We report a search for $B$ decays to selected final states with the $eta_c$ meson: $B^{pm}to K^{pm}eta_cpi^+pi^-$, $B^{pm}to K^{pm}eta_comega$, $B^{pm}to K^{pm}eta_ceta$ and $B^{pm}to K^{pm}eta_cpi^0$. The analysis is based on $772times 10^6$ $Bbar{B}$ pairs collected at the $Upsilon(4S)$ resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy $e^+e^-$ collider. We set 90% confidence level upper limits on the branching fractions of the studied $B$ decay modes, independent of intermediate resonances, in the range $(0.6-5.3)times 10^{-4}$. We also search for molecular-state candidates in the $D^0bar{D}^{*0}-bar{D}^0D^{*0}$, $D^0bar{D}^0+bar{D}^0D^0$ and $D^{*0}bar{D}^{*0}+bar{D}^{*0}D^{*0}$ combinations, neutral partners of the $Z(3900)^{pm}$ and $Z(4020)^{pm}$, and a poorly understood state $X(3915)$ as possible intermediate states in the decay chain, and set 90% confidence level upper limits on the product of branching fractions to the mentioned intermediate states and decay branching fractions of these states in the range $(0.6-6.9)times 10^{-5}$.