Soon to come : JDM one piece install

Seafoam!

Anyone who's used seafoam has seen the giant cloud of white smoke that pours out of your tailpipe after you introduce some of the motor treatment into your engine. It makes for a big show but does it actually help?

 

Seafoam claims to

• Lubricate upper cylinders, fuel pumps, turbochargers, drawn-through superchargers, and fuel and exhaust system components.  
• Eliminate moisture in your fuel system
• Clean gum & varnish fuel residues from fuel system components.
• Clean carbon deposits from combustion chamber
• Stabilize fuel
• Liquify gum and varnish deposits or internal engine contaminants
• Remove carbon deposits,
• Free sticky valve lifters and rings,
• Improve idle quality, pinging and hesitation problems.
  
  
  

A squeaky clean engine internally sounds great right? My integra's got at least 250,000 miles on her and I'm sure the carbon buildup on the valves is insane. I haven't torn my motor apart since I seafoamed it but personally I saw a few improvements, mainly a more stable idle and better gas mileage. These benefits are less likely to be seen in a newer motor with less wear and tear but if you want to try it Seafoam is really simple to use. You introduce it  into your motor in three places, let your vehicle sit and then drive around the block a few times.

A third of the can gets poured in the crankcase through the same cap you pour new oil in, a third of it goes in the gas tank to distribute it through your fuel system, and the other third slowly gets sucked in through an intake air hose. (Can be your brake booster vaccuum lines, any air hoses coming off the throttle body or if you have a spray bottle, remove your intake tubing and spray it directly into the throttle body.) You should mix at least 1 oz. but up to 2 oz. per gallon of gasoline. Mixing at less than two-thirds oz. per gallon will impair your results.
 
When you pull the vaccum line if you go that route the the idle will raise but then settle back to normal- just make sure the hose is sucking air IN, and not blowing air out. It helps to have someone else inside the car holding your RPM's right around 2000 as you SLOWLY introduce the Seafoam into your system. Once the entire third has been sucked in, turn the motor off and let it sit for a few minutes. Proceed to go for a drive- somewhere deserted because "smoke" will be POURING out of your exhaust pipes- after two to three miles the smoke should clear.

Precautions should always be taken using non-OEM items in your vehicle. Seafoam can foul spark plugs apparently although I've never had that happen, and you need to change your oil as soon as possible after seafoaming. The company claims it won't harm engine components, seals, gaskets, catalytic converters or oxygen sensors.

Installing & Tuning Your Throttle Position Sensor - Code 7

Honda and Acura designed the TPS to make themselves money- plain and simple. If you took your car to a mechanic they'd charge you the $400 for a brand new throttle body, if they could even order it. Even the repair manual says the Throttle Position Sensor can't be removed.. fortunately that isn't the case. The Integra TPS is riveted onto the throttle body but can still be removed with a few hints. If your car has a check engine light on and is throwing a code 7, first test the wiring to the TPS by following the troubleshooting steps below. If your wiring checks out you'll need to replace your TPS..

You'll  need a Dremel or other multi-tool to cut slots into the top of the rivets.
A flathead screwdriver, also to remove the rivets
A hose clamp tool or pliers to remove vaccuum hoses from the TB
Vice grips to pinch off the ends of the coolant hoses
A wrench or ratchet to remove the 4 nuts holding the throttle body to the intake plenum
A new throttle body gasket
a razor blade to scrape the old gasket off
& a digital multimeter

Aftermarket Headunit Installation

Installing a new head unit can be a total bitch.. I've been there. You know.. laying upside down in the drivers seat trying to solder wires behind the dashboard. The stock ends cut just too short to get a good grip on by the previous owner.. the hole in the center console support brackets just too small to fit your hands through.. yeah. Boy, have I been there. I started out with the manual that came with my reverse harness, a Haynes manual, and a ton of those cap splice connectors. I made extra work for myself with that decision but I'd rather plan ahead, & do it right the first time than make a giant mess trying to unsolder wires I mixed up. I remember how much of a pain in the ass it was trying to get all the wiring connections figured out so here's a little guide on which colors Honda used for which wires. Remember my car's a 92 Integra LS so other years/submodels might have slightly different wiring..

Auto Part Discount Codes!

Advance Auto has some really good promotions right now, couple opportunities to get almost half off any part you need..

advanceautoparts.com coupon codes

P20 - 20% off your entire order, no minimum
BRAKE25 - takes 25% off any brake parts
A123 - $20 off $50+
BIG5 - $5 off $15+
BIG30 - $30 off $75+
BIG35 - $35 off your order of $85 or more.. thats 41% off!!!!
BIG50 - $50 off $200+
MR3T - save 5% on a $25-74.99 order.
              save 10% on a $75-99.99 order.
              save 15% on an order of $100 or more.

The MR3T code is good until April 1st, and the others expire soon too.. so stock up while you can!

Jersey Honda Owners- FREE Oil Change!

Just a heads up.. Hamilton Honda in Jersey is offering a free oil change to first time customers until the 31st!


You can print the coupon here, & the dealership's address is

Hamilton Honda
655 US HWY 130
Hamilton, NJ 08691

Clarion DXZ385 USB