September 2008 - Tech Support

A Intercoolers are mainly used for turbo applications. Turbo generates a lot of heat, so intercoolers are essential. Even in cold weather, you would not want a turbo car without an intercooler. High-flow exhaust shouldn't affect the engine temperature. High profile cams, in extreme cases, can make for an unstable idle, but it will not make starting impossible in the cold. Cold starts are usually handled by coolant thermo valves in the intake manifold or throttle body. People tend to block those lines to keep intake temperatures down. In cold weather it would be better to leave that stuff alone. No, BOVs freezing up is not a common problem. If you do plan to have a turbo car in cold weather, a turbo timer would help ease the turbo into cooler temperatures.

Q Do blow-off valves work only on turbo cars with manual transmissions? Or can they be put on cars with automatic transmissions, with or without turbos?
Bryan Matott
Via the Internet

A Blow-off valves will only work on cars with turbos and centrifugal superchargers. The transmission has nothing to do with it; it can be manual or auto.

Q I have a '98 Civic DX. I recently installed an Edelbrock header with an Omni Power exhaust. Well, my check engine light came on so I went to get it checked. The codes that came up were the two oxygen sensors and P1298 electric load detector (ELD). I've searched on just about every Honda forum that I know of and everybody has had this problem but no solution. I was wondering if you guys have ever heard of this and if you know of any solution for the P1298 code. The symptoms are: interior lights dimming in and out, engine decelerating and accelerating by itself and the speedometer needle jump around like crazy. Any light on this would be great appreciated.
Gabriel
Casselberry, FL

A Take your car to the local auto store and have them do an under-the-hood test on your alternator to see if it is still good. When the alternator goes bad, or when the belt is not tight enough, it can cause an ELD code. But if that turns out fine, then it could be a short in your oxygen sensor wiring, which can cause both codes. Take a look at the wiring underneath the intake manifold and behind the block.