we don't care." Some may still require an aftermarket rollbar depending on the car, since the targa bar is usually built for aesthetics and not actual safety.
Coupes, on the other hand, usually only require aftermarket protection for actual racing.....because everything requires an entire roll cage at that level, regardless of what car it is.
"Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer
Not nearly as skilled as some of the folks here, but I installed a BMW factory height-adjustable suspension in my M4CS a few weeks ago. Took two cycles of up on the jack stands and back down to get the front and rear installed properly, and three more cycles to get the ride height and corner balance to match the factory measurements. Then a set of 12mm spacers to set the wheels a little wider in the fender openings. I like the way it looks and drives.
Surprisingly the grip seems to have increased a bit. In places where I previously could get the car to slide, I had to add a bit more throttle to get the car to steer with the throttle. The spring rates match the adjustable shocks while in sport mode better. (Middle setting: Comfort, Sport, Sport Plus).
Next project is the Active Autowerk equal length exhaust midpipes.
"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master"
The car was doing it when I bought it. I ran the codes before the purchase, misfires in every cyl in the front bank.
ETA that I got it for so cheap because of the combination of oil-burning and misfires. It drove like crap. I haven't done the research yet to identify whether it cuts fuel or spark to the affected cylinders, but it feels like it completely shuts down the front bank if you get it above about 2500 RPM with significant load. The only thing that's changed since my ownership is that I've got 2 bottles (1 is recommended) of injector cleaner in the tank right now, so for the first 40 miles after that it was spark-knocking and throwing the VSA light in addition to a couple rear bank misfire codes. The spark knock has calmed down some already, and it's not throwing rear bank codes anymore. Back to just the front bank. So I'm guessing the Seafoam I let it suck in through the intake did it's job and got rid of a bunch of carbon. The car is much smoother overall already, but the misfire issue remains to be figured out.
So far it hasn't burnt any oil since the ATF and then diesel treatment, but it's too early to tell. On the old engines, people used to actually drain the crankcase and refill with *only* diesel, and let them idle for an hour or so then do a couple drains and refills. If it was sludged up pretty good, they'd also drop the pan and clean the pickup afterwards. This was long before VTEC and tight tolerances.
My oil did turn black again after the Seafoam intake treatment; before that, it was staying clean. I consider that to be good news. The valvetrain as viewed through the oil fill hole is super clean, and wasn't dirty when I bought it, either.
As mentioned before, I've got compression numbers between about 200 and 220 or so, and I'm starting to get hopeful that I'll save the engine after all.
Last edited by Welder; 11-27-2021 at 08:02 PM.
All Honda J-series engines are belt-driven to my knowledge. This one definitely is.
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