Well guys, I am having two major problems right now. I have done tons of reading on forums and think I might have some idea what could be wrong but I need a little more help.

First off, here is what has been done to my car. I have an AUTOMATIC 93 Prelude. There was an SI motor in there (H23a). I just had a swap done to a JDM H22a but I still have the AUTOMATIC tranny in there. I have a P13 ECU in the car, which is the one for an H22a.

Now, my first problem is that Vtech isn't kicking in. The car revs to 6200 RPM and that's it. The P13 I have is an AT one but I didn't know they made P13s for autmatic trannys. Either way, 6200 RPM is what the autmatic ecu allows for an SI while the manual ecu revs up to 6800 I believe. With Vtech I should rev higher however.

The JDM H22a engine I purchased didn't come with a distributor so I used to distributor off of my H23 and just ran the wire for the Coil. I believe the JDM h22a normally has a coil-less distributor. Could using the distributor off of my H23a cause any issues? Also, no where do I have a knock sensor. I don't know if this is normal for the autmatic transmission or not? The wires for Vtech have been run to spec. I read that if the oil pressure is off or if the engine is throwing any codes then Vtech doesn't kick in but my CEL doesn't ever turn on so the ECU isn't throwing any codes.

Basically, if my engine is running in limp mode. How can I daignose the problem. Where would you start. What could be wrong in my setup. Does Vtech work even though I have an autmatic transmission?

Second, I had a hesitation problem and I read that it is common among the H22a motors. No one had really figured out what was causing it cause it is different for a lot of people. Basically what was happening is that when the engine was warm, I would be driving and it would randomly feel as if something grabbed ahold of my rear bumper and pulled me back for a second. Sometimes the RPMs would stick at 3100 for a bit until I gave the car a lot more gas. I read on one forum that one guy adjusted his timing by about 5 degrees and it helped him. I did that along with adjusting my TPS sensor a bit and the car runs better now however, when I reved it to max a couple times while driving the CEL came on and went off when I turned the car off and back on. Is it going to affect my car really badly to have the timing set slightly more aggressively? What is the stock timing setting for an H22a? I know for the H23 it was 15+-2.

Also, my car still revs up to 6200 only and wont go hight and I don't think Vtech is kicking in. Or it might kick in but only go for like 1000 RPM (from whatever it is activated at to 6200). Any ideas. I have been tackling these problems for a while and really need some help right now. Any input is GREATLY appreciated. Thanks guys!

 

Just noticed I spelled VTECH wrong the whole time. Sorry big post. I realize it's spelled Vtec

 

well it's not that bad
atleast you realized it
thats wuts important

could be a faulty or clogged injectors and/or bad FPR

 

Question for you.. When you try Vtec, is the engine warm or cold ? because when cold, Vtec does not engage. You have to let the engine warm up before attempting vtec..Other than that, as PikkaGTR said, it might be clogged injectors or prob needs a new fuel filter..HTH !

 

Well I have tried it both when the engine was cold and when the engine was hot. Either way nothing works. Now, I have received a couple replies to my froum post via email and some poeple noticed I said that the knock sensor wasn't connected because I thought I hadn't received one with my motor. They said the knock sensor not being connected causes the car to run in limp mode. I will be going to adjusting the timing back to 15+-2, the TPS to an accurate stock setting, and connecting the knock sensor in a day or two here.

Doing the above changes may fix all of my problems... I hope. I will get back to you guys if all is ok.

I have one question though. My car is an automatic and the shifter allows you to shift even when there is no key in the ingition or shift lock release. This was only allowed after the engine swap. An ideas guys? Thanks!

 

hmm it's hard to say.

your vtec is def not engaging, since 6500 is the fuel cut off in limp mode, and i think you are def. in limp mode. why? i'm not sure, but i'm gonna guess that it's an ECU issue. i'm not sure the p13 auto ECU will work with a h22. know anyone with a p13 manual ecu? even a P72?

also, do you have access to a CEL scanner? sometimes they CEL is throwing a code even if it's not lighting up, so that might give you some insight.

IIRC, the JDM dist. is an internal coil. I don't know anything about the h23 distributor.

 

the h23a1/h22a1 dissys are the same, the JDM h22a dissy is internal coil.
The car will not hit VTEC with no knock input, you can also blow your motor pretty easily with no knock sensor connected and by running below 91 octane fuel or advancing timing so be careful with that.

knock sensor is directly above the oil filter, just below the head gasket line under the intake manifold. Hook it up ASAP. Then see if you still have problems.

~kris

 

I am going to go ahead and take care of this first thing tomorrow. I hope all works out fine. I am still curious as to why there is no CEL light with the knock sensor not being connected. Kinda weirding me out.

 

I may be stupid, but could this be a vacuum leak issue?

If not please flame on.

 

its possible but when someone says they didnt hook up the knock sensor because someone told them they didnt need it...obviously that is a SERIOUS problem, not just because its the most retarded thing ive heard regarding a h22 knock sensor...but also because, as we speak, the sensor is STILL not connected.

i like to troubleshoot by checking the stupid things first...90% of the time thats the answer. In this case he admitted he didnt connect the knock lead, VTEC wont fire without knock input as i previously stated...and i agree with monkey the car is def in limp mode, im surprised there is no MIL though. I think there may be some serious issues with the wiring here.

For anyone who may be wondering...

vtec solenoid: Pin A4 (THIS IS THE 1 PIN PLUG)
vtec pressure switch: Pin D6 (THIS IS THE 2 PIN PLUG, GROUND OTHER PIN)
knock sensor: Pin D3
secondary intake solenoid: Pin A17

i suggest you check your wiring, and also post up your ECU serial so i can determine if its AT, 4ws, ABS, etc.


enough flameage for ya

~kris