Ok so, i have a 1993 Honda Civic EG with a D16z6 Swap from a 1994 Honda Del Sol. As you know the D16z6 is a SOHC w/ Vtec. This was the first SOHC that i have ever owned and when at 5k RPM's it's very hard to tell if the Vtec actually engages or not. So, by mistake, i stumbled across a forum and few websites that Talk about a Vtec indicator light. I thought what a great idea! now i can actually tell if the Vtec is working or not. Now i know alot of the Elitest racers and mechanics are snickering at this thinking "can't you feel it?" yeah i can, but not all the time. especially while "in the moment". So I took the plunge and decided to do it. In my search to find a DIY step by step, it was very vague. I have never really messed with wiring or soldering or anything to do with it. So, to me this was a learning experience being instructed by the blind. I decided to take it one step further. Below i have included pictures and the products you need to buy to be able to do this very easy mod for experienced or beginner mechanics. Most of what i am going to write about was taken directly from another source (whom i thank for taking the time to write about how you did yours).

Here is how to install Vtec indicator light for most Honda's with Vtec.

Well, I'll start off by listing the Radio Shack part numbers that I used for this installation:

Package of 330 OHM resistors Part# 271-1113

5mm LED of your choice, I choose a Blue on Part# 276-311

Roll of 18-gauge wire, I got a three color package of solid core but stranded would be better (solid core part#278-1223)

Snap-in LED mount Part# 276-079

Tap-in clips Part# 64-3052

I used most of these parts above with the exception of the blue light and the Snap-in LED Mount becuase the type of 12v LED i bought is self mounting just to show on the dash. I sudgest you think about where and how you want yours to show before you just buy the parts above. Also i didn't get the solid core wire i bought the stranded wire which also came in a three color package (red, black, green) i never used the green wire.
These are the items I bought:



Installation:
Now that you have all the parts, we will get started.

1.Figure out where you are going to mount your LED and drill a 1/4" hole. Before you drill into your dash or anything else make sure this is what you want to do!! I seen some really cool ideas by different people where they used an empty slot on the speedo, erased the lettering and replaced it with "Vtec" so it would show in the bevel. Below are the pictures on how I did it. I have some empty slots where the dash light dimmer is so i used that spot. Also, keep in mind that this is a light, and at night will shine when your Vtec engages, so think if you want this light shinning in your face all the time or some where off to the side like i did.





2.Solider the two wires to the two leads from the LED (the longer of the two leads is the positive lead The shorter lead is the ground.) Solder the resistor in line with the ground wire (I soldered one end of the resistor to the ground lead on the LED and the other end to the wire making sure that the wire is long enough to reach from the mounting location to the right side of the passenger seat near where your right foot would be if you were in the passenger seat).



3.Put one of the snap-in LED mounts into the hole that you made. Next insert the LED from behind, into the snap-in connector (you will feel a little click when it is in all the way). As i stated above i didn't use the snap-in mount because my LED was self mounting

4.Run the cable to the ECU location (near the right foot area of the passenger side). Take out the two plastic retainers for the ECU cover and pull off the cover ( it may take some force, but it wont break).



5.Unplug the two plugs that are closest to you on the bottom of the ECU (there are a total of three plugs, but you don't need to unplug the third). On the furthest plug of the two (the one for my car is Grey), locate the VTEC signal wire (Green with a yellow stripe). Once you find the VTEC wire, attach the positive lead from the LED to it using one of the tap-in clips. If you look under the glove box in the same side as the ECU, you will see a phillips screw, You can strip off some of the ground lead and attach it to this screw. reattach the ECU plugs and put everything back together and test it out When locating mine i found that i have two of the same wires green with yellow stripe one above the other. I located the Pin via online and after taping into it, found out it was for the oil pressure not the Vtec.
So i didn't want to take the chance of taping into the other wire and not having it be the correct one! So i went straight for the Vtec and found the Green with yellow striped wire and tapped into that one running directly from the actual Vtec sylenoid.

If you did everything correctly the LED should come on when the VTEC engages.


PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU HAVE TO BE DRIVING FOR THE VTEC TO ENGAGE. MEANING THAT YOU CAN NOT SIT IN YOUR DRIVE WAY AND REV YOUR ENGINE EXPECTING THE LIGHT TO COME ON.

 

I can see somebody wiring up an LED sign to this that says, "Vtec kicked in yo!"

 

^^^ yes, laser etched and all

OP. good job on the write up. Although, how do you know that vtec is engaging just based off a light?

 

Its a shame you spent so much time and made a great write up on such an odd task.

If only we could harness your powers for good.

 

I still don't understand how this is an indicator for it working. this means you're getting power to the solenoid if im not mistaken?
doesn't mean vtec works. lol

 

Indicator is just to indicate when the VTEC solenoid is engaged. Whether VTEC works or not is only can tell by listening to engine making louder noise than normal at 5k RPM. More noticeable with aftermarket intakes.

 

Nice write up OP. I have this done on my car along with security and radiator fan all on one blue LED using diodes.

 

Engine revs to 7200 VTEC is working. Here's the pinout:

 

Misinformation much?

 

Can we assumed that VTEC works when solenoid is engaged then?

 

That would be a better assumption.

 

Oh ok. I was considering the fact that sometimes solenoid get clogged and VTEC doesn't engage even tho solenoid is powered.

 

There are many factors that are required for VTEC to work. The quickest telltale indicator would be the ability to rev to 7200 rpm. If VTEC isn't working you should throw a CEL and your revs would be limited.

Myself personally, think this is a rather useless mod.

 

I have these mods when I had my head gasket problem. I called them running in diagnostic mode. I even installed a beeper in temperature sensor that would beep at 3/4.

 

All that rather than change the gasket?

 

I did changed the gasket. But I couldn't at the time because I live in apartment and can't work on such big job. I couldn't find a place to work on that until after a few months. So, I had to run with all those stuffs on just so I don't overheat the car to the point of no return. I was going to school almost everyday. Had a few gallons of water in the trunk and checked the coolant level after every drive. Didn't warp the head and didn't break any seal beside the head gasket. I got lucky because it was a small exhaust leak into radiator but fluid wasn't flowing back in for some reason.

 

This was my first post for a DIY. First of many to come. So be on the look out for more! I want to thank you all for taking the time to review it and thanks for your comments. I hope this helps anyone looking to do the same. Btw, this is my car at the moment.

 

Good Job op

 

You don't need to add wires to the engine bay, or drill/open holes in the firewall.

 

i didn't drill or open any holes in the firewall. that's the original hole in the firewall from when i did the D16z6 swap. The Engine came from a Del Sol which is a smaller car so i had to run the wire from else where. Also, you are right the engine compartment doesn't need more wires however, in my case i had two of the same wires so instead of tapping into the ECU again i went straight for the Vtec to avoid and major problems that may have arrived from doing a noob wire job. This DIY was just showing how i did it. i note many times that you need to think and plan as to where you want to put this if you are going to do it. I personally couldn't find any step by step with pictures that's why i made this. to use as a guideline. Again i appreciate everyone's comments. My next DIY i am planning to do is restoring the interior of your vehicle carpet, seats, dash, etc. I have a lot of work that needs to be done on my car and everything that i do will be posted on here with the exception of a few minor things, putting in a intake, changing the shift *****, etc. because those are just unscrew and screw new one back in.

 

I have honestly heard of people doing this. Supposedly "back in the day" people used to wire them to underglow and LED windshield washing fluid sprayers. But that was on some forum from like 05.

I had the same exact setup (minus a resistor equipped 12v LED) but the F series has the dumb two-stage VTEC engagement. Maybe now that I have my car tuned on the P28 it will work more accurately. Nice writeup!

 

i wanna know why you need a resistor inline on the ground wire.


nice little car btw, looks like a sleeper, if i could get 3 to 4 hours with that car it would have a 2.2l in it lol.

 

Oooh, write-ups! My fave.

I've thought about this VTEC indicator idea also but merely as a diagnostic tool.