So, i have a 97 civic with a j35a4 in it, and vtec will not engage. I also have an intermittent throttle response issue. Scanned for codes and these 4 came up:

P1607 - ECU Malfunction (Immobilizer Bypass)
P0141 - O2 Bank 1 Sensor 2
P1706 - Open Transmission Range Switch Circuit
P0743 - Torque Converter Circuit Malfunction

 

Your engine codes are putting the car into a sort of limp mode, and in doing so, VTEC will not engage. Did you bolt the engine to a manual transmission? I see you are using an automatic ECU. If this is the case, you will need to search around, there are tricks done to trick the computer to thinking its a manual (and in neutral all the time) so the engine will run the way you want it to.

Also remember that p0141 is for reading that the ECU reads the cat converter is not doing its job, do you have a catalytic converter on the car?

 

yes, auto engine/ecu and manual trans. i tried finding info on what to do when it’s an auto ecu and manual trans, but they are all broken links and pictures that don’t load.

and yes, it’s catless

 

Wouldn't you want to use a manual ECU then? I'm not an expert on these engines so for all I know if the engine is out of an auto then the ECU needs to be auto, but from where I'm sitting (ignorantly) it seems like a simple fix.