Searched the FAQ's, still have a dumb question

[drock59]

I want to know if my car has a Vtec. It is a 97 Civic Ex. From what i have read it seems that most EX have a Vtec but Im not sure if all of them do. Also, how do i know if i have DOHC or SOHC??? THanks.

[~ls/vtec~]

cx,dx, lx=no vtec SOHC
ex=vtec SOHC
99-00si=vtec DOHC
92-95si=vtec SOHC


sohc motors look like this
dohc motors look like this

[drock59]

hey thanks for the help. That clears things up a lot even though my car still runs like shit.

What are some signs and symptoms of a fuel filter needing to be replaced???? how about the plugs???

[~ls/vtec~]

how many miles are on the car? pull the plug if its nice, dry and gray then its good if its anything else then something sux

[drock59]

ok, so i took out one of the plugs and it was kind of a bronzish color. It didnt look caroded at all, but just looked a little brassy. is this bad good or indiferent???
Also, i took off the distributor cap and checked it out. When should you replace your cap??? There seemed to be very minimal carosion on the inside of the cap.
When do i know if i need to change the Fuel FIlter???
Thanks again

[E Honda]

If you dont know when the filter was changed last........Change it now. The plugs sound ok...

[drock59]

that is what i thought about the plugs, per the manual. As far as the fuel filter goes, it was supposed to be changed about 5K ago at the Dealership, but they have tried to screw me before, so i dont know if it actually got done. Not to mention that my car runs like shit.

how about the distributor cap???