i am new to the SI. Got mine two weeks ago with 34,000 miles. I want this car to last for the amount of money i paid. What is the view on vtec? I dont want it smoking like every other honda over 130,000. But everyone hits vtec and cleans out carbon. So were does the point go from casual vtec to abuse? If your going to say "just drive the car" dont reply i am looking for a more serious answer.

2nd question: How often should oil be checked under normal conditions? (Not giving the car like hell) I had a rsx i checked every other day due to the fact their oil lights were known not to be the best.

3rd question: Is there a normal level of oil consumtion in the si's. Or they shouldn't burn unless your in vtec 24/7?

P.S. I am not new to the Honda scene just to the new si's.

 

I'm assuming this is an eighth gen? Like a new Si? At any rate my overall experience with all Hondas i've owned (a modest number but still many more than "most" people) is that if the engine has regular oil changes etc from being low miles it should be a really good running motor for a long time and use little to no oil. I have a 30k miles RSX-S motor (similar to the 8th gen Si) in my hatch and went 4k miles hitting VTEC often between changes and was still right where it was supposed to be on the stick at change time. I had a 94 GSR with over 200k on the clock that still didnt use more than a half a quart of oil every 3000-3500 miles.. that's amazing for that high of miles when it was revved to 8k regularly it's whole life.

Post pics!

 

1. The way I see it, crossing over is like your elbow. It's there for a reason and yes it will wear but it's normal so use it. Try going for an entire day without bending your elbow, and for some this comes as much as an impossibility not to hit vtec. So use it in moderation.

2. I usually check my oil level every fill up.

3. I'm all too sure on how much oil our engines consume, but I have had to add some oil in the past, but not a significant amount.

As for the low oil pressure lights, I have not heard of FG/FA's having such a problem that have plagued the DC5's.

Good luck and enjoy your car.

 

Answers:

Question 1: I know you are looking for a "more serious answer" but...Drive it. Change the oil regularly. Dude its a freakin' Honda. Thats why you bought it. If you feel like you are abusing it, you are.

Question 2: If you are worried about oil pressure, get an oil pressure gauge. Otherwise, just check the oil enough to make you feel comfortable that you are doing your job.

Question 3: If its burning any real measurable quantity of oil when its that new, you may have a problem. See question 2.

 

Vtec=Life

Myth- vtec burns oil

Fact- vtec burns oil

Vtec burns oil.

A big factor is the condition of the rings. Another factor is the oil being used, and your rings. The molecular make of each oil is different. The biggest difference is between conventional and synthetic, obviously. The molecular make up of your rings are designed to retain a certain oil, based on it's molecular make. That's why some manufactures say don't use synthetic and if you do all of a sudden your burning a quart every 1k and your like WTF? Some people complain of the burnoff of mobil 1 saying it sucks, then use royal purple and then there is minimal burnoff. Just an example.

Also your burning because of the oil jets spraying oil to cool the rings when turning at 8000rpm.

 

I'm sorry but I can't agree at all with anything you said.

vtec has nothing to do with oil, rings or how the engine uses or burns oil. Vtec is just maximizing the intake and exhaust strokes via cam phasing and by use of alternate cam lobe profiles.

Manufacturers tell you in the owner's manual not to use synthetic oil because it is not required and simply raises the operating cost or your vehicle.

Some oils are more resistant to vaporization. The new certification of API for oils is that they have a higher vaporization temp. Which basically means the oil will not turn into a smoke and therefor you shouldn't burn off as much oil. Higher compression ratios of new engines increases cylinder temps and causes the oil to vaporize. Its normal for a family sedan to have 10:1 compression and ours is 11:1. Those were unheard of in the 80's and even 90's for an average car.

 

i thought this thread was a joke 30k on my car vtec almost every time i accelerate the engine was designed for this no using it often is probably bad if anything. I once new a dude with a GSR who wouldn't rev it past 6500rpms because he didn't want to blow it up.

 

Wow....Just wow.

Don't you have a ditch to go die in?

P.S. Just drive it.

 

Well vtec does have something, if not everything to do with oil. It operates off of oil pressure. Yeah yeah yeah we all know it's Variable valve Timing Electronic Control and lift.

I don't read car manuals thoroughly enough to argue that, all I know is everyother sentence they state to bring to nearest authorized dealer. Besides synthetic pays for itself, unless your one of those people changing every 3k.

As far as the the oil vaporizing, sure in theory. I'm sure your right about oils having higher tolerances to vaporizing, I'll have to read into that though. Point is the oil is bleeding past the rings "in vtec" (ie. anywhere from 5-10k rpms) on any vtec engine. That's also another reason why people put methanol in the crank, so it'll bleed past and hopefully make that little bit more power. Another way of cheating when regulations state "no additives to fuel".....

 

"I don't know what the fuc you just said lil kid, but you special.....You touched a brother's heart."

Your wac dude. Oil will or can blow by the rings in any engine at any time. I don't know why you think that during vtec more oil is blowing through. VTEC is just like having multiple cam shafts in one motor! Oil is not introduced into the combustion chamber during vtec!

ANd if I'm not mistaken vtec ativation on the k20z3 is determined by the MAP sensor and then it is an electric solenoid the locks the pins on the rocker arm not a solenoid activated by oil pressure. That was on the older vtecs

 

i thought vtec just burned a little more gas.

 

Haha you must be in your lates 40's to be calling me a kid.

If that's how ivtec works, then cool. Honestly I don't know **** about k series or my civic, because I don't care. I used to, now I don't care really about anything tech realated with any car. I guess I'm like many people on ht, once you've had so many you just don't care or have to much of an interest.

 

Might be time to sell all my honda/acura products. Why did you buy a SI if you're afraid of hitting vtec? Trade it in and get a LX model and call it a day. Seriously though, you shouldnt be worried about wearing out your engine or burning oil. If anything you are 10 years away from that and by then you will have a new car. Plus, I'd say it is well worth a $300 rebuild every 10 years to drive your car however you want. Personally, I have never had an issue with wear and smoking, with the exception of my newest swap and it has 150k and was ragged out (going to the drag strip and breaking axles type of ragged out). Obviously not stock either.

Honestly, I have a S2K with roughly the same mileage. I get on it whenever I feel like it and I never check the oil because it doesnt burn any. Change the oil every 5k, as recommended by Honda and call it a day. I have no worries about it because its a stock car that I know is taken care of. Thus, stop worrying about it.

 

I had a del sol VTEC w/170,000 on the clock and redlining everyday.

Its a car drive it

 

This thread is a ball of monumental fail.

 

OP...put the trans in 4th gear, bounce off the rev limiter and half dump the clutch. Don't fully let the clutch pedal out until the speedo reads 68. This is what Honda recommends for testing the engine's strength after 30k miles.

 

vtec goes mmmmmbwwaaaaaagghhhhhhhh!!!!

 

you guys really are nuking it..

im going to quote AJP from last year.. and yes this is a direct quote lol

The proof is everywhere! Just look at all these 90's civics that get redlined with great prejudice on a daily basis

 

^ Ben jammin you are the man you just made my day!haha I am incredibly wise aren't I!

 

the redline wouldn't be where it's at if honda thought it was a bad idea to rev that high.

 

amen

 

This.

 

It is a fact that the higher an engine revs the shorter it's life is.

 

No it's not.

 

Bro, you are funny.