Help! 98 Accord "lurching" right at 4000 RPMs

Hi all, I started having a bit of a problem with my 98 Accord LX sedan, 4 cyl 5 spd manual this evening. Driving back from Christmas with the family, I had the cruise set to 75 mph. I hit the gas a bit to get around a slower truck, and when I did I noticed a very slight "surge" in the acceleration, sort of like I was repeatedly pushing the gas pedal a bit and then backing off- it was not enough to be scary but it certainly was noticeable. Later, I had to take an interstate that goes over some hilly terrain. As I was climbing one of the steeper hills it did it again without hitting the gas, just set on cruise. Again fairly slight but noticeable. However when it did it this time, the check engine light came on and stayed.
No other problems until I got back to my town. When I took off from the stop at the off ramp, as SOON as I hit exactly 4000 RPMs the car lurched badly. I immediately shifted to 2nd, which obviously lowered the engine speed, but then when the tach hit 4000 RPMs again it lurched again. Shifted to 3rd- same thing. It refused to go past that point- almost felt like there was a governor on there right at 4000 RPMs. I went ahead and tested it in 4th gear also out on the highway where I live (had to get the car up to about 80mph) and yep did it again right at that point.

So my questions are:
a) what is causing this and could I fix it myself? (my first thought is a VTEC malfunction since 4k RPMs is right where VTEC is supposed to kick in)

b) are the slight surging and the lurching at 4k RPMs related or are they separate problems?

Thanks in advance for any info/ advice/ suggestions.

Did you see what the cel was for?

Jordan_H said:

Did you see what the cel was for?

Click to expand...

Just checked it using the paper clip method, and it gives two long flashes followed by two short flashes. So- code 22- which according to this:

http://www.6thgenaccord.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19

Does indeed mean a VTEC malfunction. Damn.

Car is indeed in limp mode. Check your oil level. Fill. Clear ECU. Test drive. Hopefully you'll be in good shape. Most commonly, this will be due to low oil pressure. Otherwise, we can diagnose further.

"22 VTEC Oil Pressure Switch defective circuit or unplugged / defective oil pressure switch
* invalid code for non-VTEC engine"

start with oil check:

dirty? change it
been a while? change it
low? wtf... change it.

nice, full, and 1/2way old? change it.


THEN...

Pull VTEC valve, look for dirt/damage/visual malfunctions. If 'odd', replace it. We can get into tests if you still have a code.

my auto was doing this, but for me it was my transmission. My car wouldn't go into 3rd instead it would down shift to 1st and it was pretty bad if I think if I would not wear a seat belt I would definitely hit my face on the steering wheel

Thanks guys- just checked the oil level and it is WAY low- barely registered on the dipstick.
I have had a problem with oil consumption in this car since I bought it last June. There is nothing obvious- no signs of leakage around the block and no oil drips/ puddles on the garage floor.
I did my first oil change on the car myself not too long after I bought it, and thought maybe I hadn't tightened the filter well enough. So the last couple changes I had the dealership do it- last one was in October. I have mentioned the oil loss to them, but their full service point check shows nothing out of the ordinary. But there is definitely excessive consumption-- Hell the windshield sticker says my next scheduled change is not for another 1000 miles. Yet I am registering almost nothing on the dipstick now. Wish I could figure it out.
Anyway I'll change the oil again, and check the VTEC valve as well. Thanks for everyone's advice.

P.S. The only oil I have in the garage at the moment is some 15W-40 Schaeffers that I use in my VW bug. Would this be a huge no-no to use in the car just to drive today, until I can get to the store for some regular 5W-30?

Neighbor let me borrow some 5W-30 oil, filled it back up then pulled the VTEC valve and cleaned it up a bit (didn't look too bad though.)
Reset the ECU, took it for a spin and everything seems to be functioning normally. Thanks for everyone's help!
Now to see if I can track down that oil leak... !

Yeah, well, 15w40 shouldn't hurt, I use 10w40.

Imo, the 'new' 0w20 crapis a joke!

If you leave no spots, it might be burning,

I've got a '99 5 speed as well and it's been chugging oil almost since new. Previous owner let the oil go down pretty low a few times which is when the real damage can happen. Machine shop I've talked to for overhaul says it's common in our cars for the piston rings to only seal up better once they're nice and warm. So you might get a bit of smoke out of the tail on a cold start but then it's fine. Honda never takes responsibility for this issue, and it's supposedly still happening in newer cars.