Atleast i know i'm not just crazy and won't accept defeat.
I just miss the car that was "quick" during it's prime.

 

Do a compression test to rule out valves! (Cheap and affordable way to know if you need a valve adjustment for real)


Then you might wanna go to a trans shop and ask if they can diagnose your TQ.

 

You can also verify throttle plate position with your scan tool live data 9.4% at closed position then about 97% at wot if I remember right.

 

So from what i found if the compression holds, the valves are fine?

 

Yup.. because loose valves don't make you lose power but tight valves make the valve open up a little bit which in turn lose compression and can burn a valve $$$$

 

But what on Earth causes cars to loose THAT much power?

 

Serious compression leak can cause it, A clogged exhaust can cause it, A clogged intake can cause it, etc, etc.. There are variables but the power you have lost so far in so little time while maintaining your car isn't normal... If you kept track of your car maintenance then the obvious isn't that obvious..

I seriously think the Stator or something related to the TQ could be the issue.. The engine isn't really that complicated and most of the issues related to the engine and trans will throw a Check Engine code. The Stator on the other side wont. The pal I asked works in a trans shop and he says that most cars wont tell you the stator is bad as there is no electronic way to check its health.

 

Clogged catalytic converter is what all this sounds like

 

When you took it apart did you checked out the VSA throttle body ?
Vsa throttle body could be restricting air flow, have a look at the plate and make sure it stays fully open.

 

I'm gonna look into perhaps a high flow cat, find time to clean my throttle body and we'll see. One thing i do notice while WOT, is that there's a little high pitched whine i guess you could say coming from the front of the car? Possible air leak?

I took some pictures of the inside of my cat, i'll post them up later tonight so i can see what yall think about it.

 

 

These pictures were from the front of the cat.
Do yall think the back of the cat would show a different outcome?

 

I don't think you can tell much by trying to look in either end

 

are those cells all closed up- with just a small open patch?

 

Nope. Its all about the angle you look in at it. The cells that you can see straight through look dark from shadows while the other cells are at angles so you can't see down them. If you moved your head around while looking inside of the cat they're all pretty clear.

 

then cat passes visual inspection

how does the atf look? Its worth taking a sample for blackstone labs to make sure whats floating around in there
too much of some materials can reveal torque convertor is clogging,,, for example

 

But it is a fresh tranny with less than 15,000 miles.
I really doubt it'd be the tq converter,

 

Did you ever flush out the ATF warmer ? It could be clogged or partially clogged.

 

fresh tranny- do you have proof it got a NEW or at least rebuilt TC on the job?

some places will just throw the old one on, (or another used and not flushed clean one) with it being nearly full of old clutch particulate material.....

what about sending a sample of the atf to blackstone labs, that will tell if bad things are happening inside trans
Even a fresh off the bench trans can develop probs

send a sample of the atf AND engine oil and know exactly whats happening in critical areas

 

I'm 100% sure my dad put in a new tq converter when he rebuilt the tranny.
Hes been rebuilding transmissions for over 20 to 30 years.

Think about it, would you put crappy things into a car your kid is going to drive and if anything goes wrong, you're gonna end up helping him fix it?

Otherwise, i feel like the engine is still running strong, just perhaps restricted. I remember i did a CAI and mid muffler delete before this problem started progressing. Perhaps the CAI filter gets clogged easily? Or reduced backpressure is causing this?

 

just because dad has skills doesn't mean he knew of the TL problem with the TQ getting full of clutch material
its an unusual problem compared to most transmissions

If he is available -ask him!

 

I mean the car still has pretty good torque. Still peels off a little rubber off the line when you WOT. Im just a little skeptical of the tq converter being clogged. 3rd TL from 2000, (2) 2002 TL-S. All rebuilt trannys after we bought them and none of them besides mine have a problem with power.

I just keep on thinking back to perhaps my intake/mid muffler delete. Those are the only things I've really done to the car other than a little sub and new door speakers. Theres a main power wire to the battery, but wired up to a fuse that only tur s on with the key turned in the ignition. Perhaps a clogged CAI? It was one that was meant for a 2000 TL-P that i trimmed a little bit. Everything is snug and fits tightly.
Perhaps an exhaust leak? Tsudo axlebacks and mid muffler delete. No air coming out of the welds. It does sound a little baffled. Its not quite a steady sound, but an out of shape person running a marathon like when they breathe. (Tone-quieter tone-tone-quieter tone)

I just really feel like its something related to what i did on the car.

 

I feel pretty dumb writing this right now. I just felt like i needed to wrap things up here. So on Monday i decided just to check my intake as i haven't looked at it since i had installed it. Turns out my dumb self pushed the intake piping as far as i could into the filter which results in about 80 to 90% air loss versus the whole filter being free. I think i was still a little un easy about having a CAI in the first place so i wanted it pretty high. Either way now I'm pretty confident about it now so i installed the filter and piping the way it should be. I pulled my clock fuse for a few seconds and eventually went to go wash my car. I floored it and what can i say, i was SHOCKED. Its been too long since she's been running this well and i just still cant believe it took me this long to realize such a stupid little problem. My lead foot has gotten even heavier this week. Oh well.

Again i thank you guys for spreading your knowledge and experience.

 

Well we are glad you took the time to give us the heads up! Now you can enjoy the POWAH!!!

 

Yepp. There hasn't been a day without vtec or redlining.
Now time for headers, lowering springs, lightweight pulleys, maybe some new wheels and tires eventually. All in all this car will probably be my dd for a while as i save up for maybe a S2000.

 

Its often what we last did to the car = that causes its current problem~

always recheck your work- no matter how good you are, things happen!

 

01tl4tl, earlier you were mentioning a crank pulley by bomz.
I wasnt able to find them or anymore of them.

 

This is the BOMZ http://www.ebay.com/itm/Underdrive-Crank-Pulley-Fits-Honda-Accord-98-02-Acura-CL-97-02-V6-3-0L-Silver-/111382097979?hash=item19eee3f03b&vxp=mtr

 

Any issues with the pulley itself?
I'm not too worried about getting bolt off. I have access to a massive air gun thats 1inch i believe. Either that or 3/4inch. But its a gun you use for box trucks and literally have to use two hands to use it. Other than dealing with the tension on the belt i dont think its that bad. I'm just trying to figure out how to loosen the tension and toghten it when the time comes.

 

There is also a tool for that: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Acura-50mm-Hex-Crankshaft-Crank-Damper-Pulley-Holding-Wrench-Socket-Tool-/371297116021?hash=item5673085f75&item=371297116021&vxp=mtr

 

ck the 105 diy, should have info on loosening the main crank bolt
may even be a crank pulley diy thread by now

Getting it tight is critical and can be done with a 200lb measure torque wrench
or a lesser value plus additional 3/4 turn of socket

iirc you can get thru the fender liner with a big airgun/extension
alternate removal method is using starter to loosen bolt!

You will need a new belt to compensate for smaller diameter of lightweight pulley
Once installed you will think its the best bang for the small bucks!

 

So far no DIY on the crank pulley.
And i guess it doesn't matter what kind of belt, so i could use a new one that was designed to fit on the car in the first place?

 

And it should fit even though my 2002 TL-S isn't on the guide?
Not sure if the extra .2L versus the 3.0 in accords makes a difference. Then again the later CL's do have the J32s. So it should be fine? A bunch of accord parts fits onto TL's, but i just rather be safe than sorry.

 

^ They are all made the same, Js Crank Pulleys don't differ at all.. That pulley also fit the MDX J35 for example.

And that's a under drive pulley as in "Smaller Diameter than Stock" so NOPE a new belt wont work since you need a smaller one to get the proper tension on the belt tensioner.
The under drive helps to lower the Accessories RPMs and thus load on the engine making the most power and speeding up the engine RPMs as a result.


It will have 2 main CONS:
1.- You will lower your ALT output since the RPMs are lower so you wont be getting 14v at idle anymore. This is only a problem if you got Audio System or use the Seat Heaters all the time which could lead to an un-even charged battery. This is only a problem in stop & go traffic, Once moving the ALT should deliver the proper 14v.

2.- You will lower you A/C output as well making it less efficient at idle, Again once moving it will recover.

Your main PROs: Maximum POWAH GAINED!!! compared to the stock sized aluminum pulley. And more free-reeving engine as well.

 

Where can i find a smaller belt? I've been searching online for a bit.
I do have a little 10' Kicker with a 300w (if i remember correctly, but i matched the output of the amp to the sub) amp to it with new door speakers, but the speakers are adapted into the factory harness. Small sub, but practical enough for what i need.

Other than the pulley I'm really tempted to get some Tein Street Basic coilovers and some DC Sport headers, but thats 1G dent to my bank account.

 

That's not enough power to make a dent. Dat 300w amp should be more like a 120-150w (It the RMS aren't true) so it wont be an issue.


Well it all depends on your needs you already got a TL-S to start so you aren't exactly short on horses. I would get what-ever I need the most.

 

Oops, 300W RMS.
But either way, more power = more fun
Also, better handling = more fun

 

Just a FIY, that will narrow down things but wont tell you if its necessarily your valves. Low compression could also be rings.

 

Kris you may have missed it above = OP low power problem was an incorrectly installed CAI blocking 80% of airflow to engine! ooops

the pulley comes with a list of correct belt number for various makers

search ebay for store name BOMZ
if they don't have a TL pulley listed, send them a message and a private auction will be sent to you
they have many more parts than auctions going at any given moment

 

some prefer to let a shop deal with the pulley and bolt- a small private shop that does Honda work will own the correct tools for the job, and the knowledge~

expect 30 minutes labor charge (find a place that wont charge a minimum 1 hour)