"Steve" <estevew@hctc.com> wrote
> "Elle" <elle_navorski@nospam.earthlink.net> wrote
> > "Steve" <estevew@hctc.com> wrote
> >> "Elle" <elle_navorski@nospam.earthlink.net> wrote
> >
> > I'd like to get some clarifications from you:
> >
> > The subject line of your post says "EW1 12 valve SOHC."
> >
> > Does your engine actucally have "EW1" stamped on it?
> >
>
> The engine number/designation is: EW1-2015401
>
> Door label plate indicates MFG date of 1/85.
>
> It is really a carborated engine. Some part house books reflect it should
be
> FI but it's carboratated.

Well, the carbureted part is well-documentd; what threw me off was whether
it had 12 or 16 valves. Evidently the number of valves has thrown others off
in the past, and it's not easy to clear up using drawings and online Honda
parts sites... unless one knows exactly what to look for. Naturally the aux
int valve has its own exclusive listing at the two parts sites I use. For
example, see it at www.slhonda.com 's parts site, under simply engine, blah
blah, "Auxiliary Valve."

> > How many valves (both intake and exhaust) per cylinder have you actually
> > counted under the valve cover?
> >
> It has a engine valve cover imprinted with 12VOHC.
> However, the head has two (2) intake valves and one (1) exhaust valve and
a
> much smaller Aux valve. The Aux valve is next to the exhaust valve.
>
> The carburetor is a three barrel. Primary, secondary and an Aux barrel,
> about the size of my little finger. I haven't really explored all of this,
> but will in the next day or so.

I think the above straightens things out; I trust you get it all now, too.
In summary:

Your vocabulary is dead-on here. The little valve next to the exhaust valve
is indeed Thee "auxiliary intake valve." From my reading on the net, it's so
small that it's customary to disregard it in the valve count and categorize
this as a 12-valve engine. That aux barrel of the carburetor must go with
the aux intake valve, etc.

Maybe you already looked at the full Chilton's entry on this (just above the
paragraphs I first noted). If not, it provides some clarification:
---
The [1983 and earlier] CVCC engine is unique in that its cylinder head is
equipped with three valves per cylinder, instead of the usual two. This
design employs the usual intake and exhaust valves, and beside each intake
valve is an auxiliary intake valve which is much smaller than its
counterpart. This auxiliary intake valve has its own separate precombustion
chamber (adjacent to the main chamber with a crossover passage), its own
intake manifold passages and carburetor circuit.

Briefly, the CVCC engine operates as follows: at the beginning of the intake
stroke, a small but very rich mixture is inducted into the precombustion
chamber, while next door in the main combustion chamber, a large but very
lean mixture is inducted. (A rich mixture has a high proportion of fuel in
the air/fuel ratio, while a lean mixture has a low proportion of fuel.) At
the end of the compression stroke, ignition occurs. The spark plug, located
in the precombustion chamber, easily ignites the rich auxiliary mixture and
this ignition spreads out into the main combustion chamber, where the large
lean mixture is ignited. This two-stage combustion process allows the engine
to operate efficiently with a much leaner overall air/fuel ratio. So,
whereas the 1975 and later non-CVCC engines require a belt-driven air
injection system to control pollutants, the CVCC engines accomplish this
internally and gets better gas mileage to boot.

On the 1984-88 models, Honda decided to improve engine breathing by
replacing the single large main intake valve with a pair of smaller ones.
This allows a much greater total intake valve area than a single valve and
it also permits intake valve timing to be staggered slightly. This gave
Honda engineers a unique opportunity to design air swirl into the combustion
process. Such swirl (turbulence in the combustion chamber) not only tends to
reduce engine knock but improves combustion speed and therefore engine
efficiency, especially at low speeds. These engines retain the auxiliary
intake valve on the exhaust side of the head.
---

I couldn't find drawings of this crossover passage and carburetor circuit
(mentioned above) for the little "aux intake valve." But all else that you
described now seems dead-on consistent with the Chilton's entry. Maybe it
will give you some ideas...

> I did another test drive today. About 60 miles. Mostly on the flat and as
> long as I didn't advance the throttle into the "dead zone", it ran great
and
> smooth. I think I'm noticing the "dead zone" is when the secondary
throttle
> begins to open and before it kicks down the AT to 2nd gear. When it is in
> 2nd, it will only rev to about 3000 rpm.
>
> Not sure if I should look for fuel or vacuum problems.

Sorry; this part is beyond my experience. I'd be probing as you are, but
probably more novice-like (I messed with a carburetor for just a few hours,
total, in my life). I'd start with a good carburetor cleaning, and using
Chilton's as my guide for its adjustment, disassembly, and so forth, which I
bet you already noticed...