I'm getting a code 3 CEL(low/high manifold pressure) after installing a VAFC about a month or so ago. At first this problem was very intermitent and lately I've been averaging one every few days. It comes on at about 5500-6500 rpm and I've been resetting the ECU and all seems fine. The weather has been very humid and much cooler in Va lately.
Setup:
VAFC
JDM-4-1
ITR cams
Skunk 2 ITR manifold
Any suggestions on what may be the culprit? BTW, when connecting the VAFC wires, I made sure I sodered each connection.
thanks

 

It's almost always the connection.

If you're 100% certain on your solder job - check the VAFC before looking for a hole in your intake manifold.

 

It may be a defective v-afc. Ask Budman (Jeff) about my battles with CEL #3. We even spliced the wires at my MAP sensor to try and isolate power/ground issues between the sensor, plug and ecu. After a few months of CEL hell, I finally spliced the MAP sensor wire at the v-afc (took the v-afc out of the loop) and the car drove just fine. It was a bad v-afc, and I've advised enough Type R owners that you wouldn't be alone. Either remove your v-afc or splice the MAP sensor wire at the v-afc to get it out of the loop and see if you car drives fine again. I'd suggest you do it sooner than later; I drove with CEL #3 for many months in and out of limp mode, and running so rich all the time burned out my cat. Good luck.

 

hmmmmmm, Thanks for the response. Do you recall what your manifold pressure was reading at idle and when the ignition is on and the motor off? Last night I checked and at idle it was -550 mm of hg and 0 mm of hg with just the ignition on. Now being close to sea level should it read 760 mm of hg? Was your problem intermitent, at a certain rpm or completely random? Thanks for the help. It seems to happening more frequently now. I'm tired of my eyes watering.

 

~-500 at idle is normal

 

Sorry I don't recall what my MAP readings were, but I do recall that they were "in-line" with what other Type R's with v-afc's were reading. So, the v-afc reading of my MAP input signal seemed correct, although I was getting a CEL. My problem wasn't rpm specific at all. Some days, the car ran fine, some days it would start up in limp mode. Other days it would start and drive fine, and then all of a sudden start stuttering and drop into limp mode. The easiest way to see if the problem is caused by your v-afc is the cut the MAP wires into and out of the v-afc, and reconnect the ends so the signal never reaches the v-afc but goes straight to the ecu. If you car runs fine at that point, you know the v-afc is messing up your MAP signal.