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While the engine was running, i opened up the oil fill cap to take a peek inside. I noticed one valve/rocker arm (background valve, see pic) wasn't doing anything.
The valve/rocker arm closest to the timing belt (foreground valve) was working.
Is that normal?

 
Rep Power: 518

You aren't supposed to be looking in there while it's running.


Depends on which type of VTEC this is equipped with. (hi/lo mode? 12/16 mode??)
Probably normal. I'd expect it will move like the other once the VTEC engages at around 5000 RPM.

 
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Thanks, I was worried.

 
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Now that this gigantic Snow Mountain has melted away I could work on my car.
Now I noticed something odd, when the engine is idling , if I pump the brakes a few times the engine idle speed will raise up to 1500 RPM's.
Is this normal?

 
Rep Power: 518

Yes again, and the idle speed should go back to normal when you stop pumping the brake pedal..
The brake booster operates on engine vacuum, and when you repeatedly pump the brake pedal it has the same effect as a vacuum leak.

A vacuum leak on this type of fuel injection system causes the idle speed to rise.

HTH

 
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Yep, it idles back to normal. What a relief, thanks.

 
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Oh boy! I was spraying some throttle body cleaner on the valve cover to cleanup it up and sprayed some on the intake manifold where it meets the cylinder head and i noticed it bogged the engine down.

So i shot some tb cleaner at each of the intake runners and it did the same. I guess that gasket is shot.

Is it difficult to replace gasket?

 
Rep Power: 518

Could be a gasket, could be injector seals, or EGR caps (if equipped), or something like that. Try to narrow down and pinpoint the actual leakage.
Maybe something as simple as the manifold bolts are a little loose and allowing the leakage, IDK.

 
Rep Power: 518

Editing here:
But if it isn't idling too fast and the manifold bolts are tight, I'm not sure how much I'd worry about it if the leak isn't large enough to cause a problem ---if it is not a manifold gasket area leak.
If it's something like the large rubber donuts on the bottom of the injectors, aged seals might seep a little as they harden.

Is it a real problem even if it is not causing a problem? IDK.

 
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Oh boy! A few surprises last week

Last monday i take the car for an inspection. The guy at the station was puzzled. The inspection computer was showing fault codes but the check engine light wasn't on. (But the check engine light was go on via bulb check when you turn the key to the "on" position)

That one had me shaking my head . Needless to say i didn't pass.

I just left the car as is, too damn cold to do anything. By Thursday i start to hear a high pitched whistle coming from the engine. That whistle noise was coming from the where the intake manifold is attached to the head.

Someone used chalking to plug up the 4 air injections holes above the fuel injectors. But didn't plug the hole below to the nipple that feeds air to the manifold.

Maybe when i shot some throttle body cleaner between the head and intake i loosen the chalking.
Well i ordered a intake gasket from honda. When it gets here i'll plug those holes better.

The same day i decided to remove the instrument panel to replace some bulbs.
Oh boy, this is the fun part......the check engine light was connected to the oil pressure light. And the circuit board trace for the check engine light was cut.
I managed to repair that trace. (damn light is always lit now lol)
Pulled the code , the only code i get is a P0420 low efficiency converter.
The car currently has a aftermarket converter(maybe it's no longer working )
I'm looking around for a new aftermarket cat. Honda wants $610 for the factory piece.

Also someone was nice enough to tape and block off the ABS indicator light.(rear left wheel sensor is shot)

So, right now i got 2 bright-*** yellow lights shining st me.

Sorry for the long-winded post.
Thanks for reading.

 
Rep Power: 518

Not sure what you mean by that. A soft plug of some sort?

Those might be plugs for EGR passages. (Just a guess since I can't see it.)

Yup, common too. You can fool a human but you can't fool the computer.

Is it hollow now?

 
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chalking or gasket sealer. this stuff looks gray. It's rubbery.

The flange of the inlet side of the cat was rotted. So I had a flex pipe welded on. The down pipe and the cat are one piece lol.
The bolts on the outlet side are so rusted they lost their shape. Maybe i can take a peek thru the o2 sensor hole to see if the cat was hollowed out.

 
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Doesn't really matter if it is hollowed now, as far as needing a cat..
I was thinking that if it suffered severe misfire that could have ruined the cat.

 
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Pulled intake manifold off. Waiting on a new gasket to arrive.
I'm suprised this engine ran at all. bottom middle stud didn't even have a nut on it.

Injectors lookin funky. Think a shot of throttle body cleaner will clean the grime from the tip of the injectors?

2 of the 4 air injection holes was plugged.

Think this massive vacuum leak damaged the cat converter?

 
Rep Power: 518

Vacuum leaks aren't the usual cause of a cat failure.
An excess of unburned fuel is.
Unless the vac leakage was causing a severe misfire, I doubt that was the cause.

Usual cause of sudden cat failure is ignition and spark problems, but seeing as how that car/engine has an unknown history and mileage, it's really anyones guess as to what may have happened in the past.

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Yes on the carb and throttle cleaner. Lots of it.

You would do good to completely clean out and blow out all of the holes and ports in that manifold, along with all of the injectors, and you probably want some new O rings for the bottom tips of those injectors.


I still can't figure out what you are calling air injection.....

Maybe the air bleeds for the shrouded injectors?
(I forget what Honda called them, but that looks like what those plastic caps on the tips are, see pic below) And that capped off nipple between cylinders 2 and 3, what was it for originally?
Was that part of the air shroud passages?
Figure out the complete system, making it operational again (if possible) might be a good thing, provided everything is even there.



Pic from clubrsx

 
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Since replacing the intake manifold gasket/properly plugging up these useless air injector hole/cleaning up the fuel injectors, the engine has been running flawlessly these past few months. It was a pleasure learning how to drive stick shift in the civic

But, i say with a heavy heart. I sold the civic and purchased a 2005 S2000 AP2.

I'd like to thank you guys for your help!