Long time lurker, minimal poster, but I have a sitch and need help!
Kid bought a 2002 Honda Civic EX w/ 1.7L (d17a2) engine at an auction (super cheap), and it is in limp mode. It's throwing a P1252, which is an unknown VTEC error. Added oil, didn't fix it. Reset ECU, same thing.
After picking up the gasket, we pulled the air intake+reso off, and got ready to pull the vtec solenoid off to clean it out and ... no vtec solenoid? WTF? After poking around, it was dangling by its wires way down in the bowels of the engine. How is that possible, I think, it should be spraying oil everywhere!?
Look at the head ... no vtec holes. Like, the holes where the oil comes out and returns are not present, just flat -- and instead of the resonator mounting to the solenoid, it mounts to these little black offsets (where the solenoid should be). W. T. F. Somehow, this car appears to have had it's EX/VTEC head replaced with a non-VTEC head. This of course is pissing off the ECU something mighty.
So the thing is drivable, but won't really go above 4K RPM. Is there a way to disable vtec and prevent limp mode? Can I short the oil pressure sensor switch terminals so that the ECU thinks everything is cool? I'm concerned that the ECU will dump extra gas/air without the additional valve timing, meaning it'll run poorly @ high rpms.
Your help is MUCH appreciated, as a head swap is not in the near future.
Thanks!
Randal
Kid bought a 2002 Honda Civic EX w/ 1.7L (d17a2) engine at an auction (super cheap), and it is in limp mode. It's throwing a P1252, which is an unknown VTEC error. Added oil, didn't fix it. Reset ECU, same thing.
After picking up the gasket, we pulled the air intake+reso off, and got ready to pull the vtec solenoid off to clean it out and ... no vtec solenoid? WTF? After poking around, it was dangling by its wires way down in the bowels of the engine. How is that possible, I think, it should be spraying oil everywhere!?
Look at the head ... no vtec holes. Like, the holes where the oil comes out and returns are not present, just flat -- and instead of the resonator mounting to the solenoid, it mounts to these little black offsets (where the solenoid should be). W. T. F. Somehow, this car appears to have had it's EX/VTEC head replaced with a non-VTEC head. This of course is pissing off the ECU something mighty.
So the thing is drivable, but won't really go above 4K RPM. Is there a way to disable vtec and prevent limp mode? Can I short the oil pressure sensor switch terminals so that the ECU thinks everything is cool? I'm concerned that the ECU will dump extra gas/air without the additional valve timing, meaning it'll run poorly @ high rpms.
Your help is MUCH appreciated, as a head swap is not in the near future.
Thanks!
Randal