Oil / VTEC Questions

[Micko]

Hey all,

Im just investigating an issue with vtec not engaging while im powering through corners, its fine on straights and i dont get any check engine lights... another thing is on one of the corners i was in vtec but my ecm seemed to have disengaged the vtec operation around 6500 rpm so im pointing my finger towards my oil...

On my oil level (rod) checker, there are only 2 little holes.. am i supposed to have my oil level up around the second hole? if not how do you tell lol?

i know this question will sound retarded but i ask becuase i went to a honda dealer not so long ago and told them that my oil level never shows on the checker rod thing and they came back and told me the levels are fine, and that confused the hell out of me..

i have also searched the forums, and other websites. until i get my solenoid off to check im still pointing my finger at the oil side of it.

anything else i should be looking at>?

[EG5[KRT]]

yeah man oil level @ second hole for sure !!!!

if ur cornering and no vtec oil pressure isnt enough so wont activate solenoid!

suggest u top up asap especially if it doesnt even show up.

[Micko]

yeah thanks matey also solenoid was clean
thats what i thought, second hole! :|
i'll go run out to the honder dealership to get some oil for it.
vteclev oil right?

I'll go test it out thanks for your help.

[EuroDude]

Grab some Honda FEO oil, a new Oil filter, and a new oil drain washer, and do an oil change ftw

Yeh u fill it to the upper hole

[Rasputin]

When you checked the oil, how long was it after the car had been turned off? You should wait 10-15 minutes so that the oil has all drained out of the engine and back into the oil pan.
Make sure you wipe the dipstick clean of oil, and then dip it in to check (since it gets oil on it during driving which will stuff the reading)

If you've had an oil change very recently, it may be difficult to see the oil because it won't be very black yet.

For people who get this problem even when oil is full:
You may be cornering extremely hard and your engine is being starved of oil
(again, not enough oil pressure = no vtec), look into getting your oil pan 'baffled' as this will help prevent it sloshing to one side on heavy cornering (for instance, anyone running on semi-slicks)

[TheSaint]

is it bad for the motor to rev high without engaging vtec?

my vtec doesnt enage unless i warm the motor 1st... but if i do push it even after a bit of warming and its still not engaging (sometimes all of a sudden it does at like 6500/7000 - makes for a nice kik lol) is it bad for it?

[aaronng]

is it bad for the motor to rev high without engaging vtec?

my vtec doesnt enage unless i warm the motor 1st... but if i do push it even after a bit of warming and its still not engaging (sometimes all of a sudden it does at like 6500/7000 - makes for a nice kik lol) is it bad for it?

If you push it above 5000rpm before the engine is warmed up with the temperature needle near the middle, then you are WEARING OUT your engine.

[Drew]

Not enough oil for sure...

What's happening is that when you are going around a corner the oil goes to one side of the sump and the pickup doesn't pick up enough oil; thus the oil pressure is lower than normal and not enough to engage VTEC but not low enough to warrant a warning light

Before I figured out that my EF8 was burning oil... Was sitting on the speed limiter around 180ish and all of a sudden the VTEC went mental started to kick in and out like crazy and 2 seconds later the CEL came on...

I never used to check the oil level in that car, I just changed it every other week or month depending how much use it got, but turns out thrashing around a track used a lot more oil than drag racing and street use did ^_^

The oil and metal takes a bit longer to warm up than the water which takes maybe one to two minutes...

Personally I don't engage VTEC for at least 10 minutes...

Used to have a 1983 Mazda Capella (626 Sedan) which in the last month of ownership I red lined it from the turn of the key, didn't take long for it to develop a mean knock; but thankfully the car was stolen before the engine blew up and crashed into a house not 200m down the road... Possibly the luckiest thing that ever happened to me; and I was able to claim the whole $800 from insurance ^_^

[Micko]

Thanks guys

the problem was that there was only 2 1/2 litres (around that, and yes thats way to low! shame on me!) in the engine and that i starved my solenoid of oil through out the corner.

i found that my engine was not leaking the oil at all,.. it was just burning it out the exhaust, not a terrible amount but it had been just up around the 5000km mark where the oil needed to be changed anyways.

i think regular checks every week will now happen! i was used to my d series just holding oil for ages ahaha
thanks once again for the help.