specs(96' civic h.b. with OBD2 98 B18C1 Gsr swap from previous gsr i had)
fixed thermostat already*

okay after some research, most people/sites say that since i'm allowed to go past 5800rpm, vtec is engaging? but i'm in limp mode..i have a cel for charcoal canister*i just need the top sensor and a code for the rear o2...but these two items aren't required for me to engage in vtec correct me if i'm wrong..and nothing else is being cel'd..so could it potentially be my vtec solenoid screen is clogged? or something of that sort...or is vtec not noticeable because of the cel's?? what do you guys think HT??

 

Have you checked the oil level? May be low and not enough oil pressure to engage. It happened to a friend of mine. He was a quart ish low and that was the fix.

 

i check my oil every week, i usually put it to about 3/4 or a little bit above the middle..should i put more? idk it's strange because this swap came off my 98 integra and the vtec engaging you can hear it & the butterflies..this one i don't hear it, but supposedly my friend who drove it said he heard it "crack" before lol so idk...when i have time to work on my car, i just wanna fix everything i can just wanna get more ideas what it could be..

 

Any CEL will get you in limp mode. Its the computers way of protecting itself.. Fix those two problems first. You can use an older model p72 ecu obd1. It should get rid of those codes which are likely obd2 codes

 

damn are you postive on this? aha sorry just hearing this kinda makes me stoked..cause the 2 fixes aren't that bad except the rear oxygen sensor i need.. total fix probably will be around 50-150 bucks max. thanks! i'll let you guys know what happens...

one more question* so i can use the obd1 p72 gsr ecu for obd2?? if so i'll look for that first.

 

Also make sure your charcoal canister hoses are at least plugged up. You will get unstable idle if they are left open since you dont have a sensor for it yet. This would also be another problem of why your car is running like crap

 

Yes but you will need an engine conversion harness like this one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/OBD2-...Q5fAccessories

Make sure you get 96-98 Civic because your Civic is 96. 99-00 Civics are different

*My advise is to spend money on an Evap Purge Solenoid (the canister sensor) and the secondary o2 sensor for the cat converter unless you plan on tuning your car, then convert to obd1 by using an obd1 p72 ecu

 

alright, thanks raidacaipo i'll probably ponder the options for a week or so..if anything i'll just do it right and get the rear o2 and the purge solenoid..i just plan to do bolt on's & aftermarket IM in the future..but not much to tune anyways and it'll will be a while..thanks again