ok I just recently replaced the head gasket on my d16
and now when I drive the car It gets good low and mid rpm power but nothing up top,, I mean It will accelerate and get up to around 7200 but it takes a good min..
Yes I am firing on all 4
No I dont have a hole in my exhaust..
It sounds just like a WRX..
could timing being off cause this.. I dont have a timing light , but I just did it the way I thought was right. I took out spark plug # 1 and placed a metal rod on the top of the piston and rotated it to TDC, The cam was in "up" postion.. Am i missing something?

 

timing does have an affect on your exhaust sound. get a timing gun or a friend with a timing gun.

 

I would def. get a book for your car and read up. Did it start doing this right after the head gasket repair?

 

Huh? Are you serious? Metal rods? ??? ??????


My advice is don't time your engine with metal rods...

Do u have a repair manual? Does it say to use metal rods?

Alright I'm done harassing... But come on man, lol...

You probably have the timing off, considering you did use a crude method of measurement. Check, recheck, and then double check the timing marks, by rotating thru 6 complete revolutions...

Good luck man...

 

actually placing a metal rod in cylinder 1 and rotating to TDC is a perfectly acceptable way to line up timing marks on the head and the cam.

 

ok so Yea It started doing it just after the new gasket install, and I didnt like slam a metal rod onto the top of the piston I just gently set it there, And I have both haynes and chiltons manuals and they aer both crap..
I looked for a timing mark on my crank.. The only problem is the Pulley Im usuing has Literally zero marking on it, Unorthodox..
So I know the honda usually fires like 13 or so degrees before TDC on the combustion stroke.. But I dont want to make Pistons and Valves a contact sport, should I
Marke the belt and the tooth its on and Advance 1 tooth at a time .. Or does it sound like the timing is retarded?? I would think If Im lacking high end The timing is to much on the retarded side.. I dunno tho

 

one of your injectors went bad or loose

 

probably not.

I'm telling you your timing is off.

 

I wouldn't go as far to say it is acceptable... Yes, it will show you when the piston is at the top of it's stroke, but it can potentially damage the piston, and it is supposed to be done WITHOUT a metal rod.

Besides, a flashlight and your eyeball can do the same job, so why not just "eye" it out?

 

you are not gonna damage a piston by putting a length of metal rod into the spark plug hole and turning the crank by hand till you reach TDC. It is extremely acceptable. If you damage a piston with a metal rod the size of a pencil, than your pistons are made out of paper.