tstiles

A couple of months ago I sold my 03 , it had 40,000 miles ( including a fair number of hard track miles ) ..... I sold the car ...... Missed it so much , I picked up an 01 with 85,000 miles and new engine @ 74,000 miles ( dealer left the drain plug loose ! )

The 01 just does not have the snap that the 03 did ...... One possible issue is that the car has never been driven hard , so the EMS has learned 4,000 RPM shifts ... I think I've driven hard enough and long enough ..... but little improvement..... BTW : The car pulls pretty hard in VTEC.

Here is my question : What are the typical R&M items you typically do to restore that new car snap ?

Thanks In Advance .... Trey

jeggy

remove slack in throttle cable.

blackout

very true, it takes seconds and makes a huge difference in feel. maybe try doing a quick tune up too

deathsled

i just pulled a ton of slack out of my 04's cable the other day, definitely something worth checking

milkbubble

Yeah check the slack on the throttle cable.. And I recall Billman saying that if your airfilter is dirty and clogged up, replacing that and reseting the ECU will bring back the aggressive VTEC engagment.

irock aypee one

some may disagree with me, but i recently did a air induction service and performance oil change on my car.

i usually stay away from engine oil additives, and services that arent included in the service manual. but our shop just got some of these specialty tools used to do these services- i performed them on some customers cars and found that it actually worked. i noticed an increase in engine response and idle after i was done.

i said what the hell, and did the air induction service and performance oil change on my S2000. after i was through, i didnt notice much of a difference during city driving. once i got on the highway and let her rip, there was definitly some pep. as hard as it is to believe, it actually made a difference in the engine characteristics. response and idle were improved. the services claim to increase fuel economy as well- but i havent paid attention to it as much.

the air induction service comes with 3 cans- 2 air injection cleaners and 44k. the air injection cleaner is used with the induction tool and sprays into the engine via throttle body. it is supposed to clean and remove the deposits which accumulate on the intake plenum, runners and throttle body. the 44k is added to the fuel tank and is supposed to enhance the fuel economy.

the performance oil change comes with 2 cans- MOA oil additive and quick clean. you put the quick clean into the engine (oil fill) and let it run for 10-15 minutes. (this step claims to remove all the deposits off of the rings). once it's done running, you drain the old oil. once thats finished, you attatch the special fitting onto the oil filter threads and apply @15-20psi of air through the fitting. you continue this until all the oil is completely out of the engine. (this gets all the old oil out of the journals, and galleries) something that a regular oil change cannot do. put the drain plug back on and add the oil. (i didnt put the additive in) prime the engine, and fire it up. i am skeptical about this service- as it claims to restore compression and ultimately increase fuel economy. i did not do a before and after compression readings- so i could not say for sure. but it definitly did get ALL the old oil out of the engine.

i was fortunate to try these services for free, as i did all the labor myself- and got the additives and cleaners on a 5 finger discount. i am just passing the information on to the forum. if you would like to try them out, im sure most shops or dealerships would have these services on their menu.

hyperpm

seafoam in your vacuum line, google it or do search here throttle response should come back and you'll feel like you gained hp.

milkbubble

If it is strong enough to remove carbon deposits off of rings then it is strong enough to damage rubber, paper gaskets IMO which can cause leaks. I dont know much about the product at all but can someone confirm this?

SenderGreen

The 02-03 ECU's are tuned a little more aggresively than the 00-01 ECU's. I think the the 02-03 ECU's run a little leaner. Maybe that is what you are missing. You could always swap ECU's.

Throttle cable slack
Clean Throttle butterfly
Spark Plugs
Air Filter Element

1fastminivan

I agree, I used to have an 03.....then an 01.......and now an 02. When I went from the 03 to the 01....I felt a slight loss in power, it didnt feel as peppy as my 03. I was then told about the ECU by a buddy. I got on here, bought an 02-03 ECU, swapped it, and then it felt just like my 03. Then I traded in my 01' for an 02 GPW ......I'm so damn picky