Tuning vs Reliability. Potentials and limitations.

General discussions on EJ9 and D14 improvements. How far can you reach?
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saxophonias
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Tuning vs Reliability. Potentials and limitations.

Post by saxophonias »

Another crucial factor a serious tuner always has to consider is the tuning vs reliability equation. How much do we burden the stock reliability with various tuning projects?

hondaNickx
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Re: Tuning vs Reliability. Potentials and limitations.

Post by hondaNickx »

The one thing that still concerns me is the stock bottem end.
I've been looking around for several D14 setups.Like Bishop's D14 turbo on 0.6bar he got 142Whp (170Chp) on a stock D14 block.Another one in the Netherlands has 180Chp (turbo) on 0.6bar i believe also on stock block.
This shows that the stock block can handle quit a bit of abuse.
The pressure on the bearings is bigger with a turbo setup .
But really high rpm in a N/A setup put's lot's of pressure on the bearings too.Rods are the last thing that would brake ,the first thing that would happen is a lack of oil between the bearings next is the rod bolts stretching and last Rods breaking.So in most cases i would say upgrade the oil pump (ported oem d14 pump) and some ARP rod bolts in the stock rods would be fine for 200hp.
Another note the D14 uses the D16y8 oil pump ,they are almost identical except the D14 oil gear has 1 tooth more then the Y8 one.The oil passages could be improved a lot in this pump .That's the big reason why most Y blocks are failing early or getting oil .The oil pump is the worst pump of all d-series .Good thing is a D14 uses smaller bearings and those are easier lubricated then bigger bearings.Downside is they can't handle as much pressure as bigger bearings.

FYI here are the specs i allready got ,i still need to get the D14 oil pump specs.

D15 Oil pump flows 45L/min @ 6300rpm
D16y8 Oil pump flows 33,4L /min@ 6800rpm
D16z6/D16a9 Oil pump flows 63 L/min @ 6800rpm
Quote from Endyn:"The combustion chamber is a better shape than the DOHC.So don't chunk those 1.6 SOHC engines, they can make really good power. For a pure performance application, regardless of application, I'd choose the SOHC. No bull!"

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mynameisowen
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Re: Tuning vs Reliability. Potentials and limitations.

Post by mynameisowen »

Ive heard that its the D-series rods that are the weak point, but then again most people boost their D's so your setting yourself up for trouble if you dont get better rods...
1996 EJ9 Civic
1998 BB8 Prelude Motegi VTi
1998, B16A2 EK4 Civic VTi

Aims:
EJ9 - Now my GF's car.
BB8 - Rebuild after crash damage to front end.
EK4 - Daily driver. Strip and track prep once prelude project complete

Law_
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Re: Tuning vs Reliability. Potentials and limitations.

Post by Law_ »

i've read also that... 220 hp the limit for the conecting rods. but stock crankshaft handle 500 hp still

hondaNickx
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Re: Tuning vs Reliability. Potentials and limitations.

Post by hondaNickx »

There are a lot of d-series engines turbo and N/A running 200 hp with stock rods and they can handle it with some modifications made offcourse.If you want more then that you must upgrade to better rods .The most i've seen so far is more then 600 hp at the wheels with a Stock Crank so they can handle more then enough .
Quote from Endyn:"The combustion chamber is a better shape than the DOHC.So don't chunk those 1.6 SOHC engines, they can make really good power. For a pure performance application, regardless of application, I'd choose the SOHC. No bull!"

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saxophonias
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Re: Tuning vs Reliability. Potentials and limitations.

Post by saxophonias »

Thanks Nick for the useful info!
As for the how much a stock D can take, i used to know that 180hp is the limit or something like that. D16 suffers more from extra revving though, for the reasons we have already discussed.

As for d14 i will agree that they seem to be ok up to 170hp with stock bottom end (turbo applications), but the question is for how long. I mean that the block internals may handle the extra pressures and temperatures for a short time, but what happens when mileage increases? Especially when the engine tuned, is not stock meaning, more or less wear. Joris has proved that 150hp works great after almost 200.000lkm.
Still we should bear in mind the different engine treatment each of us has.

hondaNickx
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Re: Tuning vs Reliability. Potentials and limitations.

Post by hondaNickx »

I would do a leak down test if you want to make sure your engine is still in good condition.With a leak down test you can see how much leakage your engine has true the rings or perhaps valves or a bad head gasket ...If it's still very good you can always port the oil pump to get extra security .It will ensure you're engine has enough lubrication at all times and improves longetivity.Parts will fail first because of a lack of lubrication.Your bearings are floating on a bed of oil ,when rpm increases there's more pressure onto the bearings that want to push the layer of oil out .When that happens bearings will touch the crank and metal to metal will scrape .With enough oil flow and pressure the the bearings can hold more power without failing or wearing.

Ps: I've read somewhere on here somebody said to watch the Omni man dvd.I can highly recommend that Dvd to anyone who want's to learn more on engines.I'm not a B-series kinda guy but i watched it and it was very learnfull ,there are a lot things you can compare with the D .
Quote from Endyn:"The combustion chamber is a better shape than the DOHC.So don't chunk those 1.6 SOHC engines, they can make really good power. For a pure performance application, regardless of application, I'd choose the SOHC. No bull!"

Law_
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Re: Tuning vs Reliability. Potentials and limitations.

Post by Law_ »

hondaNickx wrote:I would do a leak down test if you want to make sure your engine is still in good condition.With a leak down test you can see how much leakage your engine has true the rings or perhaps valves or a bad head gasket ...If it's still very good you can always port the oil pump to get extra security .It will ensure you're engine has enough lubrication at all times and improves longetivity.Parts will fail first because of a lack of lubrication.Your bearings are floating on a bed of oil ,when rpm increases there's more pressure onto the bearings that want to push the layer of oil out .When that happens bearings will touch the crank and metal to metal will scrape .With enough oil flow and pressure the the bearings can hold more power without failing or wearing.

Ps: I've read somewhere on here somebody said to watch the Omni man dvd.I can highly recommend that Dvd to anyone who want's to learn more on engines.I'm not a B-series kinda guy but i watched it and it was very learnfull ,there are a lot things you can compare with the D .
were can i get that dvd? do you have the exact name?
and how can a oil pump be ported?
do anyone reccomend the trade for a better one?
and even with stock engine should this be done?
cheers

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SquirtAndSpark
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Re: Tuning vs Reliability. Potentials and limitations.

Post by SquirtAndSpark »

Image

here it is, follow the link

http://www.intertune.tv/index.html

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saxophonias
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Re: Tuning vs Reliability. Potentials and limitations.

Post by saxophonias »

i was thinking these days what could i do with my engine having 200.000km on as for engine tuning. The next thing would be to cam it and rev it more but i feel sorry for the engine putting in to this stress after so many km without any rebuilt etc. Will the head hold the extra revs and power? I am more concerned with the collateral damages that there might happen.

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