Ok I know this has been touched on alot but ive searched and havent found anything quite like this. I have a freshly built ls/vtec about 4k on it. Built top and bottom. I have normal PSI at idle about 20ish...and I have ok running psi about 45 to 50 under 3k rpm....but when I get into the throttle I cant get it above 50 therefore VTEC wont engage......I can get it there before the engine heats up. But once its at normal temp 50-51 psi at most. Could I have a slight blockage somewhere or anyone have any ideas.

 

What oil are you using?
You verified o-ring/dowel under cam cap #3?

 

Yes verified O ring....motor was professionally built......And everything verified personally by me. Oil is a 10w30 Mobil 1...thought about bumping up to a w40 to see a difference but havnt yet

 

I'll add to what bambam said and say what weight oil are you using?

What oil pump are you running?

 

A blockage would create higher oil pressures.

Oil pressure is created via bearing clearances. This includes cam bearing caps as well. Oil pressure increases as rpm increases, until the relief valve in the pump opens.

Too high of oil pressure can be indicitave of tight bearing clearances, over torqued cam bearing caps, restricted passageways I.e oil pickup strainer or oil filter, or too thick of an oil.

Too low can be indicative of too thin (viscous) of an oil, high oil operating temps, larger bearing clearances, a failing oil pump or stuck relief valve, or the absence or deterioration of a seal in the pressurized portion of the lubricating system I.e. o-ring/dowel in cam bearing cap 3.

Try running an rsx-s oil filter and slightly more viscous oil.

If those don't fix it, then try retourqing cam bearing caps properly. If its not that, then you may have a failing pump or too much bearing clearances.

 

Its running a GSR pump, and it was new at the time of build. It runs a Honda filter. I will try with the RSX-S filter and a little heavier viscosity and see where that gets me. Im also gonna crack the VTEC solenoid and check the screen and make sure we are all clear in there.

 

so what if i tried synthetic over regular would that make a difference with the vtec and would the oil switch have a problem with that or what because i just recently had a tune up no more then 1600 miles ago

 

and?..........

you never stated your problem and you are thread jacking

 

you should be running synthetic anyways. It has detergents in it that help keep the internals of your engine clean. Conventional oil is crap, every brand is the same ol **** but in different weights. Stop putting that crap in your motor.

 

Yeah....if you are having the same problems I am having you need to check everything Ive checked first....If not start at step one and let everyone know exacgtly what you have going on.....and Yes you need to run Synthetic.....its is far better. Ive always run Royal Purple in everything Ive owned but I need to get this lube issue figured out before I spend the extra cash for it.

 

Royal purple is poop. Far better stuff out there.

 

Ive run it on everything from a Corvette, a Passat Turbo and RC51 and Ive always loved it....Never expect any sort of power gains but it does seem to quiet down the head and run a bit smoother.

 

Check out the uoa's on it over on bobistheoilguy.com. its not a bad oil at all. But there are better oils. Its overpriced and the color and name is just a gimmick to get people to buy into it. I know alot of people that do because its expensive (must be good then right) and the purple color appears cool and makes it easy to remember. Excellent ploy on their part.

 

Well the color and the name have nothing to do with it for me, but Ive tried MOTUL and Nippon as well as Eneos and they all seemed to perform exactly the same and Royal Purple is sold locally so thats what Ive stuck with. The only thing ive never tried is Amsoil.

 

Of course they're all going to "feel" the same. Unless you notice burning oil, or louder valvetrain operation, the only way to see the quality of a specific oil is through a uoa (used oil analysis). Check out the site I listed. You may be surprised what you find.
Made me switch to german 0w-30 castrol syntec 5 years ago and haven't looked back.

 

I will check it out....thanx for the Advice. I also will be completing the above mentioned maintenance to my car to attempt to solve the oiling issue. I will keep you posted on the results, and if necessary I will seek further assistance from you if possible. BTW BAMBAM I took a look at your ls/vtec build thread and I have to compliment you, thats an excellent writeup

 

No problem. Thanks for the compliments. Ill be standing by to further assist.

 

Update! Havent had time to do the oil , and havent been driving it much, but I took the VTEC solenoid off last night and there was a ton of RTV Sealent all around the gasket and screen, might have been enough to block some flow and drop me a few psi.....Will take it out today and give it a check and go get the new oil and filter. I assume this crap is prolly all over the oiling system cause it was caked in there

 

That'll do it. Definitly not good.

If you suspect it to be all through the oiling system I'd recommend you to check a couple things...

-Cut open the old oil fiter and check to see if there are rtv fragments in the filter. Just cut around the metal housing so you can get to the actual filter.

-Check the screen on the oil pick up tube. Make sure its not blocked.

-If you pulled the vtec solenoid I can only assume you checked the screen for it? Lol. Just stating the obvious.

I know there is more to check, but that is a decent place to start. Best of luck.

 

Yes I absolutely checked the screen and it was intact after removing all the sealent. I plan on pulling the pan and checking everything thouroughly, and absolutly the oil filter. I should have just bit the bullet and built this thing myself, but time is what I dont have alot of. But with that being said, pressure is better, but still not quite up to par, it just wont build past about 60 now.......I suspect its a pickup tube clog.....we will see this weekend

 

Having extremely high pressure isn't as important as making sure perssure is going up as the rpm's climb. The pressure should not remain stationary or go down as the rpm's climb. But yea check the oil pick up and the filter. See what you find.

 

Yeah and thats exactly the problem Im having....it just wont build pressure past 50-55 when the RPMS are rising........it just stays there. Its becoming quite frustrating. Ill get it figured out this weekend when I have more time to tinker with it

 

Ok updated, switched to a 15w50 and it helped a little, sitting at about 57-60 psi until higher RPMS, it drops to about 45-50 as soon as Vtec attempts to switch over, the VTEC system does work properly, it does kick in first and sometimes second, then usually cuts out as RPM's climb, Gonna pull the pan this week and see whats up, its just about gotta be coming from down there at this point

 

your mains are gone.. or going out.

You're describing exactly what happened to me, when i split my pressure plate in half and drove around a year with it like that lol..

Either your rod bearings are wearing prematurely, or your mains.

Pull the oil pump, and remove the gyros, see if its still a smooth, silky feeling and not a grit , like you've been cycling sand in there. Once you verify that your oil pump is in good condition, the next thing to do is drop the oil pan and remove a bearing cap...i'm almost 100% positive your bearings are causing this.

idle for oem is acceptable around 10-15psi
Crusing at 3k+ should be @ 50-60+
WOT should be at least 75+psi

 

Did you read any of this post? This motor is brand new, my idle PSI is fine, my crusing idle is fine, only have slight WOT problem. Im not trying to be a dick or anything but please read every post before you waste both your and my time.
My assumption is either the pickup tube is clogged with RTV from the build or theres a slight dent in the tub or pan.