I have a 92 honda civic, it has 364, 000 km on it and in the last couple of months its starts became irratic. The car would not start with the engine light on. In the beginning I just hat to play with the key until it went off and the fuel pump went on. Now the car will not start at all. There is no spark in the plugs and the pump is not switching on. We have fixed the main relay, no effect. We have opened up the distributor and changed the cap, no effect. We have looked at the ICM and could not see any damage to it. Whenever we turn the engine over the tachometer does not move. We replaced the ECM and the car turned on once and then did not start again after that with the same symptoms.

We are out of suggestions and if I do not fix the problem really soon my dad is going to take the car to the tip, or sell it online.

Any suggestions?

We also are not getting any error code from the CEL and we turned on the igniton and put a multimeter to the contacts that went into the MAP sensor, on to the ground on the car and one to each contact, and there is no voltage from that sensor.

Since the CEL stays on, the problem is with the ACG (ALT) (S) fuse, in the under dash fuse/relay box; ECM; main relay; or the ignition switch. Perform tests in that order.

Ensure the main ECM ground, located on the thermostat housing, is cleaned. It should be an easy fix.

Your problem has everything to do with the CEL staying on and nothing to do with the ICM. Also, you can't really look at ICM and tell if anything is wrong. In fact, the most "sophisticated" tests for ICMs frequently can't either (e.g. Wells Machine).

Start by testing all under hood and under dash fuses with a test light or multimeter.

The ACG fuse is intact, I just checked it. The main relay works, it did not use to but we re-soldered the circuits and we can hear it click and have continuity between the contacts, the main ECM ground on the thermostat housing has been cleaned, and it has a new ground on it.

We are unsure as to how to check the ignition switch or the ECM.

. Check the ignition switch for wear, pitting, or melting:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-trucks/faq-how-troubleshoot-repair-maintain-hondas-selected-other-vehicles-46563-2.html#post224652

. Perform the K-Test on the ECM:

The K-Test: Remove the MAP Sensor connector and turn the ignition switch to ON (Position II). Using a multimeter, check for 5 volts going between the MAP Sensor connector's reference wire (+) and ground. As you look at the connector, this is the socket on the right. Really press the black test lead into a cleaned main ECM ground on the thermostat housing. If the voltage is low, it's probably indicating ECM failure. Most failed ECMs will record a fraction of a volt. To me, the K-Test is simple, elegant, and accurate.

My bet is that the ECM you installed is bad.

The voltage is jumping between 100 and 200mv on the map sensor connection. Is there any chance that there is a problem on the car that is damaging the ECM's? The reason why I am asking is because when we first installed that ECM this morning it seemed to solve all the problems we were having with the car. Then when we tried turning it on the second time all the problems started again.

We do no want to keep replacing the ECM's just to have them fry every time.

My dad doesn't want to buy another ECM because he has already invested a lot of money into the car, unless I can give him good reason why it might work.

Did the ECM come from salvage?

The K-Test is saying the ECM is virtually dead.

We got the ECM from a japanese auto shop in toronto, The person there told us that the ECM came out of a working vehicle and we could not return it after we bought it because the problem with our car may be what damaged it in the first place.

And the place did look like a chopshop warehouse

I think you got "hosed."

Get a good ECM and your car will fire right up. Try a reputable salvage yard, eBay, or buy a remanufactured ECM from a major auto parts store.

Make sure you ground yourself, prior to installing the ECM. You don't want a high static electricity charge to damage any microprocessors. Still, my bet is that you bought a bad ECM.

I bought a remanufactured ECM, with a lifetime warranty, for $250.

Where can I get a good ecm from that can be trusted to work?

I bought mine from O'Reilly Auto Parts. It was a Cardone A-1, with a lifetime warranty. It has worked flawlessly for over four years. Since I planned on keeping my car for years, I shopped price and warranty.