96 hatch b16a2 vtec not engaging

[r1paniccia]

hey guys im new to the boards and hondas as well. ive been poking around for a while and decided to buy a hatch. the car car is a 96 civic with a b16a2 swap running p72 ecu and gsr tranny.. there have been several problems with the swap which i have fixed. the one which i dont know where to begin is my v-tec is not engaging. any ideas? i bought the car with the swap done and i really dont have any local shops that deal with swaps so im pretty much in the dark here. looking for a little guidance and direction where to begin. maybe some articles or diagrams.. thanks in advance guys much appreciated.

 

[FLounder]

im betting that the check engine light is on.... get the codes and it will point you in the right direction. or let us know what the code(s) is and we can help more.

 

[r1paniccia]

im betting that the check engine light is on.... get the codes and it will point you in the right direction. or let us know what the code(s) is and we can help more.

yes it is on. ik one of the codes is p1279? if i remeber correctly v-tec malfunction. there are also a few others. i beleave one of them is bc there is no 2ndry o2 sensor. i will post back

 

[Dj211855]

what model is this?

 

[r1paniccia]

ek, or so it says on the trunk. please forgive me im totally new to the whole import thing.

 

[r1paniccia]

ok so iscanned it with my actron scanner. im throwing 2 codes. one is p0325 -Knock Sensor Circuit Malfunction,and the other is p0141-Technical DescriptionO2 Sensor Heater Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1, Sensor 2)any help is appreciated guys. thank you in advance

 

[Dj211855]

hx,dx,cx,ex.

hx and ex harness are identical w/vtec wires. The other model wouldn't have vtec wired IN. Maybe this is something you have to do.

On your code, if you go obd1 the ecu will not look for knock sensor plus secondary o2. If you wish to stay obd2, then wired them IN if they are not wired IN.

 

[r1paniccia]

after peeking around under the hood i noticed the knock sensor was not hooked up and the wiring to it was cut and taped away in the harness. shouldnt this be hooked up? ithe car is currently obd2. i plan on boosting it in the future and going to obd1. really looking to get v-tec working befor i go anyfurther with mods. what do you guys think? my oil is full and clean. the v-tec solenoid screen is clean.

 

[Dj211855]

Dude,,,,,this is something you have to ask yourself.

Is the F*****vtec wire YO!!! hook up.

 

[r1paniccia]

Dude,,,,,this is something you have to ask yourself.

Is the F*****vtec wire YO!!! hook up.

the vtec wire is hooked up. all wires are hooked up except for knock sensor. why dont you read my post. i aked if not having the knock sensor hooked up would affect my vtec

 

[E_SolSi]

if the ECU is looking for it

 

[r1paniccia]

if the ECU is looking for it

and a p72 ecu odb2 would look for it correct?

 

[E_SolSi]

yep

 

[Dj211855]

If the vtec you said its hook up then vtec should work. I'm not sure why you said vtec is not working. Hook up the o2 and knock sensor to stay obd2. Otherwise go obd1 if you don't want the hassle hooking up the secondary o2 and knock sensor.

 

[RHDism]

The Official "Why VTEC doesn't Engage" Thread - Honda-Tech

 

[r1paniccia]

*UPDATE* the V-TEC pressure switch was bad. i replaced the solenoid and new oem gasket. and walaaaaa i got v-tec again bwaaaaaaaaaahhhh! thanks for the help guys

 

[98EkSi]

Glad you got it working