I just bought a 94 accord lx wagon. One owner. It has 101k miles on it. Service records indicate within the last 3k miles the following have been done
Timing Belt and rear cam oil seal
Struts and bushings
CV Joints repacked and new boots
New Michelin Tires
Complete exhaust system
All belts and fluids changed with plugs/wires and whatever else goes w/ a tuneup.
No rust at all and drive perfectly.

I bought the car because I was going to trade my 04 Ford F150 xlt w/ 15k miles and the best offer I got wholesale was $12,000 so i figured and my wife agreed, buy a car I would enjoy for runaround and keep truck. I paid $3500 for the car.

My wife drives a Dodge Magnum RT w/ a 340 hp Hemi motor. Fast!!!!! She takes my accord out for a spin and comes back and says "nice little car" but a real dog. SHE tells me I need to put in a bigger motor so it'll be acceptable.

I also wanted a car I could put my $3000 worth of stereo equipment that's been sitting on the shelf, in.

For $3000 what is the best way to get the MOST performance out of this car. I'd spend more but it's my piggy bank. My wife said if it comes out good, she'll give me a Chromalusion paint job as an anniversary gift. So please help!

 

7 psi garret turbo system.. youll waste her so bad it will be ugly.

 

*nods* a turbo install will give you the most bang for your buck as lightshow said. Anything beyond 6 to 8 psi on that stock motor will involve a lot more then $3000

side note...... your wife sounds..... well.... spoiled.......

 

Is it recommended to do more than just a turbo kit when your running 6 to 8psi or is it pretty safe running it on a stock engine? I know it's a good idea to upgrade at least the spark plugs and wires, but is there any internal work that should be done to make the forced induction a little less stressful on the engine? I'm considering running a turbo on my 01 4cyl accord and I won't be able to afford it for awhile. I'd like to know how much I need to be saving.

 

I've never been a fan of turbos, but then again ya gotta work with what ya got! What kind of performance increase are we talking with the Garrett at 8psi? I guess I've just been spoiled. We have the Hemi and before that for two yrs. we had an Acura TL-S. Fun, Fun, Fun.

I don't want to sacrifice the reliability but I do want more power.

Also, I'm sure you don't just bolt on a turbo. What else is involved? Like I said, the car is pretty much a creampuff with all the higher mileage maintenance and replacements done. But NO GET UP AND GO!

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

My wife sounds spoiled? She owns the company. I get a $1750 paycheck every week and all I really have to do is manage the books and taxes. That's about 10 hrs. a month. The rest of the time I do woodworking and remodel the house we live in. We just sold the house we bought in 2000 and I'm building the addition to a triplex we own. I told her if I had an excavator, I could do the foundation work myself. 2004 Kubota 231. We're pouring the footings tomorrow. When it's done, it's going to be a 2200 sq. ft. apt. over a 28x40 radiant heated garage.

She's spoiled? Now all I gotta do is make my accord go.

Would Meth help? Or would it ruin it's life?

 

its recommended with F series motors that you only have work done if your going to run more then that 8psi. Depending on who you talk to only the stock rings will need to be replaced if its an older car. Which is a good suggestion considering its going to be the first thing to break down under mild boost. 7 psi of boost should net around 75hp. I think its at the wheel but im not sure.
If you want the turbo to spool up a little faster you can get a cam regrind thats modified for turbo use. But depending on the turbo expect lag time on it, but who cares about 1 or 2 seconds when the boost far exceeds that draw back. For less lag time hybrid turbos are better.
If you want even less lag time hook a smaller turbo inbetween the manifold and the high powered turbo. ^_-

For turbo installation..... the extent of it is just bolting everything on. Beyond that its setting up a boost controller and.... well im not sure what else.... others will fill in the holes. I dont have a turbo yet, but its in the works.

And I dont care what anyone says, if you expect horsepower when your in 5th gear while going 25mph youre a moron. (sorry, bashing that evo / lamb video isnt that evo a 6speed anyways?)

and yeah, sorry....... just a guy with no money and lots of plans comlaining here ^_- And I think I might be pissing of the people who have been with the forum longer then I have. Not sure yet tho.

 

you would need everything that a turbo needs to run on a honda which is a pretty short list. nothing needs to be done to the internals of the motor to run 7 psi. and if the system is done right, turbo lag will be all but nonexistent. the motor would be daily driver reliable. you would want to run only the best fuels and lubricants, extremely high quality plugs and wires, and the car needs to idle for a while every time you park it to let the turbo cool down. unless you know how to install turbos you should let a qualified shop install it. If you buy the parts yourself and have them install it, you will keep costs pretty low. heres some of the parts you will need.

- turbo
a great turbo to get is a second generation mitsubishi eclipse turbo/ T3-T4 garret/airresearch

-wastegate
turbonetics deltagate with a 7psi spring

-manifold
can be purchased or custom made at the shop. a simple log style manifold can work very well and is the cheapest. a tubular manifold is more efficient and costs a little more

-intercooler
can also be taken off a mits eclipse but a slightly larger front mount intercooler would work best.

-blow off valve
hks or other quality brand

-boost dependant FMU (fuel pressure regulator)
vortech FMU

-manifold pressure bleeder
synapse missing link

-high volume fuel pump
walbro 255lph

-ngk iridium plugs

-ngk wires

if you take all those parts to your shop they can do the rest. these parts can be found at your junkyard, magazines, speed shop, ebay, and many others. these parts shouldnt cost over 1500 dollars and should cost around 8-12 hundred, and it shouldnt take the shop more than 10 hours to put it in. so they shouldnt charge you any more than 800 dollars.

 

and that 800 dollars should include a custom 3 inch exhaust. and you dont have to worry about farty sound with a turbo accord. it would sound meannnn

 

H22 it. Convert an H22a4 from OBD2 to OBD1. With a good set up with cold air intake, header, exhaust, cam gears, and a decently tuned Hondata S200 w/out boost can get you about 230 to the wheels. It will be reliable but quick.