Dan Martin

Ok, I haven't heard of this happening to anyone before, but it happened to me tonight on three different occasions. I was accelerating on an onramp in 2nd at WOT and the cams didn't switch over at 6000 like they usually do, instead it switched at 6800!

I thought that was weird, so once I got on to the highway and the traffic opened up, I tried it again. Sure enough, it wouldn't switch at 6000 but it would switch just shy of 7000. I tried it a third time, but this time it worked fine.

Thinking it might have just been a weird glitch, I didn't try it again until I was closer to home. Once I left the highway and pulled on to a side street, I tried it a fourth time and sure enough it didn't switch until 6800 RPM.

I've got my intake in SRI mode so it's pretty easy to tell when the cams are switching. Also, it felt a little sluggish. I don't have any error lights, so I don't think my scan tool will tell me much.

Has anyone heard of this before?

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Do you have enough oil in the crankcase? Vtec doesn't come on if oil pressure is too low. Another way to verify is to connect a meter to the vtec solenoid and determine the actual actuation point.

Dan Martin

Hmm, I'll check the oil, but I just changed it 2000km's ago. If it's low, then I've got bigger issues.

How would you meter the vtec solenoid?

curls

Yay, 300 whole rpm's of VTEC!

Kinda frightening Dan... keep us updated as to what comes of this. I hope its not a major problem, and hopefully just something to do with operating temperature, or at worst, a defective VTEC solenoid or something.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

The easiest way is to back probe the ECU connector B, pin #6 (VTS), Green/Yellow wire. It is the second connector from the left side. The first connector (A) is grey color. The second connector (B) is white color. The voltage is normally at 0 and switches to 12v when vtec solenoid energizes. You would access the ECU from the passenger side by removing one side panel on the console (one plastic fastener). Then remove the small vent tube (lift and out) to expose the ECU connectors.

Dan Martin

Thanks! The only tricky part will be trying to get the engine to switch while monitoring it. You can't rev past ~5K while in neutral, so somehow I'd need to be on the road while checking it out. I think I'll have to get a buddy to come for a ride with me...

JTso

iTrader: (2)

You can wire a LED to the pin instead of connecting a meter, and just route the LED to the dash area for monitoring.

Dan Martin

LOL! VTEC light for the win!


So I checked my oil this morning and it's looking fine. I tried the VTEC engagement again today and it only changed at 6800 once. The 4 other times I tried, it shifted fine at 6000.

Jeffrey Serota

sell it and get a new one..LOL

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Haha.. guess what? I did exactly that on my other car. When I was tuning with the Hondata programmable setup, I needed to disable vtec with the programming software to tune the fuel/ignition maps in low cam, then re-enable again to tune the maps in high cam. The LED was a good indication which mode I was in. Additional to that, it was also a poor man's sequential shift light as vtec always comes before the shift point.

dom

No, JTso for the win!

junktionfet

Out of curiosity, how did the engine feel at 6800 RPM on the normal lobes? Did it feel like it was running out of breath or was the power still sort-of ramping up?

Dan Martin

It felt pretty sluggish. It definitely wasn't as quick as normal.

On a side note, I haven't had the weird 6800rpm switch again in the last 2 days of driving.

I'm probably not going to worry about it unless it happens again and more consistently.

jlukja

Its the anti reflash.

Dan Martin

Worst. Reflash. Ever.

dom

:ibDanisdrivinganAltimatoo:

BTW - Saw an 07 3.5 SE the other day. Like it.

Dan Martin

Next up for me is a Mazdaspeed 3.


(but not right now...)

dom

Did you drive it?

Dan Martin

None of the dealers will let you drive it. You have to buy the car and they'll write in the contract that when you go to pick it up, if you're not satisfied with the car when you drive it, they'll give you a refund. It sucks, but that's what happens with these low production quantity cars. It's the same story at VW with their GTI's right now...

Oddly enough, you know how the speed 3 is only available in red right now? Well, next year, it's offered in any colour but red! They're dropping red from the lineup so you'll only be able to get it in blue, white, or black. Weird.

The dealers I've been to have already sold their allotment of speed 3's for 2006. The one we were at last night had one left and that's it until they can place their order for 2007. Even still, they only get 4 cars per dealer on average.

TinkySD

Guess who's back? (well sort of)

I still pop in and read time to time and after reading this I could have sworn the same thing happened to me last night; not at 6800rpms but definitely in the mid sixes.

I was getting on the freeway heading home from work and was stuck behind a slow poke. So I nailed the throttle, the rpms shot over 6000 rpms in 2nd and I expected some acceleration. Instead I was greated with lots of engine noise and the feeling that my car wasn't breathing to well. A full second or so after vtec kicked in which in a way was kind of cool - it felt like when you spin your wheels off the line and finally catchign giving you a nice rush of acceleration that slowly tapers off; I can only image it must be what old school vtec felt like!

It's the first time I can remember it happening and it may be because the car wasn't 100% warmed up yet, but it was quite an odd feeling.

dom

Who's the Newb?


Thats normal, you drive an AT.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

TinkySD

you used to be one of us... and if I remember correctly right before you traded in and took off your Injen noise-pipe/torque reducer you said you were doubting your decision....

jlukja

dom

That was before I took delivery of the MT.

And I took the Injen noise-pipe/torque reducer off my MT too.

So you still have the TSX eh? What happened to the IS?

TinkySD

I'm starting a new, higher paying job starting Jan 15. Finishing paying off the tsx and then making arrangements for european delivery on something new..... Gotta have a car to drive while the new one comes back to the states....


edit: Page 2 ownage! Ahhh it's been far too long.