my 92 honda civic 1.5vtec sohc has bad third gear

I recently did engine swap myself, and the engine has 63k with what
looked to be a new gearbox i have upgraded a few external parts such as
iridium spark plugs and nice set of leads that comform to these plugs,
stainless header not as yet changed cat or back box but will do soon...
my question is the car is very responsive in 1st and 2nd....but 3rd is
lagging and im new to honda but am under the impression 3rd gear is one
of thee best gears, even up after 5and half rev (in the vtec) 3rd gear
is lagging... its as if the vtec isnt working but yet i can hear the
cam opening up. im hoping its minor problem, but have looked at every
angle dont think its a bad clutch maybe iv over looked something, if
someone could help would be much appreciated!!!

oh and could a new external uprated coil improve any preformace??

 

Sounds to me like you have a classic case of the wrong gearing for the new
engine. Gear ratios, final drive ratios and tire diameter are all factors in
setting up an engine torque and power curve. What did this transmission come
out of? Was it one that went with the vtec engine? If you have smaller or
larger wheels than the donor vehicle, 3rd gear may be lugging the engine.
Does it eventually start to work better at higher rpm in 3rd?

Do you have the right ECU for the engine? Is the timing correct?

SD