Rep Power: 267

So I've had my new exhaust installed for four months now and love it. But the past couple of weeks now, I've noticed a lot of soot on the inside of the muffler tip. I cleaned it off again on Saturday with metal polish, and yesterday it's all covered again.


You can see where I wiped my finger yesterday and it is already covered again.



I've been reading about our cars puffing a bit at vtec, but this looks like more than a little puff. One of the guys in my office recommended possibly trying a hotter spark plug to compensate. Any recommendations?

Also, I've been using the LubeControl FP60 additive for a while now. Could that be causing some of this? I haven't had the opportunity to pull the plugs yet to see if they're coated, hopefully this weekend.

 
Rep Power: 452

looks like you are running a bit rich. Usually black soot in the end of the exhaust indicates a rich condition. Too much fuel and not enough air being burned in the engine. Doesnt look to bad, but check your air filter to make sure it isnt clogged, if it is, replace it. Also caused by too much fuel pressure, leaky injectors, etc... Have you been noticing a difference in fuel mileage?

 
Rep Power: 267

Mileage has been consistant at 31-33 for the past couple months. I'll check the filter this weekend too.

Any thoughts about getting hotter plugs? Worth it/waste of time?

 
Rep Power: 452

Not to familiar with hotter or colder plugs, but if there stock they should be fine. Also check the plugs to make sure they arent fouled out. As that can be another reason why you might be running rich.

 
Rep Power: 267

Well, I finally checked the air filter this weekend and it has a couple of darker areas but you can still see light thru it so I think the filter is fine.

I changed my plugs to NGK iridiums. Installed them and decided to use my torque wrench to torque them to 13ft-lb as recommended like a good Boy Scout. I pulled my ECU fuse and did the idle learn procedure. Life was good. Then I hopped in the car to take for a quick spin. Got out of the neighborhood onto the main road and punched it. Well, the car bucked, started idling very baddly, and my CEL came on. Went back home and pulled out the plugs. Two of them had brown dust all over the threads and two were still clean. I wiped them off and reinstalled them. This time screw the torque wrench, in to hand tight, 1/4 turn for all then another 1/4 turn for all. Pulled the ECU fuse to reset the code. Started up, took off and no problems.

So do you think the plugs weren't installed tight enough with the torque wrench? Something else I noticed, when I pulled the coils off the second time, three of them gave a pop sound and one just came off with no resistance or pop. Do I possibly have a bad coil, or maybe just the gasket at the end isn't sealing. I'm not too familiar with the coils, but isn't the spark plug end just a rubber gasket and spring?

 
Rep Power: 267

So I went out last night to do the idle learn and poke around. It seems now there is more of a ticking sound in the engine bay and the sound from the exhaust has more of a sputter. I'm really staring to think there is an issue with the coil. Am I over analyzing this?

 
Rep Power: 423

That doesn't look all that bad. Its gonna run a little rich, just as a safety thing to keep if from blowing up. As long as its not running Evo "turn the whole bumper black" rich, I'd just keep driving the car.

 
Rep Power: 396

It happens to most everyone. It's on mine also. =)