P1259 : VTEC malfunction : HELPP

rajiv · 07-04-2009

Hi,

I have a Honda Civic 1.6 SE (2001). Today a orange light came on while driving (Check Engine). I was on motorway and drove about 17 miles (fairly slowly- about 40-50 mph) back home.

The AA checked and found that there was NO oil. He has put oil now and I have driven it abit without any problems. He has checked and there is no oil leakage and the engine noise is the same. The AA guy said that only time will tell if the engine has had a damege (" Can run 20 or 2000 miles")

I am not sure if I am supposed to be doing anything else. I would hope that if there was no oil then the Red Oil light should have come up.

Any suggestions on whether I should continue to drive or do something ?

Thanks

Rj

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gearbox · 07-04-2009

well there had to be oil in the car otherwise your engine would have been dead in a few seconds. maybe he meant it was not showing anything on the dipstick, which is about one quart low. if the oil light did not come on, you are probably fine. the vtec oil pressure switch is more sensitive and the engine light came on so that vtec becomes disabled, to prevent the engine from blowing up. if vtec engages with low oil, serious engine damage will occur. but i have a feeling your car will be fine.

gearbox · 07-04-2009

well there had to be oil in the car otherwise your engine would have been dead in a few seconds. maybe he meant it was not showing anything on the dipstick, which is about one quart low. if the oil light did not come on, you are probably fine. the vtec oil pressure switch is more sensitive and the engine light came on so that vtec becomes disabled, to prevent the engine from blowing up. if vtec engages with low oil, serious engine damage will occur. but i have a feeling your car will be fine.

rajiv · 07-04-2009

Thanks a lot for your answer !!

You are right, the oil did not show up in the dip-stick. And since there was no Red light... hopefully everything will be fine.

I am taking it to the garage for servicing though. Something I guess I should me more particular about.

Thanks

Rj

gearbox · 07-05-2009

just watch the oil level because it might be burning some or leaking. if you check every few weeks, you can add more before a problem happens.

lokixxcivicb0i · 08-31-2009

i have the same problem p1259 its the rear bank of the vtec. at least thats what it says. im not burnin oil or leakin oil which doesnt make sense cuz the oil is going somewhere. i cant find anyone that has fixed this problem before so far everyone just keeps puttin oil in. if i figure it out ill let you know.

01CivicEXs · 10-05-2009

Rajiv,
I just had the same exact issue, only the CEL code was different:
CEL code P1457 "Manufacturer Controlled Auxiliary Emmisions Control".

Knowing that I was a bit late on my oil change, I checked my dipstick and sure enough there was not a drop to be seen.
I added about a quart or so to bring the oil back to a safe level.
I did not reset the CEL because I wanted to see if it would go away by itself, which it did within a few days.

However, my issue now is that I believe VTEC is still disabled on my vehicle.
Does anyone know if there is any way to tell? Many years ago I installed a VTEC led (basically lights up when solenoid is engaged).
It no longer lights, and i'm curious to know if there is anything I can do to re-enable VTEC if in fact it is disabled.

Much appreciated!

gearbox · 10-05-2009

if any part of the vtec system is not working, you would get a check engine light. for 01-05 civic, vtec engages at 4500 rpm with full throttle and the engine warmed up with good oil pressure. so try that and see what happens. if cel comes on, theres still an issue. but i think youre fine.

DieMaster · 10-05-2009

this has happened to me sevral times. the light comes on and i think theres a problem. scan it at home it's the VTEC. check oil - none on the dipstick. put in 1 to 1.5 quarts reset light evreytings fine.

PaCiFiKbAllA · 10-06-2009

whenever we get this code thrown that means your oil levels are low and vtec will not engage because there is not enough oil pressure to engage it. i had it happen to me once..lost track of my oil changes...

if ur a diy'er, change your oil, then clean out the vtec solenoid screen and make sure the little button pushes in and out freely. after that, u shall never have to worry again.

clott · 10-07-2009

Same thing has happened to me. Had everything check no leaks. But the engine light is still on. Had code read again. Says vtec soli malfunction. Ive heard i need to take it off and clean it if that doesnt work just replace it.

gearbox · 10-07-2009

yeah if cleaning doesnt work, you gotta replace it.

clott · 10-09-2009

im a engine noob. is unbolting it difficult?

gearbox · 10-09-2009

well kinda. you need to prolly remove the stock intake box to reach the bolts.

there are 3 bolts on the side you can see they are halfway removed here (not the top bolts)

ssclayton10 · 10-09-2009

veryyyy simple check at least every three days to make sure you have oil in your car and it wont happen again i know someone that happened to who has the same year model as my civic. basically the older your engine gets the harder it has to work so keeping oil in your is essential especially if you have vtec because that shit eats up oil lol and yeah like that guy said vtec disingages when its low on oil. if that happens and the engine light doensnt come on for some odd reason then you should notice the loss of power.