Quote Originally Posted by 95_gs_R
i use royal purple 10-30. oil was changed about a month ago. its not a swap. before i could go 5 in 1st and no matter how little i was on the gas it would pop at 4500. when i really lay on it now i think i can hear it kick but i dont know. my car is straight pipe and gutted so all i hear is alot of noise. where would i be looking for the vss?
if you're running pretty much a straight header (and providing you're not tone deaf by now), you will definitely hear vtec x-over. If you're not popping any codes, your VSS is most likely fine bro -

- if it would engage at 4500 no matter what, try crossing over the 4500 mark slowly (above 40mph) at low throttle position. That way the exhaust will be [relatively] quiet, and you will be able to hear the tone of the engine change slightly if it is indeed operating correctly.

If you don't have ANY of the symptoms that everyone has mentioned so far, i would be willing to bet everything is fine, and you're just not hearing it.

-jonathan