Mechanical Checklist

1.) Make sure you have an extra o2 bung for the wide band. If you do not, notify me beforehand if you would like me to order one for you and weld it in place (see my pricing for this service). The bung should be 1 foot from the turbo and at least 2 feet from the end of the tail pipe.

2.) Have at least a half tank of gas in the car for a dyno tuning session. If you want to do both a pump gas and a race gas tune on the dyno, bring the car with about a ¼ tank of pump gas and 5 gallon can of race gas to put in after we finish the pump tune. The car must have a full tank of pump gas when you drop it off for a street tune. (I will only do high boost on the dyno.)

3.) The engine must not burn oil or coolant. If there is smoke coming out of the tail pipe that is a strong indication of a weak motor. White smoke is coolant, blue smoke is oil, and black smoke is fuel. Check that the engine has good compression, meaning that the compression should vary less than 15% between all cylinders. I can help you do compression and/or leak down tests before your dyno appointment or street tuning session.

4.) There can be no fluid leaks of any type, specifically brake, power steering, coolant, or fuel.

5.) Your radiator must be able to support your set up and keep it cool. Make sure that it has adequate antifreeze fluid and has no air pockets. (Do not run a SOHC radiator on a turbo DOHC motor and expect it to stay cool). I recommend FAL slim fans on Performance Radiators (local to Albuquerque).

6.) There should be no vacuum leaks. Check all vacuum lines to make sure they are secure. Use zip ties or clamps to hold them on. If a vacuum line blows off the wastegate or fpr during a high boost pass you’re gonna have a bad day! Listen for whistling or sucking noises. Bouncing idle is also an indicator for a vacuum leak.

7.) Check you oil level and do not over or under fill the engine with oil. Over filling the oil pan will cause turbo oil seal failure. In addition, I recommend checking with your turbo manufacturer for oil feed line sizing. The oil return should be -10AN with no kinks or loops. Note that oil returns are gravity fed and if the oil backs up its going to come out the seals.

8.) To avoid boost leaks, make sure that your intercooler clamps are tight and that the couplers don't have cracks or tears. I recommend T bolt style clamps and silicone hump couplers on bead rolled pipes. You don't want a blow off during a dyno session.

9.) It is essential that your brakes work well. This is for obvious safety reasons during street tuning and beyond. Often stock brakes glaze over after only a couple passes, which can cause complete loss of braking ability.

10.) Bring at least 1 extra set of spark plugs. I can pick up a set if you give me advanced notice. I recommend NGK spark plugs and OEM spark plug wires for Hondas. When going over 10 psi, you will want to upgrade to an ignition amplifier box such as MSD or M&W with an external coil and matching cap. I recommended gapping spark plugs from .30 to .18 for most turbo cars. SRT 4's are the exception to this, they like .35 on high boost.

11.) Your fuel pump and injectors must be capable of the power you want to achieve. Walbro 255lph fuel pumps are good for about 500whp. Bosch 044 pump is good for about 700hp. A1000 fuel pump is good for about 900hp. Stock Honda – 6 AN fuel lines are go up to 500hp. Upgrade to -8AN for 500 to 700 hp.

12.) The clutch should not slip and should be rated for the torque/power you want.

13.) Make sure that the drive train is up to the task. There shouldn't be any weird sounds, i.e. no bad cv joints, wheel bearings, transmissions, differentials, etc.

14.) Inflate your tires to spec and assure that they are in good condition. A blow out on the dyno or when I am street tuning can be very dangerous.

15.) All nuts and bolts should be tightened, in particular, the exhaust manifold bolts. If there is an exhaust leak you will create more lag and you will lose power on a turbo system.

16.) If you want your turbo car to do over 300whp it is essential that you have at least a 3” downpipe and exhaust. I do not recommend cats for turbo cars.

17.) You can only triple the wastegate boost with an electronic boost controller and usually less with a manual boost controller. Pick one that is at the lowest level of boost that you will regularly run, and nothing lower than that. The stronger the spring the less lag you will have with the boost controller. Also note that in our altitude you must subtract 2 psi from the advertised rating (i.e. a spring rated at 7psi will do 5psi on the gauge). This is assuming that your turbo can flow air at that level.

18.) On turbo Honda cars remove the PCV valves that run to the intake manifold. Instead run the hoses from the PCV block port and the valve cover port to a catch can breather system, such as the Endyne kit. This is to avoid crank case pressure. Your rings will love you for it.

19.) E85 - A pump gas fuel that is 105 octane, 10% oxygenated, and cheaper than 91 octane. The down side is you use about 30% more of it so mpg goes down. If your tuning system allows duel maps you can switch back to 91 if tuned for it.

Albuquerque E85 stations: Fuel Stop, 600 Commanche Rd. NE

Santa Fe E85 stations: Amigo Mart, 4354 Cerrillos or 1229 Cerrillos, Nambe Falls Travel Center, 17730 HWY 84

1.) Check your wiring for any shorts, loose connections, and/or exposed wires. Having good, clean grounds are very important.

2.) Your car needs to have a properly functioning alternator and battery. Voltage should be between 13~14.5 with the car running. The exception is if you are running a race 16v system.

3.) There can be no engine trouble codes present. The only Honda codes that are acceptable are the o2 sensor code, o2 heater code, and knock sensor code. These can be turned off with programming.

1.) Your must present current car insurance and registration for me to do a street tune on your vehicle.

2.) SQC Tuning will not be held liable for any damages to you or your car as a result from any tuning, mechanical or electrical work, or use of products sold by me. By choosing to modify your car you are voiding warranties and causing your car to have a shorter life span. By deciding to modify your car, to include any work that I perform, you take complete responsibility for anything that may go wrong. Increasing the power of your car directly increases the wear and tear of all its components. If you don't like the sound of that, then keep it stock.