shytdoode

as you can tell by the title my vtec does not work no check engine lights i just did a oil change with the right amount of oil so it cant be a oil pressure problem and my vtec still does not engage please help me out!!!!!

azandford

have you checked to see if your getting power to the solenoid? Dent in your oil pan?

300whpej

how much is "the right amount of oil"?

apexi_rsx

ground one wire and put a 12v to the other wire and if u hear a click the solenoids good. its rare that they go bad but worth a check.

EJeff8

Make sure the oil you used was 5w-30. Solenoids can go bad without throwing a code, they're bitches. It could just be dirty. Pop it off and hit the filter and surrounding functions in the solenoid with electrical cleaner and let it sit for an hour. Slap it back on and try. If nothing, take it to a motor repair shop or buy a new solenoid for $150

EDIT: If it worked before the oil change and it doesn't after, you clearly messed up an otherwise extremely easy maintenance job on a Honda. Bravo.

shytdoode

it never worked because my cel was on before but i noticed that it still did not work even though i removed the cel

shytdoode

i do have a dent on my oil pan.... would it matter....

My_Teknique

not a dent on your oil pan bro. all your gauges on your cluster work?

4dohs4mohoes

Well what the heck did you do to "remove" the cel? And what was the code prior to "removing" it?

300whpej

maybe instead of removing the cel, you should have checked and tried to fix it. vtec needs all of 4 things to work:
-proper oil level (3.5-4qts single cam, 4-4.5qts dual cam)
-oil pressure
-a warm motor
-working vtec solenoid.

can you give some background info on the car so you might be better helped. (ie: original motor, swapped motor, ex/si chassis vs cx/dx/hx/vx chassis, recent maintenance, cel codes, etc)

EJeff8

A dented pan matters because if it's dented enough, you're not applying the right amount of oil into your car. The dent limits the volume of the pan, therefore limiting the amount of oil you can put in. If a CEL is on, VTEC won't work. Like I said, the solenoid can go bad and not throw a code or the filter in it is clogged. Have you ever had an ECU change? Some ECUs don't account for VTEC. Clearing your ECU won't solve your problem either, the CEL has to be completly fixed if you want VTEC again.

shytdoode

yes they all work

shytdoode

i had a code for a o2 sensor and i got a new o2 sensor...

300whpej

a bad o2 sensor wouldnt stop vtec from engaging. you may just have a bad solenoid

honda_luvr_2000

Ok, if you want to figure this out, let's start with the basics. What year, engine, ECU, car (ex/dx/si/etc.), wiring modifications? piggybacks? That's all useful info to give when trying get help with a problem...
As for VTEC not working prior, well do you know if your VTEC oil pressure switch is good?
Do you know if the VTEC solenoid valve is good?
Are you sure there aren't any DTC's stored? You can have a DTC stored without the CEL being on...
The VTEC oil pressure switch is closed/on when the engine is running and not in VTEC, if it isn't then the ECU won't ever turn on VTEC because it thinks there's a problem. Now a bad VTEC oil pressure switch can/will set a DTC. If the VTEC solenoid is bad you would probably notice the car bog when the ECU switches to VTEC because the fuel map would change but the volume of air intake would not change causing the car to go rich plus with an ignition timing map change also and still on the primary lobes that would really cause some poor performance. However a completely failed solenoid should throw a DTC (if OBD1).
There are plenty of other possible causes to no VTEC activation, but I would first check the VTEC oil pressure switch operation & the VTEC solenoid operation.
By the way whoever told you to ground one wire of the VTEC solenoid & apply 12V to the other... is completely wrong. Good luck grounding one wire of the solenoid & applying 12V to the other when there's only one wire for the solenoid to start with. The solenoid casing itself (like all Honda drivetrain solenoids) is the ground.
The two pin connector on the VTEC valve assembly is the VTEC oil pressure switch. Pull the plug off the VTEC oil pressure switch, check the resistance with a DVOM (Digital Volts/Ohms Meter), there shouldn't be any resistance zero Ohms (switch is closed/on). If it says "OL" or "L" or blank then the switch is open/off. If the switch fails that test, then there you go.
To test the VTEC solenoid valve, again checking resistance with the DVOM. Disconnect the VTEC solenoid valve connector. Put the positive lead on the VTEC solenoid valve terminal (not the harness connector) & the negative lead on the battery negative terminal. Check the resistance, should be between 14 & 30 Ohms. If not then there's your problem.
Hopefully that helps.

shytdoode

its a 98 hatch cx with a obd2 gsr with a p72