Engine lights suck.. help please.

[ShagginJet]

Alright, so i'm not an idiot but i just can't figure this one out.

Driving at about 70-75 just crusig in 5th gear, it's an automatic, and the engine light comes on and the car runs like shit. I know it's normal to run like shit when the light is on so that's not getting me. It's why it comes on that's getting me. Also, crusing about 40-45 it'll come on too, each time the car is in 5th gear. I'm always aware of what gear it is in, even though it's an automatic. Yes i can tell the diff between 4th and 5th, so i'm sure.

I've looked up the error code off of the ecu, it's just one blink. I looked it up in the book and it says faulty ecu. so WTF. Took it to my mechanic and he looked at it, seems fine, nothing stored in the ECU's memory, so he's not sure.

Considering taking it to the ****ers at honda but they will want $65 bucks and i think that's LAME...

PLEASE HELP!!!

[94_AcCoRd_EX]

You say 5th gear, but I believe that the 89 Civics had a 4 speed automatic tranny. Am I wrong here?

[ShagginJet]

It has 5 gears. In 2, it has first and second, in D3 i have an extra, then in D4 i have an extra two. I know this cause about at 90 if i let up on the gas, it'll shift and drop the rpms about 800 rpms, hence another gear.

[ebpda9]

the tranny has only 4 gears but the torque converter for the 3rd and 4th can be locked or unlocked so the tranny will act up like a 6 gear. well if u don't get the blinks for CEL look at d4 maybe that thing flashes. mine did the same thing when my tq converter came unpluged

[ShagginJet]

No i for sure get a CEL and it's always one blink on the ECU... I was just reading blinks post, he had somethign similar and it was the timing. WHAT TO DO?

[blind34_1]

check the timing. I have a 90civic si hb, and I was having the same blink when my ecu came on. For me, one blink means 02 sensors. That made sense, because when you run a rich mixture for loing enough, crap gets built up on the snesors, thus the CEL. (maybe that was the post you were reading.)

You may also want to check the screw on your ignition rotor. take the ditrib cap off and make sure that screw is there. That was my initial problem.

[Greasemonkey75]

First off make sure that your Back up fuse under the hood is not blown, 7.5 amp. It shouldn't be as your clock would reset everytime you cycled the key. Then you need to check your O2 sensor curcuit to make sure that it is operating correctly. That is if you still have a 1 blink code.
That will be 65 dollars, unless you want this ***KER after you!!LOL:yes:

[untainted]

first off ... its a 4 speed tranny... secondly take the red terminal off your battery an leave it off for a while let it reset itself... happens alot... then do what u normally do an make the light come on if it doesnt it reset it good if it does goto that place an have the computer on it an see what it says that thing when u turn yer ignition on an off is bs.. get the real computer on it. and if it is a faulty ecu they are like 50 bucks from a junkyard

[ShagginJet]

Ended up being the O2 Sensor. A friend had an extra one and I swapped it out. Drove it for about 10 mins, no light. Going to take it for a drive tonight to see if i can get it to come on again...

The old O2 sensor had broken metal pieces in it... so I'm pretty sure that's what it was....

My question though is why did my book say one flash was a faulty ecu??

Lucky for me, blind was having a similar problem and that made me question the O2 sensor.

[ebpda9]

Originally posted by ShagginJet

My question though is why did my book say one flash was a faulty ecu??

what book are you using ? usually a faulty ecu will have the CEL off when in short or in diagnostic mode. it should be all solid if there are no codes. glad you fixed it.

[ShagginJet]

NM, My bad.. Can't read.

[tooslow91crx]

won't help you with pre-obd, but the auto-zone diagnostics suck. they only want to sell parts and they don't know what they're doing. there are some problems that will make your car run like shit and won't set a code at all, and other codes are actually caused by something that the code won't tell you. for example, a bad fuel pressure regulator won't set a code, but can cause the engine to run way rich or lean. if the 02 sensor outputs the high or low voltage from the bad mixture long enough, FRED (F-in Ridiculous Electronic Device, aka ECU) will assume the sensor is bad and set an O2 sensor code. auto-zone won't tell you that.