Leorrei

I'm in the process of taking apart my 86 NA autox/summer cruiser and knowing my luck with cars that are 15+ years old I'll end up having some wires break as I start unplugging things.

So question 1: Marine Grade wiring or Automotive grade wiring, which should I use if I decided to just rewire everything? I know there is a physical difference between the two (marine has finer strands of copper that are tinned, and its more costly) but I'm not sure if the marine grade wiring would affect the electrical current at all and if can be used in an automotive application.
Note: My grandpa bought a boat/auto customizing shop that went under(to turn into a personal shop/man cave) so I have access to a lot of both for free

That leads to question 2 & 3: Are any electrical connectors in the S4 wiring harness near impossible to track down? and are there any plug housings in which you can't remove the electrical connectors from?

I ask because if I have to rewire something I would like to use new connectors if possible since its a pita to salvage old ones and I don't want to solder any wiring that's under the hood... that and I've encountered connectors being specifically made for the car brand so it's impossible to find the connector needed unless you go to the factory that made the connector and sneaked a couple into your pocket.


Now for some other questions.

Question 4 & 5: The previous owner somehow damaged the split air pipe on the car and his fix was to clamp a garden hose over it, there's also an exhaust leak coming from an unknown source. So I figure I'll replace the entire exhaust while I'm at it to support future mod's when I rebuild the engine, but I'm wondering if I should go with the stock exhaust manifold and a downpipe or if I should go with a streetable header? Would the Header affect a stock NA in a bad way? (both will go to a presilencer then to a cat-back)

Question 6: Again while I have the engine out of the car I figure I should replace the Pulsation damper... though I don't exactly like the fact that these are well known to be fire hazards, nor am I thrilled about the price tag these things carry. So I've been searching through google and have come to an understanding that they are essentially the same thing as a fuel pressure regulator, only difference being the FPR also adjusts fuel pressure to increase the amount of fuel being delivered to the engine. Seeing as to how the RX has a FPR, wouldn't that make the PD redundant and therefor useless?

Question 7: before tearing the car apart I drove it for a while and noticed that every now and then the "redline" buzzer would kick in for no reason... is a wire just loose or does the buzzer have more than one meaning?

Question 8: How badly is my "noobness" to car performance upgrades showing?

Akagis_white_comet

iTrader: (4)

Answer 1: Either one is suitable as long as it is the proper size for the task. Would be best to match the colors exactly to prevent later confusion. If you're redoing the battery cables, use 4awg. For the record, the wiring in the FC is quite good despite its age. Aaron Cake illustrates this on his site's section about Project Tina. http://www.aaroncake.net

Answer 2 & 3: I've tracked down most of the connectors to their manufacturers and nearly every one of them is still available. Some are a PITA to get because one of the manufacturers doesn't have a distributor in North America. Since each connector pair in the car has a specific name, which ones are you looking for?

Answer 4: This is the Split Air Pipe on the catalytic converter, right? Backpressure from the cat is what opens/closes the Auxiliary Intake Ports on the S4. My own S4 GXL was missing its cats when I bought it, so I'm not entirely sure how all of this goes together. Check the vacuum diagram in the Factory Service Manual (link is in the 2nd Generation FAQ) to understand how everything is plumbed together.

Answer 5: Exhaust choice depends on what your overall plan for the car is. Are you planning on going turbo when you rebuild the engine, ala Aaron Cake? If so, it'd be a wise choice to get something that is easily reusable such as a Racing Beat TII Catback.

Answer 6: The Fuel Pulsation Damper is on the Primary fuel rail, the Fuel Pressure Regulator is on the Secondary rail. The FPD's function is to smooth out the fuel pressure, while the FPR regulates total fuel pressure. Some people eliminate the Pulsation Damper for the reasons you mentioned, and a quick search will detail the pros and cons of this modification.

Answer 7: Let's just say that you'd be revered far and wide on a Honda Forum. All kidding aside, these are good questions to ask.