fatherpain
Senior Member
- First Name
- Tom
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2018
- Threads
- 27
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- 2,205
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- Location
- SoCal
- Website
- www.civicx.com
- Vehicle(s)
- 2018 CTR - CW, 1996 Honda Accord EX coupe
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- Thread starter
- #961
Hi Sam3, yes modding the fuel system certainly has potential for serious safety issues, if not done right. Hopefully this walkthrough will address the potential gotchas in detail and always try to include my best maintenance practices. I've worked in power plant mechanical repair for 29 years as a mechanic and supervisor. Only experience working on cars has been tinkering with the Type R. At work, I'm no longer allowed to touch tools, due to my position. So it's always fun to get under the hood, wrench and figure things out.
Having successfully gone through the process, it seems there are (5) critical areas to be mindful of:
Later versions of the XDI pump were adjusted to minimize the offset and XDI says it they fit now. These revised versions can be identified by contacting XDI with the serial number and also the LP fitting atop the pump will be a 90 degree elbow. Believe this was a newer pump as it lined up pretty well and only needed minor adjustment. The part of the install I most worried about was a piece of cake.
As far as I know, XDI and Hondata are the only HPFP upgrades available for the FK8. That said, haven’t kept up to know whether there are new offerings.
Personally opted for the XDI pump over the Hondata option as it’s cheaper (about $1500) and my car is Motec tuned.
The reason for upgrading the HPFP was Motec failsafes would cut the engine under WOT even though the car is conservatively track tuned @366HP/361 Torque. As a result, the tune had to be scaled down some. This should allow a return to full power.
Investigated upgrading the injectors while the manifold was out, being the ideal time to do it. But Salasko Racing said the issue the car was having was due to a lack of pressure not flow. The car is stock turbo and motor and not planning to chase big power, so an injector upgrade or switch to port is not needed.
From experience messing around with our son’s RC cars, adding power inevitably led to other parts wearing out prematurely, which meant upgrades then something else would fail. Have already spent way more than I’d ever envisioned with this build, so don’t need another rabbit hole to chase. Plus we are in California after all.
Having successfully gone through the process, it seems there are (5) critical areas to be mindful of:
- Torque the HPFP to the correct specs - 11 ft/lbs for base. 12 ft/lbs for the pump.
- Make sure the intake manifold is pulled to properly tighten the rear HP fuel line fitting. It needs to be tight
- Make sure the HP fuel line entering the pump is slightly adjusted (bent) to make sure it lines up and seats properly. Don’t want the male insert and female seat cocked in any way.
- Modify the plastic safety clip that protects the LP fuel connection, so it can go back on. Honda put it there for a reason.
- The HP fuel fittings are stainless steel, which have a tendency to gall if applied dry or cross- threaded. So lube applied before engaging and it needs to go on straight. This mod calls for 0-20W engine oil.
- The LP fuel line somehow came undone if the OEM plastic safety clip was not modded and put back on.
- The HP fuel line under the intake manifold wasn't fully tightened, if the shop didn't take time to pull the manifold.
- The HP fuel line failed at the fitting to the pump due to a stress crack or misalignment.
Later versions of the XDI pump were adjusted to minimize the offset and XDI says it they fit now. These revised versions can be identified by contacting XDI with the serial number and also the LP fitting atop the pump will be a 90 degree elbow. Believe this was a newer pump as it lined up pretty well and only needed minor adjustment. The part of the install I most worried about was a piece of cake.
As far as I know, XDI and Hondata are the only HPFP upgrades available for the FK8. That said, haven’t kept up to know whether there are new offerings.
Personally opted for the XDI pump over the Hondata option as it’s cheaper (about $1500) and my car is Motec tuned.
The reason for upgrading the HPFP was Motec failsafes would cut the engine under WOT even though the car is conservatively track tuned @366HP/361 Torque. As a result, the tune had to be scaled down some. This should allow a return to full power.
Investigated upgrading the injectors while the manifold was out, being the ideal time to do it. But Salasko Racing said the issue the car was having was due to a lack of pressure not flow. The car is stock turbo and motor and not planning to chase big power, so an injector upgrade or switch to port is not needed.
From experience messing around with our son’s RC cars, adding power inevitably led to other parts wearing out prematurely, which meant upgrades then something else would fail. Have already spent way more than I’d ever envisioned with this build, so don’t need another rabbit hole to chase. Plus we are in California after all.
Only highly competent and mechanically skilled folks should attempt.. When I consider fuel system upgrades, I remember ipeefreely and how his car catching fire was the straw that broke the camel's back.
In addition to the excellent step by step instructions, it would be nice to write an introduction about what are the available options, why did you choose this option versus others, and what are the next steps? For example, how does this compare to the Hondata FK8 fuel system. Are you planning to upgrade the injectors, and why?
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