I think I remember the VTEC spool valve being on the back side of the head, not the front. It's in the space between the head & the intake manifold. Over towards the distributor end of the engine.

 

Yes, the vtec valve is on the back/firewall side of the head.

I was thinking of the 7th gen 4 cyl's that have a screen on the front side of the cyl head.....sorry, got my "years" mixed up.

 

The VTEC solenoid on this model is tricky to get off. If you don't want to remove the thermostat housing, then you'll need a 10 mm box end wrench to get to the bottom bolt. I've got a leaky VTEC solenoid and hope to tackle it this spring; I've got the leak contained with shop towels. Also, I've got my OEM gaskets ready to go. The top gasket on the solenoid cannot be purchased from Honda for this model, but I'm using one from an earlier model in hopes that it will work. My research has led me to believe that it will. Part # 36172-POA-005; it's not an exact fit, but I think it might work. If not, RTV might have to suffice.

 

Update 04/23/16

Finally got around to replacing the upper and lower VTEC solenoid gaskets on my 2000 Accord 4cyl; it's real tight in there. Instead of removing the thermostat housing, I removed the EGR valve to gain access to the top left bolt. You definitely need the 10 mm box end wrench, and you have to keep your free hand on the wrench head to keep it snug against the bolts or the wrench will slip. Once you break the bolts, you can slowly unscrew the bolts by hand; a socket will assist in speeding up the process. Also, the upper gasket did fit perfectly even though it was not spec'ed for the model year. Photos attached. Hope it helps.. Also, the part number (15825-POA-015) shown next to the upper solenoid gasket in the photo is for the filter gasket, not the upper gasket; it's Part # 36172-POA-005.