GraphiteMW

1) Vtec isn't engaging, rev limiter hits around 6.5k rpm
2) Vtec solenoid is leaking oil, I believe the gasket has gone out since I cleaned it up and after driving a bit I can see a small amount of oil dripping down the side of the head under the VTEC solenoid. Placing an order tonight for a new one. Hopefully it's not the cam seal. Would a bad vtec solenoid gasket cause low oil pressure? In return the ECU is cutting out VTEC?
3) Oil levels were below the first notch on the dipstick, refilled and still no VTEC. Didn't reset my ECU, is it required?
4) VTEC was engaging just fine last week
5) Throwing CEL's 1 and 21 ONLY if I try to get around the VTEC RPM range.
6) CEL 21? VTEC Solenoid, gasket is possibly leaking oil? Would this throw a code? I have a new gasket/screen on the way, haven't pulled off the old one so I don't chance increasing the oil leak to something major so I haven't been able to look at the new screen
7) CEL 1. O2 Sensor, this CEL along with CEL 21 ONLY shows up when I get around VTEC range, even though it doesn't engage.
8)From my understanding, the car is NOT in limp mode or that's what I think. I ran without a VSS hooked up on my car for a few months and the car was in limp mode, right now it feels no where near as sluggish as it did without a working VSS. Car runs fine except for the fact that VTEC is non-existent.

I have a OBD1 JDM P13 and a JDM H22A VTEC swap w/ about 50k miles on it.

92_civic

check your pressure switch bypass wiring...if that doesn't fix it, apply 12v to the VTS and see if it is engaging, i"ve seen them "stick" in the past, you did say you cleaned it, did you take the entire VTS apart and clean the "piston" in there? I've had pretty good luck with a light sanding with some emery(sp?) cloth, HTH

GraphiteMW

I wasn't able to clean it cause I noticed the oil leak around the VTS( VTEC Solenoid) so I didn't want to remove it then after cleaning have it leak even more from the new fitment. So I wanted to wait till I get the new gasket before I remove it. I want to check my wiring but I live in an apartment complex and I can't get my normal parking spot that I usually work on my car at cause right now I can barely open my passenger door to get down to the floorboard easily to check it. The parking spaces here are small so i've been waiting for the spot to open up since the spot next to it is a handicap ramp and I usually work on it there.:/

serjey15

Why is your rev limiter at 6500rpm?? Just wondering.

Contender_h22a

That's what happened to my prelude too. Get the oil pressure sensor and hook it up and clean your vtec solenoid filter. Also check your oil pan. My issue with vtec was just the oil pan. If there's a dent, then it needs to be replace.

GraphiteMW

I don't think the vtec oil pressure switch is even required since some h22's come without them which is why i just went with doing the vtec oil pressure switch wiring bypass. It worked just fine with the wiring bypass till just recently.

minilogoguy18

Could possibly have a bad spool valve causing the drop in pressure. You should try to run the pressure switch though, Prelude's are like the EASIEST cars to wire for VTEC as only the engine harness needs the plug added, the main already has the wiring.

As for code 1, I'd just get a new sensor, an aftermarket one from NAPA will do fine, it wouldn't throw the code if there wasn't any sort of intermittent problem with it but for safe measures if you have a helms you could check the O2 sensor wiring before buying a new one.

GraphiteMW

Checked the wiring on to the vtec oil switch pin on the ecu everything look good with the vtec oil switch bypass, didn't check the vtec solenoid wiring cause I figured it was okay. I was wrong, I am throwing a code 21 which is actually VTEC SOLENOID and not the VTEC OIL PRESSURE SWITCH. My mistake, so I wasn't able to check if the vtec solenoid wiring to the ecu was making proper contact. I have a new vtec solenoid gasket and screen on the way from majestic, if this doesn't fix the problem then I will have to look into the wiring to the ECU. Today I did a few pulls to get around the VTEC range so I can throw cel's. Out of the pulls I did going all the way to the 6.5k rpm rev limit (limp mode is causing this low rev limit?) I pulled the CEL and didn't get anything but a code 21 some reason the code 1 didn't show up. After the pulls to the 6.5k rpm rev limit the car seemed to bog down in lower rpm's.

minilogoguy18

Any time oil pressure is slightly low or there are problems with vtec related components the ECU will not let you rev into the RPM range that normally would be where you would be in VTEC, can't even rev high on the low cam. I wouldn't just get those seals and expect it to fix your problem, the solenoid is probably bad, clogging of the screen would just cause a drop in pressure but don't think it will throw a code. If it were me I'd get a new spool valve and solenoid, if you just replace the solenoid on top the spool valve could just go bad soon after and you'd be taking it apart all over again.

GraphiteMW

I would assume it would at least throw a code if just the screen was clogged. If the motor has too low of oil pressure to engage vtec then the ECU would pick it up as the VTEC Solenoid is malfunctioning or not working properly when it hits VTEC range which is a code 21 and my motor only throws that code right before hitting VTEC range. How would my motor know it has low oil pressure if I have a JDM H22A motor that didn't even come with an VTEC Oil Pressure Switch? Just a reminder, I have done the VTEC Oil Pressure Switch bypass and it was working successfully cause I was able to engage vtec a few days before this started happening. Would a VTEC Solenoid go out on a motor that has under 50k miles? That sounds too premature to me but is it possible?

I plan to run the VTEC Oil pressure switch soon but funds are lacking so I am sticking with the bypass till I figure out the CEL 21.

minilogoguy18

Still, that screen being clogged won't throw that code, unless there's a problem with the wiring of the spool valve then it is bad.

GraphiteMW

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GENUI...s#ht_500wt_956

Would this work on my JDM H22A? What is the part number I need to look for in getting the full vtec spool valve? I want to get a brand new one but honda wants nearly $250 for the spool assembly. This one seems for a decent price and includes the pressure switch which I could use to convert my motor to use one. I don't want to dump $250 for the spool assembly and it end up being my wiring. I am going to order a vtec harness (includes the knock sensor, vtec solenoid, and vtec oil pressure switch on a separate harness) before ordering the spool valve assembly unless I can find a new one at a decent price.

Also one question, I see sub harnesses for the non-vtec to vtec harness conversion and a lot of them include the knock sensor and iab harness wiring? Did I miss something during my swap or does this apply to the swaps from f series to h series vtec.

minilogoguy18

Yeah that harness is for people converting from F to H. I took this pic a while back to help someone out with wiring the oil pressure switch, If you have a spare harness to take a 2 wire connector from(it can be any, as long as it connects to the switch)you could wire it up yourself. That spool valve wont work either, it's for the F23a1.

http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/4800/1003101122.jpg

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/142...itchwiring.png

You can see the blue wire in the first pic going to my main harness, if you look at yours by the ABS pump you'll see that plug has a blank spot on it, you can take the plug apart to add the wire. The second pic just shows which wire from the plug will be the positive and negative, just ground the neg to something nearby. If you have a spare harness laying around, you could just rob a plug from it, I took the pressure switch wire straight from my RHD harness, helps if you can get a pin from the main plug too so you can just take the rubber plug out and push the pin through.

GraphiteMW

Alright, well I got the gaskets. Installed them and saw that the top original gasket for the spool valvedidn't even have a screen?! I couldn't find it anywhere, it just plain out didn't have one. Installed the new one, torqued one of the bolts down and cracked the top solenoid mount. No oil leaks yet so I am guessing the main gasket fixed my small oil leak, surprised the top solenoid isn't leaking from the crack. Still no VTEC, I plan to replace the solenoid. I didn't see the purpose in replacing the whole spool valve assembly? All I saw was a metal shim that had a spring in it and I inspected them for functionality. Nothing seemed wrong with them. I believe the top solenoid spool is what might be causing my problem or the wiring. What do you think?

Acidcrakker

You should do this.

Hook a little light up to the vtec solenoid wire and go drive and see if the light turns on. If it does your ecu is telling the car to go into vtec.

If I was you, id be worried about where the screen is.

It could be blocking oil flow somewhere.

GraphiteMW

Looked everywhere it could possibly end up being and I didn't see it. Maybe it was installed by the previous owner of the motor without one? The original gaskets looked fairly new. The screen that was missing was the one for the top solenoid valve on top of the spool assembly, so it's virtually impossible for it to go anywhere else besides the top solenoid valve or the spool assembly (highly doubt, the only inlet is a small tiny hole the size of maybe half the size of the screen that runs through a circular metal plate that spins in a circular motion and in the same inlet running to the top portion of the valve solenoid is a small hole maybe the size of a pin head but a little bigger. I am sure people who have disassembled their vtec spool assembly completely will understand what I mean). Kind of hard to explain with words but it seems impossible for the filter to go anywhere except for where it was installed, there is no inlet large enough for the filter to slip through even if it was folded in half. Can I get opinions on the spool assembly? Does it really need to be replaced or is the vtec solenoid that bolts on top of it does which could be causing my problems? The spool assembly without the oil pressure switch and vtec solenoid on top is basically a metal casting with a bolt like shim that has a spring, other than that it's purely simple mechanical parts and doesn't seem like it would be bad. There were no blockage and the mechanics of it moved properly.

I'll see what I can do about wiring a light to see if my ECU is telling the vtec solenoid to engage, I just ordered a new sub harness (includes vtec solenoid and vtec oil pressure wiring with proper pins soldered on it) just in case because the current wiring is my hack and slack wiring with non-ecu pins so it could possibly not be making full contact with the ECU pins through the harness. If this doesn't work then i'll be ordering a new vtec solenoid.

minilogoguy18

Man you must have tightened it quite a bit to crack it, each bolt is only supposed to be at like 9 or 10ft-lbs.