Air filter, spark plugs and wires.

General engine questions/issues that aren't specific to the other categories
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Air filter, spark plugs and wires.

By Boods
- Thu Apr 15, 2010 1:49 am #187769 was planning on simply getting an aftermarket air-filter and bolting it on so i could get rid of the big stock one, tidy up the engine bay a bit and maybe if i'm lucky get a few more horses out of it. But there's this bit coming off the air filter and I don't know what it is =\ What do i do when i fit an aftermarket pipe? as the pictures I've seen don't seem to have it there?

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then the cover over the cam-belt. Can it be removed? would i be a tard if i removed it, and if not, how do i remove it?

finally, Would it be worth it to replace the spark plugs? and the wires going to the spark plugs [Distributer cap i think]? Would that make any performance difference at all? or is that something you only do when you have a problem?

Sorry for all the questions, and also for being a noob, but this is all a learning experience :)
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By teal_dx
- Thu Apr 15, 2010 2:08 am #187772 Intakes make for your engine should have a tube on them to hook that hose up to.

I would not recommend removing the timing cover on a street driven car.

The cover keeps dirt and debris out, you don't want that stuff falling down in your timing belt... if it snaps, it's all over :death:

If your car begins to get poor fuel economy it is time to consider replacing the wires.
If yours are fine, then replacing them won't gain any power. I have found that OEM honda wires last longer than the ones you get from parts stores :thumb:

Re: Air filter, spark plugs and wires.

By AutoXCivic
- Thu Apr 15, 2010 2:12 am #187774
Annoyingricer wrote:was planning on simply getting an aftermarket air-filter and bolting it on so i could get rid of the big stock one, tidy up the engine bay a bit and maybe if i'm lucky get a few more horses out of it. But there's this bit coming off the air filter and I don't know what it is =\ What do i do when i fit an aftermarket pipe? as the pictures I've seen don't seem to have it there?

Image

then the cover over the cam-belt. Can it be removed? would i be a tard if i removed it, and if not, how do i remove it?

finally, Would it be worth it to replace the spark plugs? and the wires going to the spark plugs [Distributer cap i think]? Would that make any performance difference at all? or is that something you only do when you have a problem?

Sorry for all the questions, and also for being a noob, but this is all a learning experience :)


That thing you circled ... doesn't really matter. Most after market intakes will have something that you can run that hose to, but most people just put a little filter on the cam cover, all it does is vent the hot oily air into your intake.

Yes you can remove the cam gear cover, not really necessary unless you have an adjustable cam gear and plan on adjusting it a lot (or just because they're pretty). It's there to protect the timing belt, but you can take it off or leave it on ... your choice (either way not a big deal).

The spark plugs ... go ahead and replace them it's not that expensive. From what I've heard most people like NGKs. The wires, meh, I can't see you needing to replace them (the distributor cap is the part the wires connect to). You won't really gain any performance by replacing the spark plugs, or the distributor cap and rotor, however you may regain lost performance if any of those components happen to be worn out.
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By Ajax1989
- Thu Apr 15, 2010 8:16 am #187842 the price you can get one of those shitty ass air intakes you can get a K&N filter for your stock air box.. but if you want you can get the aftermarket one..

but just for fuel economy and for your own knowledge of when the last time this stuff was replace, id replace the cap, rotor, spark wires, spark plugs, fuel filter, and change the oil on 3000/3 month bases and your civic will run for ever..lol :thumb:
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By teal_dx
- Thu Apr 15, 2010 2:00 pm #187872
That thing you circled ... doesn't really matter. Most after market intakes will have something that you can run that hose to, but most people just put a little filter on the cam cover, all it does is vent the hot oily air into your intake.

It's a little more complicated than that. The vacuum that a N/A engine creates evacuates crank case gasses/pressure from the bottom end (black box on back of block with PCV valve inline to intake mani) and the head (valve cover tube to intake)
By eliminating that hose, you are changing the way that honda designed the vacuum system. If you want to eliminate any oil being sucked back into your intake, the best solution is an inline catch can.

Although on a mostly stock motor, it won't make much of a difference performance wise.
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By suspendedHatch
- Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:21 pm #188171 Those ricer valve cover filters quickly clog and that in turn causes your gaskets to leak oil. And high crankcase pressure actually hurts power. That's what's funny about it.

No power to be gained from spark plug wires. There's a lot of BS marketing out there. Best plug wires when yours go bad are Magnecor. They cost about the same as NGK and OEM but they last forever. And they technically are superior, but not in ways that will matter to you.

If your plugs, cap, and rotor are bad you'll notice a difference when you replace them. Also check your ignition timing. Big big maintenance thing that no one ever does is the valve adjustment. It needs to be checked every year but most people will never check it, so it will be way off and each cylinder way out of balance. You'll notice a big restoration in power.

When I bought my GSR it was somewhat sluggish. Adjusted the valves and the throttle cable and now it absolutely rips. Type R tranny doesn't hurt either.
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