So I'm going to come right out and say I fucked up and bought a ek coupe without looking at the engine code on the block.
Bought from a respected mechanic shop in the area a 99 ex coupe with 160k miles for 3k. The previous owner, a customer of said shop, had run the engine dry of oil and blew it.

So mechanic bought it from customer, and supposedly put a y8 back in it, sourced from junkyard with 120k miles on it.
As soon as I got there, I looked in the bay and saw what looked like a y8 to me. Saw the vtec solenoid and for some weird reason I never looked at the block. I guess I just really trusted the guy....I don't know, it was just stupid.

anyhoo, I get home and see the stamping on the block and that it is a y7 and call the mechanic.

He says they "reconditioned" the y8 head and put it onto a y7 block they got from a junkyard.

So, I asked him how many miles he had driven it since the engine work and he says 500 miles.

I then asked him about the vtec solenoid holes on back of the y7 block that are normally plugged...and if they unplugged those.

He said he didn't know...wasn't sure.

Now, I drove it about 60 miles since buying it, and it seems to run fine...although it seems like the tach isn't reading correctly once it gets to about 5k rpm (not sure about this though) and that there is no vtec activating.
When I test drove it I was in a tight warehouse district and couldn't really get the rpms all that high...

Again, I f'd up and was not thorough enough when looking at this car. I haven't bought a new car in over 10 yrs, and just rushed the whole thing.

So my question is, is there any way the engine would still be working if the vtec oiling holes were left plugged on the block?

And is there anything I should look for with regards to vtec not kicking in?
I scanned for engine codes and a stored knock sensor code of p0325 came up, and I cleared it and will see if returns.

All the electrical plugs and wiring in engine bay looks factory.

thx for any assistance with this...

 

Not familiar with that either, the solenoid attaches to the head. Can you elaborate on what you're referring to?

 

there is no oil jet in a y7, he didnt know what you were talking about because they dont exist. the y7 block is the same as a y8, you didn't get ripped off. the y7 does not have a knock sensor, you'll need to add one. vtec won't work without it. the reason the car gets wonky at 5k is because it is in limp mode due to not having a knock sensor.

 

Thank you for that info
I didn't think I had necessarily been ripped off as much as I was disappointed in myself for not checking those things upon purchase
I crawled under and saw that there appears to be a knock sensor in place above the oil filter and it looks to be plugged in
I'm pretty sure I'm looking at the correct sensor from all the reference pics I saw online as to its location
The local advanced auto has one in stock for a y8 for 117 bucks
I guess I should make sure I already have one and that it is working. So I will test it this evening after work...before shelling out over a hundred bucks

Thx again for the help

 

so update...
there is a knock sensor installed and it is wired.

It is hard as hell to get too...but I was thinking of testing with ohm meter.

However, my idea is this...
I had planned to get a rywire harness obd2b to obd1 and p28 ecu so that I could tune in the future
This would eliminate the need for the knock sensor all together.

I'm a bit of a noob to all of this

what do you guys think?

 

if you have emissions testing where you live, no go. if you dont, sure.

 

well I have been doing a lot of reading online with regards to this issue I have, and came across a tutorial on resetting the ecu and how it is a specific procedure that every shmoe may not be familiar with...and the mechanic who put the y8 head onto the y7 block in my car was not a Honda-specific mechanic.

plus, I had a cel when I got the car, scanned it to find it was knock sensor...and cleared it to see if it came back...which it did not.

so I decided to try resetting the ecu and now it does not seem to be in limp mode anymore.

rev's all the way to redline.

I'm still not sure if vtec is working properly, as I don't know how it is supposed to feel on this car...I mean it is only 127 hp after all.

on my old 2009 civic si it was pretty noticeable after about 5500 rpm.

not as noticeable, if at all, on this car.

so might test the vtec solenoid and some other usual suspects and see what happens.
If I figure it out, I'll post up my findings

thx all for the advice so far

 

2009 Si is a completely different beast. My only experience with a Y8 was a very discreet change in pitch with a very smooth transition into VTEC.

 

What the **** does an '09 SI have to do with anything?

Answer: Not a damn thing. Comparing a K series to a D series is like comparing a hammer to a torque wrench.

 

Its like comparing a hammer to a pencil....

 

Here's the comparison between an '09 SI and a 96-00 EX.

 

haha

my point was not the power obviously....so much as the fact that it was very obvious when the transition occurred with my fa2

I've done further reading about this new to me little beasty and it seems that with the d16y8 it isn't very noticeable at all actually, and pretty seamless.

so the engine may be running just fine after all...

 

You shouldn't feel a VTEC "crossover". If you feel it, the car wasn't tuned right.

 

Thx
I am beginning to think all is well
Already begun ordered poly shifter bushings and all the other assorted upgrades you do to a stock civic with 160k miles

Appreciate all of the assistance
And I learned a lot in the process

 

How did you reset the ecu and what ecu are you using ?? I have the same problem