So i have a 96 accord EX with the F22b1 5MT. The car has some basic Boltons Listed under my signature. These mods have been on the car for some time now so I do not believe these contribute to my issue.

Now for the problem. I was driving about a week ago and the car decided at about 4000rpm that it was going to lose all power and wouldnt rev past 5k unless i stayed in the throttle for >10seconds in any gear. Getting above 75mph is near impossible and my only hope at merging at freeway speed is if the onramp is downhill.

So to go into more detail on what exactly its doing. The VTEC is not engaging at all. From my understanding and from what I've read, VTEC is engaged from Idle to 2500-2700 rpm, where it disengaged until 5300 rpm where it is reengaged. I noticed when this problem occurs my idle is rough and the car sounds as if its got some valve lash issues(lopey idle).

Now there have been about 5 or 6 things that i would think was linked to this but all of them have been considered not correct. \

1) Clogged catalytic converter.
I thought that this was a problem at first but because this issue is intermittent and was an all of a sudden thing, I had to rule this out.

2) Bad VTEC Solenoid
This seemed the biggest thing that would be the problem, however I can manually engage the solenoid by jumping it off a 5v powersource. Also I put another VTEC solenoid off another f22b1 which changed nothing at all. Also I replace both the solenoid and activator gaskets due to the oil screen being semi dirty.

3) Bad MAP Sensor
This was a $80 mistake, which at least ruled this out.

4) Bad VSS
My ECU had stored two codes, VSS malfunction, and VTEC malfunction. My speedometer has been malfunctioning for almost a year but my cruise control works still which makes me believe its the PCB on the back of the speedo. Replaced it anyways which changed nothing so i returned the new VSS.

*Note: I reset the ECU to clear all stored codes between all attempts at fixing the problem.

5) Bad O2 sensors
I Had no codes that would lead to the problem, nor do i have an AFR gauge to rule this out. The sensors were physically still functioning. Unfortunately i cant read live data with my DTC reader because im cheap like that

6) Exhaust Leak
I do have a small leak where my Manifold meets the Downpipe. Once again this has been a problem for some time and is small enough to where the only way i noticed it was when i seafoamed it and was revving from the TB when i saw small white puffs of smoke when i revved past 5800 rpm. IF this was the problem, it would have occured a long time ago.

7) Vacuum issue
Since this is a cheap thing to check, i replaced all vacuum lines in my engine bay as a for sure debunk that this was a problem.


Any more info you need, just ask ill be checking this thread every hour to see what everyone has to say.

Thanks for the read!


**EDIT** The oil has been changed 500 miles before the problem occurred with Royal purple 5w30 which is what the car has been running since 25000 miles (it now has 104388 miles) with a fram Xguard filter which is also changed every 5k. Never had an issue with oil pressure or leaks since the car gets all new gaskets every 5 years (Head, Valve cover, oil pan, FMS and RMS)

 

Did you have your ecu tuned for your new camshaft and boltons ?

It kinda sounds like the clutch is going out.

 

$50 says probably not since he is OBDII and mentions no management system.........

 

Valve timing change conditions:
Engine speed between 2,300 - 3,200 RPM (depending on manifold pressure.)
Vehicle speed 6.2 MPH or faster
Engine coolant temperature above 50*F

If your speedometer is malfunctioning and you have a VSS code your VSS is bad. It will cause your Vtec to not engage. Been there done that, troubleshot that problem before. If like you said a new sensor didn't fix the issue then chances are you have a wiring issue. a short or broken wire.

By the way, you have no idea how Vtec works either. Vtec allows the engine to run two different cam profiles. One optimized for low speed/load and one optimized for high speed/load cam profile. In single cam engines Vtec is only on the intake valves due to limited space in the valvetrain.

It is NOT active at idle.
Vtec crossover is different in every engine, it is tuned specifically for the engine in question and for performance or fuel economy depending on the application.

Vtec ONLY activates when the engine is under a high load, it allows the engine to take advantage of the cam profile that is optimized for high speed/loads.

 

I do know exactly how VTEC works, just not sure of the engagement protocols on this particular engine, which i said in my post. I was going by what i was hearing when driving my car before the problem. No i am not tuned with a EMS, but as stated before, these mods have been in the car over a year without a hitch. I had been talking to GhostAccord about the ECU he was using however I was laid off from the dealership i work at and Took me a bit to get back on the horse so my finances are not too good right now. The reason why i ruled out the VSS was due to the cruise control working. From my understanding, cruise control requires a consistent signal from the VSS. I may be wrong though.


Just a heads up, im new to the honda scene, came from the sportbike/Carb V8 scene and wanted to have fun with my daily, so I AM still learning.

 

The clutch grabs plenty hard. Hard enough to pull 2.1 sec 60 foots at the track. Clutch is strong, the engine SOUNDS sick and performs like its sick also.

Didnt think I would NEED a tune at this little bit of modding. Think it may be necessary?

 

I wouldn't call Stage 2 camshafts, upgraded fuel pump, injectors, IM, etc as 'little bit of modding'. You are throwing more fuel, more 'lobe', etc into the vehicle. I'm not surprised you are experiencing problems.

If you don't require emissions testing my personal suggestion would be downconvert to OBDI and run like a chipped P28 ecu.

*edit* Also keep in mind too, Bisimoto has recommended an upgraded valvetrain to go along with those cams. I'm guessing you are still using OEM parts with 100k+ miles on them?

http://bisimoto.com/store/index.php?...roducts_id=287

 

Im using the upgraded valve springs. As i said, i havent had a problem yet, and its not something mechanical. Some sensor is reading off and cutting fuel trims. I had to run the bigger injectors because my OEM injectors were at 88% duty cycle. this is very minor considering my "Modding" consists of no OE parts besides the block itself and generally forced induction.