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By Pierce.lewis
#3862518
This is my first post so I apologise if I have posted in the incorrect location or posted incorrectly.

Around 2 months ago i purchased a 53 plate ep3 (106k miles), test drove and all went well, vtec kicked in, (didn't get chance to try higher gears).

After a couple of days I had chance to wind it up properly there is a problem.... I can feel vtec engaging at around 5.8k however immediately the power flattens off and struggles to get to 8k RPM, and the car fails to hit the limiter! Very occasionally Vtec will engage succesfully, but only the once and then its back to being flat power from 5.8k up, again then after covering roughly 5-10 miles I will be able to hit Vtec again.... once.....

Heres what I have already checked:

Checked oil (regularly and always fill to the top mark)
changed spark plugs (NKG iridium).
oil + oil filter were changed just before i bought it (proof with receipt).
Checked the sump for dents.
Cam chain kit replaced 13k ago by honda with receipts.
Only modification I can see is an aftermarket intake (Itg, £400 jobby), checked to be clean and clear, I also completely removed the intake filter and no change.
Replaced Vtec solenoid assembly on a whim (which I believe includes the oil pressure sender).
No dash lights at all (All light up on ignition and then go off).
Had the car plugged in and no codes were showing at all (while stationary and while driving).
While plugged in, the computed showed us that the Vtec solenoid and oil pressure switch were working correctly.
I unplugged the VTC coil (again on a whim) and the car would now rev freely all the way to the limiter all the time, downside being no Vtec at all now.
Replaced the VTC coil with a second hand one from a breakers yard and it was exactly as before... flat power past 5.8k and then cant get past 8k.
While driving along, I have pushed the clutch in and held the throttle flat, the car rev’s up to 8k and then pushed back down to 7k and sits there.
There is a noticeable amount of oil down the back side of the engine, the rocker cover gasket was replaced just before I bought it (with receipts) so I assumed it to be that, however when looking underneath the car there seems to be a decent amount of oil, although I park my car in the same place every day and there are no drips.

Looking forward to any suggestions, I'm starting to lose faith in this car! Many thanks in advance.
User avatar
By Pierce.lewis
#3862840
Thanks for the support...... for anyone who may be interested the issue is ongoing. Flushed the engine in the thought that the interlocking pins for vtec could be sticking and no luck. I noticed that I could hit vtec consistently between the point where the engine temperature is hot enough for vtec but not up to normal running temp. I have ordered a new temp sensor unit.
Last edited by Pierce.lewis on Mon Feb 13, 2017 8:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
By Stamford78
#3862842
Good luck getting it sorted. Vtec solenoid is the usual suspect so Interesting to see what it turns out to be.



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