TSX Intake Manifold DIY / Q & A

[CYANiDE]

So they can be used in conjunction.

Second question, I'm getting the Accord gasket for the Hondata thermal one? They offer one for the accord and one for the tsx.

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

I'm debating on whether to go with the Hondata Heatshield ($55) or OEM ($3) lol...

The P2R gasket as well as the hondata gasket are not worth it in my opinion...heat soak is not a question of "if", it's a question of "when".  No matter if you have the gasket or not, your IM will be the exact same temperature after shutdown if you drive all day.  That gasket is really only effective if the engine is used in short sprints (race activities).  For the majority of us, we're going to be driving for at least 10 minutes past warm-up, so there's really no point.  I purchased a hondata gasket for my race engine because I wanted a good template to cut my RBC manifold....I'm going to install it when the race motor gets built but I do not expect it to eliminate or even help out with heat soak.

Just some food for thought if you haven't already read this.

[CYANiDE]

Just some food for thought if you haven't already read this.

Saw that. Still debating on it though just looking into it. Probably going OEM though.

[Sunil]

I bought an TSX IM and TB, tried to install it today but had problem getting to bolt under the manifold out.  

So had to put it all back together. Can somebody advice me the easiest way to get the bolt out?

[Sunil]

This is a great thread,
finally did my TSX IM and TB install today, But I have a problem now.
its has a very rough idle and very erratic, some times it feels like the engine is dying and then it picks up high.



This is what its doing:

original

Install was easy except for two things.
1. The bolt under the IM was really hard to get to, and I didn't have the right tools.(paid the local mechanic guy $5 to get it out).
2. The TSX TB was too big for my OEM intake piping, TB is 64mm and the piping was only 60mm so had to force it in,and the clamp that holds the intake tube to the TB didn't fit  .

Can somebody tell me what did wrong?

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

The first thing everyone will ask you is if you put back the small vacuum hose that was on the back of the intake manifold's plenum. If you have an AT, then there's that hose that you need to put back. If you have an MT, you car doesn't have that small hose, and you need to plug it up with the part number provided in the first post of this thread.

[CrackerTeg]

The man speaks the truth.

[Sunil]

I did put the vacuum hose (from the front on the accord IM) to the back of the TSX IM.

[CrackerTeg]

Hmmm. Maybe the hose is cracked and you have a vacuum leak. Its possible the computer needs to relearn its parameters since you are now feeding it more air with the larger TB. There's quite a few variables with this and its hard to put a finger on it. Maybe someone else will chime in with ideas.

[Sunil]

How to check for cracks in the hose?

I have to go through the manuals to see if I have the radio code in there, before I take out the battery terminal.

I am very iffy to open it up again, cos I had to force the 60mm air intake tube on to my 64mm TB  . It was a tight fit. 

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Hmmm, I would go back and check to make sure that when you forced the intake tube back on, the tube didn't split open from the larger TB.

Also, when you put the IM on, did you torque the bolts to 16ftlbs, and do them in the correct pattern?

We're trying to cross out all of the simple stuff so that it'll be easier to figure out the real problem.

[Sunil]

Hmmm, I would go back and check to make sure that when you forced the intake tube back on, the tube didn't split open from the larger TB.

Also, when you put the IM on, did you torque the bolts to 16ftlbs, and do them in the correct pattern?

We're trying to cross out all of the simple stuff so that it'll be easier to figure out the real problem.

I checked the intake tubing and it looks good, I dint torque the bolts, I put them back as tight as I could. How do I measure the torque on them? I didn't follow the pattern either, . Did I mess it up?

[Sunil]

I disconnected my battery and let it sit for some time(10 mins) and then reconnected it. But its still has the erratic idle.

I checked all the hoses and they seem fine, and the bolts are perfectly tight.

What am I missing here...?

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

Well, usually when you retorque things, you need to make sure that you're tightening whatever it is back on evenly. It wouldn't make sense to tighten the IM from left to right... it could cause the left side to be tighter than the right side, causing a leak. When I put my IM on, I sort of went in a criss-cross pattern on the bolts. That way the torque is even across all bolts. Then again, I used a torque wrench, so if you don't have one, you won't really know how much to tighten the bolts. 16ftlbs didn't seem like a lot at all for me.

Anyways, it doesn't really seem that the bolts are a problem for you. I'm trying to think of other possible causes... the throttle shouldn't be an issue because it's all electrical. I don't know if you clarified this but, did you make sure that the intake manifold gasket stayed on when you took the Accord IM off? It's simply a reusable metal gasket. If that's not in between the injector base and the intake manifold, there could be a vacuum leak.

Other than that, I highly doubt that the throttle body gasket is leaking, since it has never been removed. For now, keep looking around. This may not work, but if you let the car idle, then feel around the hose fittings, you may be able to feel something.

It seems like everything is set up right... just for kicks, try disconnecting the throttle plug thing for your DBW, then plug it back in and make sure it's tight.

Let us know how it goes.

[Sunil]

Thank you for all the help and input guys. I tightened everything evenly and did follow the criss-cross pattern on the bolts when I did it the first time. The intake gasket stayed on too.
Today I tried some throttle body and intake cleaner from pepboy's, opened everything up and put it back together, followed the criss-cross pattern on the bolts tightened then evenly. Sprayed the TB cleaner as directed and it seams like the idle is smoother now. There is still a slight hesitation(when I give it gas)  though. Have to drive it around and see how it behaves.

On a completely different note, now that I have the TSX IM and TSX TB, how about some TSX throttle body spacers guys?
Here is the linkhttp://www.corsportusa.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1965
lemme know what you guys think.

Thank you for all the help guys.