As some of you know, I swapped engines 2 weeks ago. The new engine already has 1040 miles on it as of today. It's not where I want it to be right now, though.

The new engine: D16y7, bored to 75.5mm, new NPR oversize pistons, all OEM bearings, OEM seals, OEM gaskets. Installed with a 96-98 D16y8 intake manifold for better (but still stock) airflow. Used an ebay SRI pipe for an intake. Runs fine for the most part.

Here are the issues:

• Engine temperature - The old engine would ALWAYS stay at just below the halfway mark on the temp gauge. The new engine sits there for awhile, then periodically goes to 3/4ths, then eventually goes back down to half (either by itself or by me running the heat). I have bled the engine twice already. It has a new OEM thermostat. Radiator fan does work. The coolant wasn't mixed 50/50 perfectly. It's probably more like 70/30 coolant/water.

• Fuel economy - I knew that the new engine wouldn't have great fuel economy until the engine was broken in, but I thought it would be better by now. First tank after swap got 22 MPG. Second tank got 24 MPG. Third tank got 25 MPG. Fourth tank got 26 MPG. 75% of the driving has been highway so far.

• Power - (preface: I let the engine idle to operating temp at every start since it's new.) When I first start driving once the car is warmed up, there isn't as much power when I'm starting from a stop. The engine just falls on its face, power wise. Pedal goes to the floor, I can hear the RPMs increase, but the car doesn't go very fast until it gets up to 10-15 MPH, then it seems to suddenly catch up and the power is there. When I try to climb hills, the power also just isn't there unless I drop it into 3rd and floor it. Strangely enough, this is worse when the engine is hot, like when I've driven on the interstate for 30 minutes, then I get on the side streets and try to climb the hill to my apartment. The y8 intake manifold was supposed to increase that bottom end power, so the manifold plus the bigger intake pipe should equal no problem with low end torque.

• Transmission? - I know that the auto transmission capacity is 2.8 quarts. We poured 3 full quarts into it, some through the VSS hole and the rest through the top. A little spilled, so it's probably something like 2.9 in there. The level is a little high on the dipstick. The trany seems to jerk a little, and it doesn't shift when it used to (at certain RPMs and speeds). I can be at 4500 or 5000 RPMs in 3rd gear at 65 MPH and it won't shift into 4th gear until I hit 70.

Any ideas?

 

Overheating, poor fuel economy and lack of power all point to late timing. Check the cam and spark timing again. Do you have the key in the crank pulley? When setting spark timing, be sure the test jumper is really engaged, the CEL should light steady when you start the engine with the jumper in.

 

The key is in the crank pulley. Mechanical timing is definitely set. When we set the ignition timing, we didn't have the jumper on the service connector... >.< But he said the timing looked good based on the timing light.

What negative consequences will this have on the rest of the engine if I've driven 1000 miles like this?

 

Not jumpering the service connector will make you set the timing way wrong. There shouldn't be any permanent damage, just a temporary situation of no power and bad gas mileage.

 

Just use a paper clip and jumper the connector and set the timing.

 

Hopefully a friend will be coming by with a timing light after work today. I'll supply the paper clip