With the shortage of Honda P28 VTEC ECUs, it is now even more cost effective to convert your non-VTEC p06 ECU to VTEC. Believe it or not, it’s not that hard. With the correct components, any P06, PR4 or P75 OBD1 ECU can be converted to be electronically equivalent to a P28.

Please note that your non-vtec ECU will need to be wired up first and a VTEC engine ROM chip added, as the VTEC components alone will not allow the ECU to work properly with a VTEC engine without the correct program.

First things first, there are three different board versions for OBD1 civic/integra ECUs. Each board version uses unique components to control the operation of VTEC. The three plate versions are ’11F0′, ‘1720’ and ‘1980’. Open the ECU cover and in the upper right hand corner of the ECU board in white letters you will see an identification code similar to something like ‘2D01980-1902’. This board is classified as a ‘1980’ board version as it is in the middle of the code.

Once you have identified your board version, you will need to obtain the correct VTEC conversion parts for your specific ECU. Be careful when purchasing the VTEC conversion kit as not all are created equal. Be sure to select a kit that uses quality components, as using substandard components will cause your check engine lights to come on occasionally for a faulty VTEC system, or worse, could fry and damage your ECU .

If you don’t have a quality soldering iron and desoldering braid or desoldering gun, now is the time to pick them up. You also don’t have to buy a thousand dollar setup. A simple setup from Radio Shack for $20-30 will do the trick. Be sure to use enough soldering flux when desoldering, as well as when soldering new VTEC conversion components.