I have a 2005 Honda Element. Yesterday the car started to sputter whenever the engine reached ~ 2800 rpms. The check engine light came on when this started. The car seems to run fine and even will attain 50+ mph if I take it easy and not excede 2800 rpms. Any ideas?

 

Time to take it to the dealership.

 

My CRX kinda does this, i think its the idle air control valve.
The only difference is that when i'm in say 5th gear at 35mph (like 1700 rpms) and floor it, the car will sputter out and buck a bit until it gets a little higher in the rpms.

 

First, check the oil level. Low oil is the most common cause of this problem. If the oil level is okay, the problem may be a faulty VTEC oil pressure switch or faulty VTEC spool valve (which includes the oil pressure switch).

You will need to have the computer checked with an OBD-II scan tool. If DTC P2646 or P2647 is set, replace the VTEC oil pressure switch. If DTC P1259 is set and the oil level was okay, replace the entire VTEC spool valve. If DTC P1259 is set and the oil level was low, top off the oil and reset the computer, then drive the car to see if the problem reoccurs.

If by chance you get a DTC P1009, then you've got a more major problem related to the VTC actuator and/or timing chain.

 

i remember reading something like this and it was the oil pressure switch as Targa250R said. there is a how to about it on elementownersclub.

 

did the CEL come on and stay on or did it come on and flash?
i had the same issue except mine flased. 2003 element. it was a bad coil.

 

X2. We see this at the dealership all the time

 

Yeah, ive got the same thing going on with my 2003 element EX, it started when it wasnt changing gears too quick anymore, I think mine may need a tranny flush also, when I was on a hilly rd, it just jerked super hard, the CEL came on and wont let me push the throttle too hard without it skipping and jerking and the rpms kinda going crazy for a split second. lemme know what it is! hope its not expensive. Its emissions month :-(

 

You need to let us know what it is. Without a scanner to read the DTCs that set the Check Engine light, it's just a guessing game.

 

The DTC said P2647 Rocker arm actuator bank 1 stuck and my buddy said it would more than likely be the vtec/oil pressure switch, anyone know roundabouts how much it'll cost?

 

found the same problem on element owners club and this guy has it pretty much down and the price and where he got it.
http://www.elementownersclub.com/for...ad.php?t=60165

 

If P2647 was the only code stored, and you have already verified that the engine oil is topped off, then replace the VTEC oil pressure switch. A new switch (part number 37250-PNE-G01) currently lists for $57.38, and its accompanying O-ring (part number 91319-PAA-A01) is $2.48.

 

Yeah, just that one code. im just going to get the whole solenoid assembly its about 79.00 the it comes with the filter, o-ring, oil pressure switch, and vtec spool valve. cant hurt to just get all of those out of the way.

 

hi, i have the same problem on my 2003 accord, code P2647, i changed the oil pressure switch but still the check engine comes on and off intermittently, could you please tell me what happened to your problem finally? changing the spool valve solved the problem?
thanks

 

On the many Honda vehicles I've serviced I've never seen a spool valve fail, and I've only seen one solenoid fail. Most of the time if the oil level is full, the screen that's a part of the gasket is clean, the pressure switch is at fault. If you've already replaced the switch but still keep getting the code check the screen. I've diagnosed several that had low oil pressure and would cause the p2647 code. I'm assuming you don't have the equipment to check pressure. If your car has a lot of miles on it you may try switching to a heavier oil such as 10w 30 or
10w 40. Run that for a while and see if the code returns. How many miles are on you car?

 

thanks for the reply, the car has 102000 and i changes the oil according to the schedule and i use 5w30. tomorrow i want to take the car to the shop again and want them to clean the screen/filter near the spool valve. any suggestion?
thanks

 

If the screen is clear, and you're not going to get an idea of what your oil pressure is, I would suggest increasing oil weight to start. Maybe try 10w 40. If you run that fo a while and the light doesnt come on, then youre probably on the right track. Do you know if your car consumes any oil between changes? How often do you change your oil?

 

every 3000 mile, i took the car there and he cleaned the screen filter, he said it was alredy clean he took a car to road test and the check engine came on again and turned off after that, the mechanic said he doesn't understand it !!!!!!

he said the next step is replacing the oil pressure sensor (sensor) but he is not sure. i already changed the pressure swich, cleaned the filters, and do you think should i change the sensor?

thanks

 

What do you mean it came on and turned off? If the check engine light came on it shouldn't have turned off unless he cleared it. Is he suggesting you replace your engine oil pressure switch? What did you replace initially? There is an "engine oil presser switch" which is a 1 terminal connection, and the rocker arm oil pressure switch AKA VTEC pressure switch which is a 2 terminal connection and sits on top of the VTEC valve; so which of those did you replace? You're starting to confuse me.

 

Hi

Sorry, if I confused you, let me describe completely. First time the CEL came on I took the car to Autozone and they said it is P2647, they suggested a mechanic down the road I brought the car there and he noticed that the engine oil level is low; so I bought the 5w30 and added up and reset the CEL there. Then it came on after 20 minutes driving I thought mabe I should replace the whole oil, I took the car to Monro shop, they change the complete oil and fiter 2-3 week ago, after that the next day the light came on, it is funny it stays for half a day and some times limit the engine REV to 2500 but sometimes when it is on, also there is no problem with the car and you can accelerate it to 5000Rev and what ever you wants ( I thought maybe there is a problem with oil pressure switch, the mechanic said this model (accord 2003) has a problem with that and they have the updated part , so I replaced that with this part:


SWITCH ASSY., VALVE TIMING OILPRESSURE (VTEC OIL PRESSURE SWITCH

Part num: 37250-PNE-G01

Then I was driving on my way home it turned on again and did not accept rev over 2500, next morning I took it to the mechanic again with CEL lit, and we came out with this idea maybe the
[ STRAINER ASSY., VTC part number :15840-RAA-A00] is not clean therefore he cleaned that he said the strainer was clean somehow but he cleaned it more, he got the car to road test yesterday evening and was fine, he said he prefer to have the car all night there to test it in the morning again, during the test the check engine came on. I called me and told that I went there and he said maybe you should buy the whole spool valve

VALVE ASSY., SPOOL Part number : 15810-RAA-A03
I got the car and when I got home I was curious to check the oil level so I checked it and it was at the min point so I drove while the CEL (check engine light) was on to the gas station and added 5w30 then after 8 min driving the CEL turned off, I went out of town and speeded up several times, to 5000REV, even 6000rev (sudden acceleration 35mile/h to 75 mile/h and no more check engine no more faulty engine. Everything worked fine.

Something I understood in the morning when the engine is cold the possibility of getting CEL on is much higher but when the car warn up completely, it works fine, maybe the ehole effect of replacing (oil pressure switch, cleaninig the strainer and adding oil) caused to solve the problem, but if I get the CEL again tomorrow morning I gonna go and buy the whome

VALVE ASSY., SPOOL Part number : 15810-RAA-A03


I hope to make it clear , thanks for your response and help. Any idea?

 

here it is, yesterday i test the car and 6 times i accelerated to 6000RPM on the road, i had not any problem and the car worked fine.
today morning the temperature outside was fine 55 Fahrenheit, while driving at 2500RPM the check engine came on again, , i do not have any idea , the engine hesitates to go over 2500RPM while yesterday was ok, i'll go and order the whole spool valve part [15810-RAA-A03] to see would it solve the problem or not.


Any idea? any experience on this situation?

thanks

 

I've never seen a failed VTEC valve on 2003 and newer Honda cars...ever. How is your engine oil level? Are you using oil between changes? Is your car leaking oil? I'll do a little research when I get to work in the morning and see if anything stands out. P2647= "VTEC oil pressure switch high voltage". Basically it means that the battery voltage supplied to the pressure switch is not going to ground either because of a failed switch or loss of oil pressure. If your car is getting low on oil frequently that means either it's leaking externally or using internally. Your oil has to be at the proper level all the time for the VTEC to work properly. It's very tough to diagnose a problem like this without the car being with me, but I can give you some good probables of the problem:

1) Make sure the switch is installed properly. Make sure it's not leaking. The person who installed it should have used some form of sealant on the threads before screwing it into the VTEC valve. Also, since the VTEC valve has been removed, make sure it is not leaking either. If either the switch or valve is leaking be sure to correct that before troubleshooting anything else.

2). If your vehicle is getting low on oil and it's not leaking externally do as I said in a earlier post and increase the oil weight. The amount of the increase will depend on the amount of oil your vehicle is using between changes. The customers that have had this similar VTEC problem I've switched them over to a 15w 40 oil with pretty good success so far. Not only does that increase the oil pressure but it helps prevent oil from getting past the rings and so forth to prevent the engine from using it. Oil pressure is very critical for VTEC operation.

3). I've also seen vehicle that had the cylinder heads removed and put back on with some of the rocker shaft bolts loose that will cause oil pressure loss in the head. If your car hasn't had this type of work done to it then I wouldn't worry about that.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

I just had this EXACT problem this week. Thank you for your insightful instructions. My regular car mechanic was so intimidated, I went to the Honda Dealer to get it repaired. The engine light did come back on today. Should I wait a bit, see if it goes away before going back to he dealer. Otherwise, it runs very well. Got an oil change also.

 

What did they do to repair your problem?

 

YES! I added the Marvel Miracle Oil, light went off the next day before I went back to the dealer. I thank you so much for your insight. $300 later, I am glad I went to the dealer and not my regular mechanic.