Just bought an '01 Civic EX coupe for commuting. This is my first exposure to these cool little cars. I was wondering under what conditions the VTEC comes in. I assume it should be aggressive enough that you feel it? I don't really feel any kind of step or surge in the power, but then I've only revved it to about 5500 rpm so far. Is this below the threshold for the VTEC to kick in?
This car has 217k miles on it but runs and drives fantastic.
Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge!

 

I wouldn't expect to feel the VTEC on a stock civic (assuming it is stock)...
BUT it is a really good platform if you intend to mod it....

Another BUT.... if it is in nearly mint condition and it runs that good.. for a commuter... you have found yourself a GEM and might consider just getting all the maintenance stuff aligned and leave it as it is since the gas economy will be EXCEPCIONALLY GREAT....

IMHO

 

Stock D17A2's have a VTEC kick-in point of 2700 RPM's. And no, you won't notice it on the stock setup. Its almost a negligible amount of power gain.

 

Today I paid attention and it does seem to have a little boost at about 3k rpm.
I wouldn't say it's cherry; it has it's share of dings and scratches but nothing large and the interior is really nice. Plus I know the car's history for the last 13 years, and that's worth a lot to me.
So far I've done the axles, camshaft seal, valve guide seal replacement/valve check (all in spec, thank you Honda, for building awesome engines!), plugs, pass side door lock actuator, and about 5 dash bulbs.
Next week the new headlights arrive and that's pretty much all it needs for now.

 

You literally bought the worst D-series in Honda's history... so if you're happy with how this one is, you'll be elated with just about ANY other Honda. (This is coming from a guy who owns 2 EM2's)

 

So what makes it the worst D series? Not asking to be argumentative, I'm here to learn. Having bought plenty of used cars over the years (some of which I wish I hadn't) I'm pretty impressed that this car didn't need any more work than it did at 217k.

 

The D17 is known to blow headgaskets, have clogged heatercores, poor transmission reliability, and various less-common issues. There's a stickied thread dedicated to overheating issues, just because its that common.

 

Yeah, the head gasket leaking is the Achilles Heel of this engine. It can be a gradual breach and usually is exhaust gas in the coolant as opposed to coolant to the oil. Loss of heat in the heater was the first telltale sign in mine. A testing of exhaust gases in the coolant confirmed it. Also a leak down test of the cylinders is a more accurate test for a breach.

Once you plane the head and a new OEM gasket, you can have many years of reliable service.

 

Is there an easy remedy to the clogged heater core? Lately my 02 civic ex has been steaming some coolant out around the top of the radiator, I changed the cap and the thermostat and cant find any visible leaks, Ive been careful to not let it get hot but that sounds like it could be what Im experiencing...