xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

so i took some time yesterday to install the p2r throttle body spacer/gaskets into my tsx. here's a pretty crude diy. forgive me if there are any errors with sizing or whatnot with the hardware used. i try to make note of everything. fyi, excelerate performance (forum vendor) is selling the bundle if you're all interested. apologies ahead of time for the pic quality. i'm still waiting on my new canon point/shoot camera in the mail so these were taken with my phone.

what's in the bundle:
-aluminum spacer (1)
-throttle body heat gaskets (2)
-bolts (4)
-washers (4)
-1/8” NPT plug (1)


tools:
-socket wrench (12mm, 13mm, 10mm and 7/32" optional) with various extensions
-box end wrench (12mm)
-razor blade
-teflon tape (optional)
-philips screw driver
-about an hour or less

i pretty much chose the evasive approach to installing this aka uninstalling/removing the least amount of tubing, wiring, etc...to get this done. but if you choose to remove all the various tubes and hook-ups in the area, the whole thing would probably go a lot faster (maybe).

here's a diagram of the TB and its various parts which i'll try to refer to.


-disconnect whatever intake piping you may have to the throttle body (I have the stock tube since my intake is the comptech icebox, so you'll need to loosen the screw that holds the clamp down there--you can either use a screw driver or a 7/32" socket...i chose the socket b/c i didn't have a screwdriver small enough and didn't want to burr the head)


-for more leverage or slack, you may want to remove any accompanying sensors or brackets. if you look at the pic above, you'll see a braket holding the TB and tube together (figure # 8 and #5 in the diagram). you can take that off with a 10mm socket. this will help you move the TB to the side and get the bolts and studs.

-remove the two 12mm bolts (#9 in diagram)
-remove the two 12mm nuts (#7 in diagram, they're on the studs with the blue tips in the pic)


-use the two nuts to remove the remaining studs in the intake manifold by screwing them in bottom end-to-bottom end like so, then using the 12 mm box end wrench to remove (twist the bottom nut). note: after removing the first stud, if the nuts are locked, just use the box end and socket wrenches on each nut simultaneously and loosen.

also, try, TRY, not to lose these nuts. i actually dropped one into my engine bay (stupid). i actually thought it fell into the intake manifold b/c i couldn't find it, but after sending my magnet probe into the IM, nothing stuck onto it. and the drop sounded pretty long, so i'm really hoping it's lodged somewhere below. still, i never found it. worse comes to worse, you can find another 12mm nut, say, by the fuel rail and use it in it's place. just put it back from where you got it from.

aforementioned studs:


removal of studs with nut/box end wrench technique:


it takes a long-ass time to get these out b/c there isn't much room to turn your wrench.



-carefully remove throttle body…be sure not to get anything into the intake manifold

-use razor blade to remove stock gasket and any residual adhesive on opening…again, avoid letting anything get into the intake manifold. there will probably be dried gasket material on the corners where the bolts go through on the TB. it's tough to scrape all off b/c the metal surface is so fine and smooth, and the layer of the gasket stuck on is quite thin. i just left whatever was left since it'll be touching the gasket anyways and there is so little left on there.

stock gasket:


at this point, prepare your TB spacer kit. for about $1.29, you can get a roll of teflon tape at home depot for the included 1/8" plug. or you, can spend a little more (i think $2-3 bucks) on a 1/8" brass NPT plug which home depot also sells. i figure if i just get the teflon, i'm saving my self the extra trouble of installing the brass one and still possibly dealing with the whistling noise of a bad seal.

spacer with plug/teflon:


-line up spacer and gaskets together, then add the throttle body on top

-use new bolts/washers and tighten down with 13mm socket wrench.


-re-attach sensors, intake piping, and whatever other hardware removed earlier

-take it for a spin to make sure there isn't any whistling or issues.

some random notes:

-with the added spacer and gaskets, the little slack that i had with the stock tubing is pretty much gone. that rubber is really tough to bend, and i think it was starting to crimp a little at the airbox end.

-i only really drove around the block after i installed this to make sure the npt plug wasn't whistling, and to confirm the nut i dropped wasn't in the IM (no rattling, engine didn't breakdown). as such, i can't really say definatively that there was more low-end torque or anything, especially since the ecu needs to adjust. i didn't unplug/reconnect my battery, but i might do that this week.

-i made a post about this in the problems/fixes section, but say if the nut did fall into my IM, my engine would get f'ed up, right? i really probed the interior the best i could with my magnet about 5 different times and nothing stuck to it. so i'm pretty sure it wasn't in there or else it would've gotten picked up. i really think it just fell into the engine bay b/c it dinged around a few times before it stoped.

Audioserf

I would imagine that if the nut fell in to your IM you would have immediately heard terrifying noises upon starting your car and it would have caused you big problems by now.

Cool DIY. Thanks for posting that.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

lol. that's what i would've figured too, audioserf.

godfather2

thanks for the write-up. after hondata, this will most likely be my last mod.

moda_way

Should've taken off the coolant lines while you were in there.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

you know, i've tried to find that plastic/brass elbow or connector (5/14" was it?) for the TB coolant bypass, but i haven't found it anywhere. the local autozone only sells a box of various sized connectors, and i didn't want to spend more than i had to. cheap? maybe. but i really just want the correct sized connector/elbow.

Audioserf

I don't know man, it gets pretty cold around here. I wouldn't want to mess with the TB bypass mod because it would suck to have my throttle get stuck open during one of our 12 degree mornings...

wrussi

great pictures let us know if you feel any difference performance wise....

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

agreed, i was thinking maybe i'd do it as a summer mod, but if i'm going to switch it back and forth, i may not want to do it at all. just out of laziness.

jlukja

Nice writeup.

I've added a link to this thread in our FAQ DIY Section.

moda_way

8 F here in Ohio for about a week month or so ago, no issues ever. Been running the mod for 3 years now, still no issues.

HoRRo

+1

-20C on a couple days of this (Canadian) winter, no issues for 2.5yrs so far.

Audioserf

I'm not familiar with the celsius scale (or any other foreign language), but that sounds cold. I may look into this mod when I have the time.

chuson

+1

-20C in Toronto and some -25C+ @ Montreal, but no problem as of YET for 1 year.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

ok. maybe i'll look to do this then.

i just need to find that stupid elbow connector.

Audioserf

I would check Home Depot man. That's the first place I plan to check. Their plumbing section is huge, if they don't have this there I'm just going to quit, lol.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

i actually did try home depot and surprisingly, they didn't have one.

splashalot

Please excuse my ignorance if this is a stupid question - but does this mod eliminate the jerky throttle trait in manual TSX/Euro Accords?

SS

daicacharco

What does this upgrade really do?

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

read about it in this thread HERE.

but in short, the spacer allows you to increase the volume of air, and the accompanying gaskets will reduce the temp (which can also be further lowered if you got the p2r or hondata IM gasket, and did the TB coolant bypass).

excelerate mentioned dynos for civic Si's showed moderate hp/torque gains. TL owners on the forum swear they can feel more low-end torque.

i drove around last night running some errands. i don't know if it's in my head, but i feel like the car doesn't struggle as much from a dead stop. of course, it's hard to tell b/c i just installed UR pulleys about 2 weeks ago and the car feels totally different.

also, my engine didn not explode. so the missing nut is forever lost in my engine bay

godfather2

got my brass fittings from ace hardware

HoRRo

It will not eliminate it. It might reduce it.

To avoid the parking lot speed jerk (if that's what you're referring to), it's best to get comfortable with applying and reducing the amount of pedal pressure you apply. The throttle doesnt like it when you release the pedal fully at slow speeds. The DBW seems to be very sensitive at slow speeds and slow-to-react at higher speeds.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

would that be the reason why the car jerks if you're downshifting using the DBW, particularly in low gears at slow speeds? or is that due more to the size of the gears?

i feel like when i downshift, there isn't as much of a jerking action from 5->4/4->3.

but from 3>2 and 2> 1, i feel like the car notably jerks for a second as it switches gears. and i'm pretty sure i'm switching at reasonable/low revs and speeds.

HoRRo

I rev-match whenever I downshift and don't really experience any jerking. I do 3>2 a lot, but I pretty much never go 2>1, just 2>Neutral since it's usually quite slow.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

would you mind telling when you actually downshift for each gear? i'm going by the manual, but what are the rev-match points you use?

godfather2

xjohndoex, thanks again for the write-up. i'm bout to pull the trigger on this mod thru excelerate and will have a print out of this thread by my side as i do the install

925tsx

Am i going to have to Cut my Injen intake in order for it to fit back into the car with the P2r spacer installed?

Populuxe

What's that NPT fitting for? Nitrous injection? Boost gauge tap?

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

not sure. i think the k&n typhoon uses rubbery sleeves and you could probably cut those to create more slack to fit the spacer/gaskets in. but i'm not sure what kind of material that elbow is made of for the injen (the one that connects the aluminum tube to the throttle body).

nitrous i believe. if you go to the powerrevracing website, it should say in the description. pretty sure it's nitrous.

925tsx

Anyone know for sure?

925tsx

?

jumpmanbsktbll

shouldnt need to cut it

Zyuan10

Is it easy to drop the nut into the IM if you're not too careful/mindful?

Noticed any real difference now from the P2R stuff than when you thought it was your head?

jumpmanbsktbll

yea theres a little gain and its a little louder, i like it
just put something over the IM hole, i dropped a nut in there lol

925tsx

So yea, does anyone know FOR SURE?

sry, im not trying to be a dick, but im trying to avoid answers like "shouldnt need to"

id like to hear directly from someone with an Injen CAI that installed this recently.

i need a 100 % answer.

godfather2

925tsx, i pm'ed josh at excelerate and it will have to be cut. therefore i'm just going to purchase the gasket and not the spacer

925tsx

Thank you for that answer.

GSGOMEZ

Damn, that's interesting for P2R with 4.5whp. I am considering to buy one from Excelerate Performance, but my concern is that I have Injen CAI and will fit into with P2R or do some adjust. I know that P2R offers +06TSX, but some comments said +06 Si will fit on TSX.

xjohnkdoex

iTrader: (2)

if you have an injen, something will need to be cut.

gaskets + spacer = 1"+ added to the TB. that means you're pushing the CAI that same exact length to the right, which i assume will throw off the position of the vibration mounting bracket.

so somewhere, you're going to have to shave off that length on the injen or k&n to make it fit. it works for the icebox b/c the air tube is hard rubber and somewhat pliable.

GSGOMEZ

Oh I see, I wonder if it can install a gasket with throttle body only instead of spacer and gasket with throttle body together because of CAI intake issue. It almost same as Hondata gasket installation. Let me know.

Thanks,
George