1st gear "governer"

[Daddydidntbuyit]

Okay, maybe this is common or something serious is really going on but,...

I always make a habit of warming my car up a little before I drive it, I never let myself be in a big enough hurry to drive my car cold...

Without fail, once a week I will be accelerating in 1st gear and i'll hit 5 or 6 grand and the only way I can describe the jolt is... a governer with a punch?

The car jerks and wont go over that rpm and i have to shift to 2nd in order to continue..

It only happens once during the drive, and wont happen again for another week or so. I try to replicate the issue immediately after and it wont happen, and there never seems to be an underlying variable.

Anyone know what's up?

[Miles69]

The engine must be warmed up before it will go into VTEC or it will do that. on my AP2 I have to have at least 3 bars before it will VTEC.

[JonBoy]

The car will not allow you to engage VTEC or rev that high until the car is suitably warmed up (three bars on the temperature indicator).

[smac2K]

3 Bars...:lol:

It's quite frightening the first time...and the second time...and everytime after that :rofl:

[Miles69]

[quote=smac2K;480453]3 Bars...:lol:

I never thought about it that way but VTEC is easier after a few bars..:martini2:

[Daddydidntbuyit]

It's usually fully warme dup when it does it though, that's what has me baffled.
It'll hit vtec in every other gear at the same temp..

Scared the living daylights out of me the first time it happened, I thought I killed the car.

[Coop]

moved this, maybe Dave can explain it

[mlc]

There are a couple of things that will keep the car from going into VTEC or hitting the "low" RPM limiter.

First like was said the car needs to be warmed up. Three bars on an AP1.

Second is oil pressure. Check your oil regularly, like at least once a week until you see how much oil it burns. Some AP1's dont burn much other's more. It also depends on how much time you VTEC the car. A good rule of thumb is to check it often.

I usually dont VTEC the car for at least 10 to 15 minutes. This way the engine is good and warm and the transmission also has had time to warm up.

I am sure Dave will chime in with more info.

Kevin

[Daddydidntbuyit]

Im glad it seems to be something set by honda that is causing it. I'll make sure the car is fully warmed up before I go above 4 grand and see if I have the issue again. I'm big about warming it up though, it usually idles 10 minutes when it's warm and 15-20 when it's cold just to make sure i'm not damaging the engine...

[kgf3076]

I'm big about warming it up though, it usually idles 10 minutes when it's warm and 15-20 when it's cold just to make sure i'm not damaging the engine...Don't do that either. Usually about 5 minutes at most and then driving gently until the car hits the magic 3 bars is enough (for any car, not just the 2Sk). Over idling doesn't accomplish anything but burn more gasoline.

[Geo02s2k]

Don't do that either. Usually about 5 minutes at most and then driving gently until the car hits the magic 3 bars is enough (for any car, not just the 2Sk). Over idling doesn't accomplish anything but burn more gasoline.

:agree: Modern cars don't need to be warmed up like this. In really cold weather, maybe let it idle for a minute, but the rest of the time you should just drive gently until it becomes fully warmed up.

[Daddydidntbuyit]

Alright. Thanks for the advice guys!

[repiv]

Idling to warm up is not required nor is it a good idea. As soon as the idle stabilizes from it's
high cold idle, just start driving it gently. Idling does not warm up the fluid in the differential and if you are idling with the clutch disengaged, you are not warming up the transmission, either. Depending on the ambient temps, this can take a minute or two. However, before you can advance into "VTEC" (ordinarily above ~6000 rpm), the coolant temp must be up to the required temperature. This is a built in safeguard. If you are absolutely sure that the engine has reached this temp ("3 bars" on the temp guage on an AP1) and it still won't go over 6000 rpm, something else is going on. Additionally, you must make a distinction between going over 6000 rpm and engaging VTEC (secondary cam profile). Going past 6000 rpm is coolant temp related, while being able to engage VTEC is related to oil pressure and the electronic activation of a solenoid. Finally, you may engage VTEC and not feel it if you are not also using heavy throttle.