I'm gonna have to but that was a loaner tool. No way was I gonna risk anything happening to the $150 tool. So I'm gonna buy a cheap one and do that.

I swapped the IACV and the idle is different, subtly better, but theres no change in the throttle response issue so it may still be the fuel pressure.

From the test it seemed pretty normal but at that point the car was driving better than what I get from the stop and go traffic.

Maybe its electrical? I just remember when Id do a mod like the grounding kit or the tb spacer id get that large amount of low end torque and then it would go away. I know the ecu adapts but its that same response Id get a different times. Like the ECU doesnt know whether its coming or going. The rest of the possibilities seem like theyre things that cause significant problems- stalling, surging, no start, etc.

 

I know I bounce around a lot but let me just write down whats been tried so far

Cat Converter cleaning
TPS calibration
EGR cleaning
IACV replacement
Seafoam treatment
Exhaust re-gasketting
Fuel pressure test
Alternator test
Battery test
IAT sensor check
Coolant bleeding
Air filter cleaning
Exhaust header re-wrapping
upstream o2 sensor replacement
Vacuum test

And theres still the somewhat high vacuum reading. Any correlation? Thats been annoying me.


update:
this looks promising
http://www.team-integra.net/forum/14...-response.html

 

Heck, give it a try. Seems like the symptoms match pretty well. And the FSM does point to fuel supply as the first system that should be checked when diagnosing performance issues. Could be that fuel pressure is fine at idle but reduced at higher RPMs. A clogged fuel filter could do that and apparently did in at least one instance, per your link.

I think a clogged filter (or a dying fuel pump) would be evident if the fuel pressure could be observed on the gauge when the throttle response problem occurs.

 

Yeah, I figure replacing the filter wouldnt hurt anyways

 

Heres another theory:
Intake temp sensor reads a cooler temp and the ECU adjusts accordingly when im on the highway as more cool air is flowing through. Same when the hood temps are cooler. Once everything heats up, the sensor reads the air intake as hotter and therefore changes the timing and my cars throttle response.

So when I get off the highway after the ecu is used to seeing cooler temps, the engine performs and idles smoother momentarily until it starts picking up hotter temps.

 

I should mention if I didnt before that when the issue occurs the exhaust gets louder than it should upon acceleration.
The same amount of air feels like its going through the intake but the throttle feels weaker and the exhaust gets louder. No exhaust leaks were found and no clogged exhaust from what I can see in the vacuum gauge.

 

Im talking to myself now :P

Fuel filter replaced. Smoother start but theres still the issue.

I still think its the cat converter.
Sluggish and feels like under load when hot. O2 sensor readings are odd. At idle the downstream is consistent and low voltage as it should be but when driving or rev'ing up to 2500 rpm it begins to go from .8 to .1 volts and sometimes mimic the upstream sensor readings.
I took the surface temps before and after the cat too, before, towards the engine it reads about 130 degrees, after its about 200 degrees.
My biggest confusion is that there is no CEL and this issue has been going on for a while.

 

Cat converter replaced with a magnaflow. I figured between recycling the old one and a discount I could get on the new one I break even.
Upon resetting the ECU and trying it out I got the low end torque and even the strong sounding exhaust but as I drove more it wore off a bit.

 

Is the throttle response problem fixed???

 

Not really. But I gotta drive it more to see what changed. All around performance is a little better but that initial throttle response still feels sluggish when hot. At first, driving it, the car felt great but then it went away. But hey, I have a magnaflow cat converter for practically free at least.

Thermostat? I just read that aftermarket thermostats dont work as well as OEM. I have an aftermarket one that was replaced a few years ago.

Update-

wow this thread is huge. I'm not giving up but may eventually just give up on this thread itself...

The car drives better but there are still some issues. I think I messed it up a bit by trying a valve adjustment, the car runs a little rougher although I was sure I got it all consistent and accurate. But I can see the downpipe shaking a bit now. And I cant get the spring bolts connecting the downpipe and cat converter tight enough. My downstream o2 sensor readings are looking funnier too. I'm afraid ill get an 0420 soon

After taking some data readings I see that my CAI is actually getting hotter than it should I follow the pipe and it climbs up to about 110 degrees at the IM from 60 to 75 to 90 along the pipe. The coolant hose below it is giving off a lot of heat that is heating up the aluminum pipe. It is possible that even the filter could be slowing down the air enough to heat it up through there. Coolant levels stay around 197 after a drive but towards the end of my data at idle it starts to go up to 203 degrees. The fans never kick on either.