reed20

well this is car is gonna be handed down to me its civic cx hatch 99 anywai i look at the engine code and it is d15b no numbers after it. the person that giving me the car said it has vtec but it does not work. (or not on on) whatever that means. the valve cover just has a honda stamp on it no vtec. so how can u tell if it has vtec, just because a car doesnt have the vtec stamp on the valve cover doesnt mean it doesnt have vtec does it? please tell me how to identify if it does or does not. btw: noob =p

reed20

pictures would be helpful =]

310HPS2k

look for the vtec solenoid

97integraLS911

the d15b came is a civic vx in japan... it is vtec but it also may have a different head or something on it that may not be vtec.. Are the spark plugs located in the front or rear of the head???

i believe the front indicates vtec but i could be mistaken. i cant remember my single cam stuff much.. But yes

"check for a vtec solenoid" or post a picture and we can help

other option could be that its still using the civic cx ecu which is causing the vtec to not engage.. or could be low oil... lol
u got a lot of options the look into. pictures and more information would be more helpful to narrow down your answer

reed20

oh but is it possible to have vtec but just missing the vtec solenoid
maybe thats why it isn't working.

sorry if it's a noob question =p

97integraLS911

the d15b came in a civic vx in japan... it is vtec but it also may have a different head or something on it that may not be vtec.. Are the spark plugs located in the front or rear of the head???

i believe the front indicates vtec but i could be mistaken. i cant remember my single cam stuff much.. But yes
- "check for a vtec solenoid" or post a picture and we can help

other option could be that its still using the civic cx ecu which is causing the vtec to not engage.. or could be low on oil... lol
u got a lot of options the look into. pictures and more information would be more helpful to narrow down your answer

97integraLS911

it would not run without the solenoid but cuz there would be oil going everywhere.. if the solenoid isnt there then it has a "non vtec" head on it...

reed20

im pretty sure its in the front but damn i forgot to take a picture of it.

97integraLS911

on the rear left side/passenger side of the head there will be a solenoid with a green little cap on it i believe.. that will be the vtec solenoid. if its not there then yes u have a d15b block but a non vtec head of some kind

reed20

look something like this

[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Simon/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg[/IMG]

reed20

not the picture of actual but yeah thats where the spark plugs is at

reed20

guess i have to get back to you on that. thanks for the help though.

310HPS2k

if that is EXACTLY what you have then you had the JDM D15B from the 96-00 like myself with the 3 Stage VTEC (dual VTEC solenoid)

reed20

oh is both the vtec solenoid on the same side i cant find the second one in picture.

n if this motor was found in a 99cx hatch it would be consider legal right, assuming it passes emission.

reed20

and how does 3 stage vtech works, when it engages can u actually hear it like it is coming from a b series dohc vtec.

310HPS2k

There is 3 stages.

stage 1 - runs 12 valve real lean, great on gas, basically (VTEC-E motor)
stage 2- runs 16 valve, basically (regular non-vtec motor)
stage 3- runs 16 valve with VTEC

Its an awesome motor and ultra rare

reed20

oh nice i hope i have it..can't check cuz car isn't with me rite now

310HPS2k

the 3 stage vtec can not be ran without the rare P2J ecu.

if you cant get that ECu you going to have run with a regular Vtec solenoid and a chipped ECU.

basically eliminating the purpose of the rare motor.

reed20

so how much does a P2J ecu run for?

and if i run a regular Vtec solenoid and chipped ECU, what would i lose is it the fuel economy. I would still have Vtec right?

courtney42

I have this motor in my del sol si.
How do i find out witch ecu i have? And can anyone else verify this ecu thing matters?

310HPS2k

They go for around 300 for the ECU alone.

If you run a chipped ecu, with a regular single vtec solenoid, yes you would lose the fuel economy, but like any d series it will still get atleast 30 MPG, and yes it would have VTEC.


Courtney42, you can have the same motor, but most people change out to a single vtec solenoid. so check to see if you have the 2 solenoid first.
To check what ECU you have, you would have to look on the side of the ECU itself. the ecu is located on the passenger side kick panel.

courtney42

I will post a pic this weekend and we can investigate.

H22_cRX_Si

hmm d15b ? the only d15b that has vtec is jdm d15b. unless its a d15b block with a d16y8 head ..?