Vtec kicks in - Rev cuts out

[KruZzN]

Hey guys just wondering if you know what the issue with my car is??

I basically get up to 6000rpm vtec kicks in along there somewhere there and then the car cuts out between 7000 - 8000rpm! just cuts out asif it has just died! instead of going to redline and whining it gets up to 7-8k and just cuts out and throws me into the steering wheel and the revs go back down to 6ish before it goes up and does the same thing! is there anything that would be restricting it? Also idols pretty low asif its gonna stall when i stop at lights or something, but that has gone away since i replaced the battery!

THanks in advance y0!

[winkyc]

is the car actually warm - 3 bars?
if you rip it when its cold it will cut it off.

[KruZzN]

Yeah i had a feeling that was the issue so i let get to 3 bars first (I swear its never on 3 bars, but thats probably coz im in canberra hahah so f@#$^*@#^(#$king cold!!) I have to let it sit there idolling for ages before it goes 3 bars because if i drive it never gets to 3 bars ever.

[ECU-MAN]

dont rev it hard when the engine is cold

[KruZzN]

dont rev it hard when the engine is cold

nah i dont lol, i dont usually even give it a flogging but the other day i was just curious and then it just rev cut me lol

i was on 3 bars on the temp metre too. just dont get it :(

[vyets]

oil starvation check how much oil u have left

[ECU-MAN]

3 bars doesnt always mean your engine is at normal operating temperature.

it will take a good 15 min of normal driving for the engine to reach normal operating temp in normal conditions.


so as long you have been driving for a while on 3 bars then it should go happily into VTEC, however if you just got into the 3 bars then probably not.

[KruZzN]

Yeah its 2 week old oil, at the right level too from the looks of it! and yeah i drive for ages before i actually try vtec lol takes like an hour for my car to get to 3 bars though!

oh wells.. i'll have another look into it later abit tazed now :P

thanks guys!

[JasonGilholme]

if your car is taking ages to warm up then check your thermo stat. it could be stuck open.

Also, engine wear is most dangerous with cold OIL. When you water temperature rises it will take roughly twice as long for your oil temp to get to that level.

[F20C]

mine cuts out before vtec, isnt it ment to when its cold to protect your engine? as its not engaging in vtec? and its not doing harm reving to anything below that anyway?

[ECU-MAN]

Yeah its 2 week old oil, at the right level too from the looks of it! and yeah i drive for ages before i actually try vtec lol takes like an hour for my car to get to 3 bars though!

oh wells.. i'll have another look into it later abit tazed now :P

thanks guys!

your on the right track, so VTEC should enable in those conditions

2 test you should do. the 1st one is a globe connected to the solenoid. so you can ensure the VTEC solenoid is being powered

then connect an oil pressure guage, monitor both while someone else is driving.

you want to see what the oil pressure does when the solenoid is energised.

[CRXer]

what if u just manually powered the solenoid john & did a quick oil pressure check at high rpm in the driveway,would that work?

[JAP-S2K]

You build maximum oil pressure by about 3 grand. No need to rev it high. Sounds like a thermostat, either stuck open or it's got an aftermarket thermostat that opens at like 73deg. I fitted one of these to mine, and under normal cruising condition's late on a cold night water temps get as low as 65deg and it goes from three bars to two. The cold start has kicked in once. Seeing you live in canberra, there's a good chance that's it. Mine didn't make it to vtec though, it cut out as per normal when it's cold.

Do you have a CAI?

[KruZzN]

You build maximum oil pressure by about 3 grand. No need to rev it high. Sounds like a thermostat, either stuck open or it's got an aftermarket thermostat that opens at like 73deg. I fitted one of these to mine, and under normal cruising condition's late on a cold night water temps get as low as 65deg and it goes from three bars to two. The cold start has kicked in once. Seeing you live in canberra, there's a good chance that's it. Mine didn't make it to vtec though, it cut out as per normal when it's cold.

Do you have a CAI?

yeah when its on 3 bars, doesn't last too long, (IF) get its to the point where its 3 bars about 2 mins later it drops back down to 2 bars or even 1 lol only drops to 1 on the really really stupid canberra cold nights!

I have a k&n pod as far as im aware..?

i'll check everything you all said tomorrow when it gets abit warmer lol

[aaronng]

Yeah i had a feeling that was the issue so i let get to 3 bars first (I swear its never on 3 bars, but thats probably coz im in canberra hahah so f@#$^*@#^(#$king cold!!) I have to let it sit there idolling for ages before it goes 3 bars because if i drive it never gets to 3 bars ever.
Replace your thermostat. It has failed.

[eriktufa]

Even at 0 degree the temp gauge SHOULDN'T drop below 3 bars after it warms up.

2 of you have faulty thermostat by the look of it. I have aftermarket thermostat and it doesn't do that.

[JAP-S2K]

I was thinking mine could be faulty, however it's only about 2 months old. Mine did take a fair bit of HWY driving but only doing 80 or so, till it fell back to 2 bars. It's a J's Racing item and it hits three bars and just opens. I think at around 68 deg mine gets to three bars.

[aaronng]

I was thinking mine could be faulty, however it's only about 2 months old. Mine did take a fair bit of HWY driving but only doing 80 or so, till it fell back to 2 bars. It's a J's Racing item and it hits three bars and just opens. I think at around 68 deg mine gets to three bars.

A J's Racing thermostat opens at lower temperatures, so the temperature will be lower. It will take some driving before it comes down. A failed thermostat will have the temperature drop after just a little bit of driving. The OEM thermostat should open at about 90 ºC.

[JasonGilholme]

for street driving you want a descent coolant temperature. it does have an affect on fuel economy.

If you're not racing, don't use a racing cooling system. its not designed for street use.

[WhiteAP1]

Replace your thermostat. It has failed.

What he said :thumbsup:

[ECU-MAN]

what if u just manually powered the solenoid john & did a quick oil pressure check at high rpm in the driveway,would that work?

Iv done that before and it works, as long as you disconect the VTEC sol fist and dont drive it real hard. ( wrong maps for the hi cam profile )

[KruZzN]

okies will do! replace the thingy it is lol.

[KruZzN]

one more thing lol, how much do they go for and whats best option to take? (OEM, aftermarket, brand... etc)

CHEERS!!

[WhiteAP1]

Mugen thermostats go for about 25-30 bucks and they help keep your car cooler than oem.

[CRXer]

Mugen thermostats go for about 25-30 bucks and they help keep your car cooler than oem.
which is another great reason to buy OEM.......

if your coolants not running in proper operating temp range,it will play havoc with your part throttle fueling.

theres no performance benefit to a cooler engine & 2 different thermostats that are both fully open by 90deg anyway, is never gonna make any difference to your car overheating.

[tamay_s2k]

yea i had the same issue. when the engine is cold and u try pushing it..it wont click over 6k rpm
i fink its a safety feature on the s2000s so the engine doesnt push and detonate itself before it is at optimum heat. The oil is 2 cold 2 lubricate the engine properly and when the car is forcing itself to such high revs, aswell as vtec, this can damage the motor quite badly.
i jus got my s2k 2 weeks ago and wen this happened 2 me..i shit myself thinking d engine was fukd. boy was i glad onc i relised my engine was 2 cold.

[WhiteAP1]

which is another great reason to buy OEM.......

if your coolants not running in proper operating temp range,it will play havoc with your part throttle fueling.

theres no performance benefit to a cooler engine & 2 different thermostats that are both fully open by 90deg anyway, is never gonna make any difference to your car overheating.

Fitted with a mugen fan switch and radiator cap you can really combat the summer heat and avoid that ever annoying heatsoak and bogdown that many s2000 owners have experienced and hate. With this little trio during the heatwave last summer, the car actually moved when I put my foot down.

Each to their own

[vtecit]

Check your oil, if you are low on oil that could be the case. I used to own a honda prelude and whenever oil was low vtec never worked.

[KruZzN]

Check your oil, if you are low on oil that could be the case. I used to own a honda prelude and whenever oil was low vtec never worked.

first post somewhere i said my oil is all g :) thanks anyway, replaced thermostat problem rectified y0!