S_DosMil

so before in told search the forums I have read and read. I think mine is a little more oddball since I have had the head rebuilt and turboed the car.


Okay so quick backstory. I rebuilt the head myself the first time and believe I miss torqued the head bolts.( yikes)
the first tuning session we got to about 8 pulls all partial throttle and the gasket went. No biggy since no damage was done other than my pride.

I left the car at the shop which is very reputable in the Bay Area. Had them rebuild the head and went for another tune session. Well the partial tuning was going great. As we went to engage vtec the car would just sputter like at a rev limiter. Didn't matter if engagement was at 4k or 6k or anywhere in between. Stumped we instantly blamed the standalone and software.(which it did have a fueling issue) Received a new standalone which Fixed the fueling issue but not the vtec issue. We decided to disconnect the charge pipe put OEM injectors,map sensor and ecu back in. Drove the car around seemed fine went to go past my 6k point and hit a wall. Put an oil pressure gauge in the oil filter relocation adapter to make sure all was good. At idle it's around 30-35psi. Driving around it's 80-90psi. Running 5w-40 if that matters. Disconnect vtec solenoid completely(both connectors) went for another drive still nothing past 6k. The afr does seem to rich out around 10-10.8 at the 6k mark and backfires like a two step so I don't think it's a fuel issue.I had a spare solenoid not pressure sensor and still nothing. I'm getting pretty stumped. Could anything in the head rebuild have gone wrong?

edit: also forgot to mention no CEL. Idle to 6k car picks up great, afr is good, oil pressure good. Just checked all sensors. Everything is properly plugged in and tight. Thanks for any help

windhund116

VTEC wire mesh filter is clean? There is a test for the mechanical part of VTEC engagement. It requires a couple special tools. Maybe, the shop you take it to, has access to a set?

VTEC Rocker Arm Test 629

Chuck S

"Stand alone?" Meaning ECU? Will in run normally with the OEM box? Good way to rule out mechanical or electronic problem

-- Chuck

S_DosMil

i will look into that and setup an appt.

S_DosMil

no it will not. OEM ecu or aftermarket the car will not go past 6k.

S_DosMil

Will be running a oil pressure test at the vtec pressure switch to see if there are any discrepancies between there and the oil adapter. Just trying to keep this updated for anyone else who may have a future issue and finds all the threads I did with no result or solution.

windhund116

Thanks, for keeping us up-to-date on fixes. First thing I check is the built-in VTEC filter screen.

https://thes2kandtheant.com/tag/s2000-vtec-solenoid/

S_DosMil

thank you that is actually new. So it’s good. All the minor issues that normally cause the problems have been checked.

s2000maniac

You the head was rebuilt. What if one or more of the vtec pins have fallen out while the head was getting uninstalled/installed?

S_DosMil

i cant say it did or didn’t. This shop does these on a weekly basis so I’m trusting their work. We are taking all the steps we can before we crack open the valve cover and remove cams and such. I was not able to get a pressure reading as my gauge thread is not the same as the vtec pressure switch thread. Will be going to rent a pressure gauge tomorrow just to see what the pressure is at idle and slight load since the gauge has to stay under the hood while driving.