Hi Everyone,

Just got me a used evolution 9. Coming from the Honda family (Honda-tech) so this is a change. Recently when i drove my car the check engine light started flashing rapidly under boost. It goes away as soon as I remove my foot from the accelerator. I noticed that it will also lag a bit like it doesn't want to boost when it does flash (I am not going pedal to the metal either). To me it feels like a vacuum leak or something like that. It doesn't happen all the time either.

Some other evo owner told me that maybe it had been tuned before (the dealer i bought it from did remove some after market parts... blow off valve... boost control... and a test pipe... they replaced them with the stock parts, but did provide the aftermarket parts in the trunk).

Any ideas... where i should look or any one else had a problem.

Thanks in advance

 

1. Boost Leak Test

2. It's been tuned. The CEL flashes when there are above a certain number of counts of knock. It's basically a "stop doing what you're doing" light. Mine will do it occasionally, I'll see it maybe once every other month; high load (4th gear) situations only. If parts have been removed, either install the old parts and get it tuned, or get it tuned as-is now. Don't keep beating on it unless you want to rebuild it

 

1. Okay get a boost leak test done. (will google that)

2. So it is tuned! I will get it to the right hands then...

Anyone know of a place in southern California that you can recommend for Evo tuning.

Thank you for the quick response!

 

I amend my statement after re-reading what you wrote:

It could feel like it's lagging because it's misfiring enough. I'd take it to the tuner and have them tune it properly first and also check for boost leaks while it's in their hands (and fix them)

COBB, Reese Tuning, Road Race Engineering are all in SOCAL area

 

Road Race Engineering /thread

 

you are in LA, go to RRE. but, it sounds like you are experiencing high knock count. no more WOT runs/pulls until you get it re-tuned.

 

RRE.

I thought Reese kinda got a black eye rep wise?

 

You should start simple, put the aftermarket parts back on and it could be fixed! If not, figure out why it’s knocking. Just bringing it in for a re-tune is not a good idea until you go through the car (it being new to you). It could be something simple and your tune could be spot on.

When you see the CEL flash, that is when its too late and the ECU is already retarding your ignition timing. This is causing it loose power and putting the engine in a potential harmful situation. Causing that feeling you described as "lags a bit like it doesn't want to boost when it does flash"

 

or bring those parts in your trunk to RRE and get it re-installed if you cant do it yourself and then have them check the tune.

 

RRE is the place to go in socal

 

The car was tuned with the parts that they removed before you get the car. Maybe, for that you have knock in your car. You need a retune with the oem parts installed. I dont know LA, but you can go to the shop that members says, and you can with a guy that I know there in LA. He tunes hondas but can tune evos too: Ericks Racing. I think only with some adjustment in the rom and your evo will be ok!

 

Detonation or knock