B16 Civic runs great idles like shit help?!

Running Riot · 08-30-2009

Ok i'm pulling my hair out. Here's a brief history.

Car has skunk2 pro 1 cams. It idles fine until this horrific noise eminated from the head. Turns out it was a loose cam gear bolt on the exhaust side. After tightening it to 42 ft/lbs (factory spec as far as I am aware of) and the car idled like shit. I figured I'd try new plugs and voila it spun like a top.

After a few days, I was driving around town and raced an RDX and the horrific noise came back. I pulled over, tightened it again and the car ran perfect again. On the way back home I pushed it to red line and that's where the problems began. The car idles like shit, it misses and lopes like crazy, it smells like an outboard and idles like a top fuel dragster. As cool as this sounds it's a horrible ride. The needle jumps up and down and after three times it rests at 750-500 and if i leave it alone it goes down to 200 and stalls. Once I start driving the car doesn't miss at all, that is the wierd thing. It is only at idle. It doesn't missfire or hesitate or surge or stumble on acceleration and vtec works and pulls hard. Pops a little bit when downshifting and decelerating in gear. Runs ideal (according to my A/F meter) when cruising driving. I reset the ECU and I pulled the plugs and they are a dark brown not quite black color.

I checked the timing jut to be sure I didn't skip a tooth or something horrible like that and the timing is good, everything lines up. I manually set the idle at 750 by manipulating the throttle cable and i moved the dizzy forwards and backwards to see what would happen and it will ping if too far towards the driver and it will stall if too far to the front.

I am using Nology wires and the IACV was cleaned not too long ago. I'm out of ideas. I don't know how the plugs could foul after something like this especially after just a few days. If the plugs were too hot there would be white powdery shit on them and there isn't.

I give up guys, can anyone help me out?

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gearbox · 08-30-2009

is the cam timing okay?

Running Riot · 08-30-2009

yeah that was the first thing i checked. I was afraid that when the cam gear bolt loosened that the exhaust cam spun and skipped a tooth but i lined up the indents on the cam gear and they match up to the notch on the crank (the other three notches are timing marks right? I have a total of 4, three grouped together and another separate one) its just the weirdest thing it was fine when i tightened the bolt and then once i did an italian tune up it ran like shit.

gearbox · 08-30-2009

what abour ignition timing

Running Riot · 08-30-2009

i had it timed with a gun when i swapped it in and i engraved marks in the head and the diz to make sure I could line them back up properly.

What i tried doing is moving it to see what it will do. When I move it all the way forward (towards front of car thats retarding right?) the car pings and knocks and idles worse. When i advance it (move towards cab) the car sputters and shuts off. I know the wires are firing cuz i pulled them slightly off the plugs while the car was running and I could hear them clicking.

I am throwing a tps code because of the spoon tb but i've always thrown that code since i got the car vtec still works, i've adjusted it before but the wheels is too big. The car idled fine with it before but ill try re adjusting it. the plugs are brand new too.