MODIFICATION , EFI Electronic Secondary Stage Controller

[1988starter]

Here are some methods used by members to FIX / MODIFY / DISABLE the EFI Secondary.

If you've done the basic I/H/E to your A20, you might want it to breathe just a wee bit better then it did when it came off the assembly line.

Our secondaries open up at 5,000 RPM. Now with the stock setup, I guess that was just enough to push it that much further down the road. If you want full control and the ability to fine tune your curves out more, this might be a good idea.



Parts Required:
RPM Window switch (MSD, Summit Racing, et cetera.)
Wire screwcap, electrical tape, solder, or whatever you want to use to junction your wires. (It's up to you.)
Spare length of wire with a clip on the end.

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Note:
Personally, I think the Summit Racing switch is the best value for the buck.
For $20 less then the MSD switch, and the ability to fine tune whatever RPM you want, it's the pick of the litter. No "pills" to deal with, no wire cutting/selecting BS.
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First, open your magical black box. Take the four screws out of the rubber float section, flip the thing over. Check out where #13 and #12 run. That's the solenoid we're going to deal with.

Since I'm not sure if wiring changed from year to year, do this. Put the keys in, set her on "ON." Take out the test length of wire. Pull off one connector to the solenoid. Connect the test wire to the exposed pole, and repeatingly tap the other end to a ground point. If the secondary diaphram opens and closes, you found the ground.
If it wasn't that pole, then it has to be the other one. Leave the connector off once you found it, and take the keys out. Disconnect negative off the battery.

Wiring directions for the MSD and Summit units:

Connect the red wire to your coil's positive terminal.
Connect the white wire to your coil's negative terminal, or if you have an ignition box, the tachometer output.
Connect the black wire to a nice and solid ground.

Since it's a closed circuit, we want to hook up the Grey wire to the solenoid. Either reuse the connector from the stock wire or just solder it directly on.

Mount the switch somewhere nice, dry, and safe. Maybe you can find a spot for it in the black box.

Put negative back on the battery, put your car back into the "ON" position.
If you hooked either example switch up right, you should get a status LED on.

Now with the Summit unit, it will be set up to toggle on at 5,000 RPM by default. Set the dip switches at whatever RPM you want. If it needs calibration, check out their PDF. It's pretty simple.

With the MSD unit, put in whatever RPM pill you want.

Fire up the car. After it warms up a little, bring the throttle up a little bit at a time until you hit/exceed your target RPM. Hopefully if you wired it up right ( ) it should open them right up, and the status LED should change color.

Now go play with a dyno, use your butt dyno, G-Tech, or whatever method you want to go find the perfect open time for your setup.

Using the BD, I found that my sweet spot is at 4,100.

Depending on whether or not you have a decent cam, your mileage may vary.

Should make things a little more interesting and fun. =)

OK Yesterday I embarked on a quest to fix my secondary butterflys. The end result was an assload more low end torque BTW this only applies to 88,89.

OK first off the most common problem they are not working is the fact that the silinoid has died you can get a new one from a junkyard and efi accord 86-89 will have one and I have an extra and I will let it go for 15 (plus shipping if it is a mad amount but I don't expect I will even care uless I send it to canada or some place like that) any way here is a picture of the inside of the box



you want to replace the bypas controll piece. Well after I replaced mine still nothing then I noticed that there was no suction from any of the 2 hoses going to it I think their was a jam in the vacume canaster (below) so I removed it and just used the check valve to hold them together. The check valve was one way on my car so blow through it to make sure it flows in the right direction (green arrow) now they should work hazzaa and enjoy your recovered power.

[shepherd79]

nicely done.

[AccordEpicenter]

yeah... i had the same problem, my solenoid wasnt dead but it would work intermittantly... Also you can use one from any 86-89 accord emissions box, just make sure it works and it does what you want it to do.

[Justin86]

I might want to invest in a 88-89 intake manifold. Maybe I can pull one out of the junkyard in the middle of the night. or something like that.
How about a how to on this.

[1988starter]

Last time I went to the junk yard I noticed the 88 and 86 were quite different different TB set up along with a bunch of other things including idle controll it may be a project but it could work.

[1988starter]

Originally posted by Justin86
I might want to invest in a 88-89 intake manifold. Maybe I can pull one out of the junkyard in the middle of the night. or something like that.
How about a how to on this.

I was just looking at the parts online I bet you could do this conversion just compair the parts in the JY

[BITESIZE]

The conversion involves at least 15 horespower, considering the hp difference between a 86/87 versus a 88/89. Those secondary butterflies suck a lot of air!

[Justin86]

Well hopefuly I will be getting some Se-i parts here soon. I will grab the intake manifold and rear brakes.

[Swan]

ok, its time to admit that I know nothing about this! I was looking at my box thing the other day, and I noticed that the two little things that look kinda like some kind of filter (which I just found out is the ignition control and bypass control)... anyway, my bypass control looks like a dirty filter, more of a brown instead of yellow.... is that my problem? or is that the part to replace? also, if you get one of these from junk yard, how do you know it will work? could you get a new one from a parts store or the dealership? I know dealership is a buttload of money, but I'd rather pay more for something that is guaranteed to work than pay a little for something, find out it doesn't work, then have to go back and buy another one which may not work....

[1988starter]

Originally posted by Swan
ok, its time to admit that I know nothing about this! I was looking at my box thing the other day, and I noticed that the two little things that look kinda like some kind of filter (which I just found out is the ignition control and bypass control)... anyway, my bypass control looks like a dirty filter, more of a brown instead of yellow.... is that my problem? or is that the part to replace? also, if you get one of these from junk yard, how do you know it will work? could you get a new one from a parts store or the dealership? I know dealership is a buttload of money, but I'd rather pay more for something that is guaranteed to work than pay a little for something, find out it doesn't work, then have to go back and buy another one which may not work....

Most junkyards let you return defective parts I grabbed 2 just in case from an 86 accord (same sensor different controll) and they both worked. I think it was about 70 bucks at the dealer.15 at the junk ard.

[BITESIZE]

I took those stupid little filters off (the ones under the Box).

[Versanick]

Okay so these things do or do not apply to my 86 LX-i intake? That intake's probably slowing down my b20, huh. Would a butterfly conversion help me out a lot?

Or am I an idiot?

[BITESIZE]

Yes it would. The 86/87 lxi on has single butterflies. I'd say your increase would be at least 20 hp, considering the 86/87 came with 100 hp? and the 88/89 came with 120 hp?

[1988starter]

The 86 and 87 came with 110 and the 88 and 89 had 122 the butterflys help a lot but are not the whoole reason for power there was a large compression increase and anew exhaust manifold used along with some removed vacume lines.

[1988starter]

Originally posted by BITESIZE
I took those stupid little filters off (the ones under the Box).

why

[1988starter]

bump

[Justin86]

Well I complete my 89 intake swap. Everthing runs great. Once I get my tranny fixed I will do more fine tunning.
So what solenoid do I need to plug to fix the valve. I'm a little lost on what to do????

[1988starter]

Originally posted by Justin86
Well I complete my 89 intake swap. Everthing runs great. Once I get my tranny fixed I will do more fine tunning.
So what solenoid do I need to plug to fix the valve. I'm a little lost on what to do????

You don't have to plug anything start by checking to see if your butterlflies open at 5K and then close right after it drops below. If it is not working open the controll box and find the silonoid replace it. and remove the vacume tank circled in the picture and connect the two hoses together.

[Justin86]

Ok

[BITESIZE]

why

because they were dirty....

[Rendon LX-i]

Okay Does anyone have pics. They aint much of 88s around here. I mean a pic of a 88-89 Intake manifold and a 86-89 Intake manifold to see the difference. Damn i might have to do this

[BITESIZE]

Basically the 86/87 intake doesn't have a set of butterflies like the 88/89 efi...they open at higher rpms to let more air in, thus more power. I don't have a picture though.

[Rendon LX-i]

So i can just put a 88-89 intake manifold and bolt on my 86 with no probs

[AccordEpicenter]

well you could do that but youd have to figure out how to switch the air door to open. The stock system uses a vaccum tank with an electric solenoid to close them, triggered by the ecu. I bet you could get an rpm switch from summit for like $40 and use that.

[dillirk]

Has anyone tried changing the RPM that these butterflies open and close... maybe an easy power mod?