VTEC in 1st or 2nd in 5th Gen

A question for Tech Pros or Experienced VTECer's.....

When I take off...and I VTEC in 2nd...It feels like sometimes it doesn't want to open up and VTEC?? I can FEEL the SURGE in 3rd gear...but sometimes it seems as My Lude doesn't open up in 2nd??? :mad:

My question is?? Are 5th gen supposed to VTEC and open up in every gear....it seems like my car is lagging and won't open up until 3rd and by that time...I can be a half of car behind????

It also seems that sometimes it won't open up...until I've been driving for @ least 4 minutes or so.....if I just start my car.....get on the street and it feels like it doesn't want to open up??? Does anyone have any usefull input on when to exactly let it VTEC and if they have ever experienced the same???

Thanks for any help,

WhiteIce

vtec uses oil pressure to activate the 3rd cam lobe. you need to properly warm the car up before vtec will work. when you hit 5200 rpms with a cold engine the sound of the engine will change but you wont have any hp increase.

as far as not hitting vtec in first pr second... make sure you have the proper amount of oil in the engine because if your running low it will affect when and if vtec engages. thats all i can think of.. i'm sure you'll hear some other opinions

Hey...95.... THANK YOU!!!!!!:D


I did NOT KNOW that...Good info to know.... I was getting discouraged....cause my friends rental Mazda was hanging with me!!! He also has a Lexus ES300 and it too was beating me for a bit....you see we get off work and he trys to mess with me right away......

So am I like SCREWING up my Engine...cause I am VTECing it and not letting it warm up!!!!????

Thanks,
WhiteIce

Please everyone else...let me hear your input.....

if you dont let your car warm up at all, i wouldnt put it over 3,500 rpms

Pulling hard on a motor that is not properly warmed up is definitely NOT a good idea. No matter what other people want to do-you need to care for this thing. I priced a short block and you don't even want to go there let alone a head. As to the oil-that is correct-it is oil pressure that causes the vtec to engage and the computer knows if the engine is warm enough to open the solenoids. Another thing-I have noticed and my dealer has confirmed that throttle position is a key to when vtec engages (at leat in my case).
Take it easy until the temp gauge is up to normal and also keep an eye on oil level and you will be fine.:flash:

Ditto, ditto, ditto.

VTEC or not - no engine should ever be pushed into higher rpms when it is cold. Clearances are too tight (the warmed metal has to expand) and the oil flow is too slow (still too viscous).

At the very least, wait until the coolant temp gauge is up to it's typical maximum before venturing beyond 4k or so - you'll greatly increase your engine's life.

Speaking of... When you first start up a cold engine, it's not necessary to let it idle all the way up to temperature (that's just a waste of gas). But, you should try to wait maybe 10-15 seconds after startup with the engine running at no load before you put it in gear. When you first start up, there is little oil on the cylinder walls so you want to give it a moment to get the oil pressure and distribution up. And, probably more importantly, the condensed water vapor inside the engine mixes with the new exhaust gasses to produce some fairly harsh acids. With no load and low RPM, they'll just happily go out the exhaust pipe; but if you load the engine by driving, those acids can blow past the rings into the oil. It's only a tiny bit, but over thousands of starts, it can make a huge difference. So try to give it 10-15 seconds at each start to clear out the water.
:cool:

Thanks everyone......for the informative info....you just saved the lifespan of my engine in my SH!!!!:D


Thanks,
WhiteIce