i have a 92 dx hatch with 700 000 km...yes 700 lol, it has a jdm B16 with about 10 K on it since complete rebuild. im having a couple of problems and i think they're all related. First of all the when i turn the ignition on the CEL does NOT turn off, and i cannot read any trouble codes when i jump the connector. my relay does click more then once, and my fuel pump does turn on. when the motor is cold it has a hard time starting but after about 2 or 3 tries the motor comes to life but barely. i have to feather the gas for almost a minute for the thing to act normal and to stop her from stalling. but after that it runs fine for the day. second problem, i do not have VTEC, i did until recently, but not since the CEL started staying on. i understand the VTEC needs a RPM signal which brings me to my third problem, almost a year ago my tach in the gauge cluster started jumping and eventually died, i didn't do anything about that till about a month ago when my car started acting up with distributor related problems. i put a brand new dizzy in and my car wouldn't start. so i found 1 out of 4 of the ecu grounds on the thermostat was broken so i repaired that and she fired up and my tach started working. but...i have a aftermarket tach and when hooked up to the blue tach wire under the hood it works for about 2 hours and then it dies. so i hooked it up to the negative terminal of the coil and it works for about 2 or 3 days and then it dies. so for some reason its not getting a rpm signal from the dizzy and it is hooked up properly. so i need some help is figuring this problem out. i really should just put my motor in another shell cause im sick and tired of keeping this one alive, but i dont have the cash for that.

TxGreaseMonkey

If the CEL stays on, when the ignition switch is turned to ON (Position II), the problem is with the ACG (ALT) (S) 15 amp fuse, in the under-dash fuse/relay box; ECM (perform the K-Test); Main Relay; or the Ignition Switch. Perform tests in that order. In your situation, I would perform the K-Test on the ECM, which may be intermittently failing. Have you ever replaced the ECM before?

The Blue wire from the Ignition Control Module goes to the tachometer. Personally, I would not attach it to the coil. Tachometers are notorious for shorting out distributors. Totally disconnect the tachometer and see if some of the problems go away.

On this site, our experience with new aftermarket distributors for Hondas has not been good at all. I only recommend genuine Honda distributor housings, for this reason. Apparently, the problem is with the internal sensors (CKP, TDC, and CYL) in the aftermarket distributors. Aftermarket ICMs and coils have been fine.

jbluecivic

i unhooked the tach, checked the ACG (s) fuse and it was good. my buddy is stopping by later with a volt meter and ill try the k test then. could the main relay be bad and the car still runs? i noticed today that when i was at pre ignition and the cel was lit up, my signal light was on and it was dimming the cel with every flash, but i have a good battery its only about a year old so thats not the issue. i really appreciate the help man

TxGreaseMonkey

The main relay can be "bad," depending upon what is wrong, and the engine can still run. Cold solder joints will only appear when either the car or the PCB gets hot.

The dimming CEL is suspicous--I would remove and fully charge the battery.

jbluecivic

whats a pcb?

TxGreaseMonkey

Printed Circuit Board (PCB)

jbluecivic

k, i tired the K test and i got a a little over 5 volts, my battery voltage was 13.01 volts. Im pretty sure its not the main relay, cause i can feel it click twice, im getting fuel and my motor does run. i doubt its the ecu again cause the motor does run. Im gonna take my ignition apart and check everything in there for ware. Im guessing its a short somewhere, i noticed last knight while driving my high beam light was slightly lit up when i was driving even though they weren't on, and my cel dims every time my signal light is on. so something is messed up there. hopefully ill figure it out, dam i hate wiring issues lol

jbluecivic

i fixed the dimming cel, it was a short in the wiring harness for the headlights. the cel still stays on when i turn the key to ignition, and i still dont have vtec. ive tried everything i can think of. i pulled out the ecu. checked the wires, connectors and pins, everything looks good. opened up the ecu and everything looked good also. tired the k test, checked the voltage for the oil pressure sensor, checked my ignition switch, took out my fuse panel and took it apart, no problem there, also inspected the wires and connectors. pulled out my gauge cluster and checked everything and it seems ok. one thing that seems odd is when i check the voltage from the blue tach wire i get a voltage reading that jumps up and down. it varies from 14-0.1 volts. is that normal? i got the same reading from the dizzy, and tach in my cluster. i wonder what would cause the hard starting in the morning? im not burning any collant so i doubt its a headgasket. im starting to hate this car lol

jbluecivic

i tried testing the main relay harness also, still nothing

jbluecivic

any new suggestions?