Help! CEL is on and EP is in "limp" mode.

[vboy127]

Hey guys, so it's been a pretty eventful couple of days with my EP. I'll start from the beginning:

Yesterday, I decided to wash my car for a local Honda meet. This included rinsing out the engine bay. Before I rinsed out the bay, I made sure to cover the filter on my SRI and my battery, just to be safe. I only used water to spray down the bay. After I was done washing, I started driving home and suddenly the CEL comes on and I instantly felt a drop in power. :mfrown: This is the first time that my car has ever gotten a CEL! I went to Autozone right away and had them pull up the codes.

The reading brought up with two codes:

P1259- VTEC system malfunction
Probable cause
-Open or short circuit condition
-VTEC solenoid valve fault
-VTEC pressure switch fault
-Blocked oil passage

and

P1298 ELD issue
Don't have more info on this because I don't have the paper with me. haha

So I wasn't sure what was wrong and why these codes were brought up, so I called a friend of mine who is a Honda mechanic. He suggested that I reset the ECU by disconnecting the battery for a several minutes and then reconnecting. I tried it last night and the light went away, I cruised around for a bit and it never came back up, so I thought I was safe... until today. While cruising on the freeway the light came back on and it went into "limp" mode again. The car would cut out and start to stutter at around 4k rpms. I went to Autozone again and had them bring up the codes once more. But this time only one code was brought up, The 1259 "VTEC malfunction" code.

I searched the forum and seems like some others have had the same code come up. A lot of people said it had to do with the low oil levels. However, I check my oil OFTEN (about every week) and I've always kept it right where it should be, between the lines. Even checked this morning and it's right where it should be.

I'm gonna call my mechanic friend again tomorrow and see what he can do. But do any of you guys have an idea of what could be wrong?? I've never gotten a CEL before, so it really bums me out. :mcry: Thanks for reading, any help or input would be appreciated!

[glarus]

With an intermittent issue like that you are likely chasing down an electrical problem. That rules out oil level problems.

I would check the connectors to the VTEC solenoid valve and VTEC oil pressure switch to make sure that there isn't any residual water affecting the connection. If the connections look good, try to find a multimeter. With one you can do more in-depth testing of the actual components to see if they have been shorted out and need to be replaced.

[Passenger]

For the ELD, do NOT replace the entire fusebox like I did.. I can't remember the exact details but something along the lines of the ELD is underneath the fusebox in the engine bay and like a complete idiot I listened to my complete idiot mechanic and lost $80-$100. Its a cheap fix if you do it the right way.

[talonXracer]

Check your OIL LEVEL again

Then if that is fine, check the connectors on the spool valve(vtec solenoid) and make sure they are dry and properly connected.

[vboy127]

With an intermittent issue like that you are likely chasing down an electrical problem. That rules out oil level problems.

I would check the connectors to the VTEC solenoid valve and VTEC oil pressure switch to make sure that there isn't any residual water affecting the connection. If the connections look good, try to find a multimeter. With one you can do more in-depth testing of the actual components to see if they have been shorted out and need to be replaced.

'glarus'

You were spot on with the diagnosis man. haha, I had my mechanic friend take a look at the connections to the VTEC pressure switch and its connections and sure enough, some water had made its way in. Apparently somehow the shield covering it was cracked, hence the water getting in! He replaced it out and now the CEL is gone. Hopefully for good *fingers crossed*

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I <3 ephatch. lol

[MBaG]

i don't know if it's just my car, but sometimes the dip stick can be inaccurate. one day it was well below the bottom dot, next day it's up and back to normal.