The electrical connector for you wagon should be under the rear passengers seat. There is no service port in the trunk for replacing it. What we do at the shop is remove the spare tire and the carpet cover near the back the rear seat in the cargo area and cut the body of the car and make our own service port. We then fabricate a port cover and rtv and rivet it on when work is complete. Depending on where you live the bolts for the fuel tank straps may all but be impossible to remove, thus that is the approach we would take, but I don't know why you have to go in there anyway... Was the car running before the remote starter? If yes, remove the aftermarket crap thing and get back to driving. IMO.

 

As I said, there is no problem cranking the car. The fuel pump/sender harness is disconnected so I can do some visuals and continuity. I haven't posted the photos of the animal damage to this particular forum but if you saw it, you would know why I took the car down to bare metal. There were numerous open- and short-circuits that I had to fix already. I am getting to things like the clutch pedal switch next. I've already completely tested the ignition switch per the Honda Service manual - passes all tests in ACC, IG2, and Start so it's not that. There are two issue with the clutch pedal - one the switch, the other the little thing that pushes the switch, I will check those and either repair or bypass but I suspect that is not the problem. This afternoon, I will first check continuity to my starter solenoid since it's more fun to crank the engine from the ignition than via other means. If it's not there, I need to find out why. If it is there, I need to find out why voltage does not appear there, and if so, fix the problem. I'm not really in a rush to start the engine. I just want to fix all of the bad wires due to the animals's chewing. Even if I DO get the car started, I might have a faulty ECU advance/retard. I want everything working that helps the engine run right, then I'll worry about the engine.

 

Some info:
My car had over 50 lbs. of peanut and acorn and other nut shells in it from a huge animal infestation. The animals lived in every little hole inside the car for a long time. Gradually, the lights stopped working in the rear and the right-side front, but I now have all the lights working again.

The car eventually did NOT start. That's when I realized it was the animals.

I also thought of cutting an access port to the fuel pump area (as they now have in Hondas after some year like 1998 or 1999). Yes my access panel is to the sender, not on the side of the actual fuel pump so I would have to make my own access hole.

The car does not run because the fuel pump does not start when the key is turned to either IG2 or start. That is the main problem - I need to get voltage to the fuel pump (assuming that the fuel pump wiring is not bitten into which is not a good assumption considering how badly the wires are chewed just above where the fuel pump and sender are). But without voltage to the fuel pump, the car will not start or run. I could spray into the fuel injectors and test spark but I could not drive the car or run it to test the ECU and other things.

I unhooked the sender connector long ago. There are no seats or carpets or anything inside the car except wiring. It's much easier to work on and I had to get rid of all the leftover shells and smells anyway. I still have a little do in the dash area. I may have to open the access to the ECU to inspect it. Right now, I need a short break for a couple hours - my back is sore.

Later today or tomorrow, I'll get back to this. One good thing - each morning I have a huge amount of motivation and it seems to pay off - I got the starter cut relay connector off today. Most of my under-dash fuse box is also unhooked so I can check stuff. I don't want to hook up my battery at this time.

 

Just keep working through the wiring to figure out where it is damaged, then repair. Eventually you will get power to the fuel pump connector for about two seconds when you first turn the key to the II position, but do not try to start the car. Then you can verify if the pump primes the fuel system. I'd only worry about dropping the tank or cutting an access hole to the fuel pump if you don't hear the fuel pump turn on. I'd also add maybe a half gallon of gasoline to make sure you have fuel in the tank when you get to that point.

 

Hi PAHonda, thanks for keeping up with this. I am more or less on your wavelength about what to do - just keep repairing each harness/wire as I go along. So far so good.

Today, I have 3 issues, each more or less minor, but I will need a 2nd opinion on issue #3.

1) I need to take a bike-ride to feed at least some of the animals I normally feed by car - no big deal, less than 45 minutes to do that.

2) I need to fix the one bad spade lug that's on the starter relay connector - also not hard to do (and I will likely just put a new starter relay in). It's not even worth testing the old one at this point.

3) The gas tank. I would like to empty about 10 gallons of fuel from my tank - it has about 11 gallons in it (as you say, have a 1/2 gallon or so of fuel in there). In the old days (with 60's and 70's cars), I just took a garden hose and sucked on it or my Dad sucked on it and we siphoned gas for another car or whatever. But I just want to know the BEST way to siphon the tank of a newer car like my Honda into my containers. I would more or less like to buy a piece of tygon or similar material clear tubing but which does not come all coiled up - I think straightness is better. The siphon I have is the kind you push for about 2'4", then it stops, and since it's curled up, it never gets wet in the gas at all. I pull it out and there is no gas on it. It's too curled up, even if I spun it, it wouldn't reach properly as it's a bit too skinny. So I'm just asking, wouldn't it be better to insert a hose that's about a 1/2" thick and has never been all coiled up? Just my opinion, a good hose makes a difference. I realize that if I push too hard I could damage the fuel pump, but I think they normally miss the fuel pump, don't they? I just want to hold off on this issue for a day - I can work on the wiring in the meantime. So I'll wait until I'm confident that my draining method works. I don't want 11 gallons of fuel in the tank if possible. I realize that all might be fine when I finally get a good voltage on the fuel sender harness - I'm not totally scared about this.

 

I think there is a drain plug on the fuel tank.

Not sure what you are worried about. You would only need to drain the fuel to help when dropping the fuel tank. Gasoline creates such a rich air mixture, there is little risk of fire. Draining the fuel tank would be worse.

I suggested to make sure you have gas in the tank, because you want fuel running through the fuel pump to keep it cool and prevent damage.

 

Recommend not thinking about dropping the fuel tank until you have to! Take what you will for advice from someone who both works on Honda's for a living and also owns a LX wagon 5spd.

 

I have been working like a beaver (eh, so did the mice/rats unfortunately).

So I have now discovered why the starter was not getting it's power. There is a ground called G403 just above the right-side kick panel. Three wires were chewed through, 2 of which were ground. One other bluish wire with red stripe was also mangled and broke off when I touched it (probably heater fan related or something, probably not a big deal).

Anyway, I painstakingly pulled up push-mounts and harness after taking the bracket off behind the glove box. Easy to take that bracket off - just 2 10mm bolts and lift up a little. Then the radiator fan timer connector and one other and it's off. It was necessary to pull the push-mounts to make it easy to get at the 3rd wire, although I had the first two wires (grounds) reattached without as much struggle. It's really difficult working as the dash is in the way, but pulling the wires forwards helps and pretty much makes it much less difficult. So today I was able to resolve why C433 (starter relay) connector had to be grounded by me every time I ran a test to test the clutch-interlock/starter relay. This should not be - as the thin black wire on C433 should have been grounded to G403.

So now everything is grounded as I had also regrounded my noise condenser with a nice pigtail and fixed another wire on the left harness.

Only down-side is that when I pulled the connector C433 off, I accidentally broke a wire on it - the ground! So since I ordered a couple new connectors and a couple new relays, I will start with a fresh set of wires, connectors, and relays. I know most people would not do this - they would just patch up the old one as I have been doing all along. But I do a nice job of splicing and I'm not too worried. My problem is that I was unable to get the spade lug out of the connector to relug that one bad pin. I thought it would be a piece of cake - just fashion a tool from an old screwdriver on my bench grinder and voila, but not so easy - I never got the spade lug out. I realize I could still try some other trick to get it back on the existing relay but I need to get this thing done - that's probably the last problem. Heck, I did all these pulling connectors and stuff because I had no idea it was a bad ground. I just wanted to make sure that BAT even got to the under-dash fuse box at all. Thankfully, it does! And I did NOT have to pull the thick-wire 3P C404 (socket C913) which supplies the under-dash fuse box with power a 2nd time as it's a cumbersome connector for me, ultimately going out socket C906 to IGN SW connector C412.

So it shouldn't be long before I fire up the starter/fuel pump and start the engine. I forgot to show a pic of my repairs to the right front as I still have to put some electrical tape/hose tape in there and some push-mount connectors which have arrived from Hong Kong, and then put the 10mm bolt back on the ground strap G403.

Good to find a good explanation for the lack of starter solenoid voltage despite good continuity on that (BLK/GRN) to the starter solenoid connections C130, and then C109.

So pulling the connector made it easy for me to check continuity even though I could have looked for voltage - but the downside is I cremated the connector. When I hooked up the battery and voltage tested by supplying my own ground, the BAT voltage was present and likewise the clutch interlock works fine - voltage when clutch depressed, and also importantly, no voltage when not depressed (I've heard horror stories there). And I had pulled connector IGN SW C412 which goes into socket C906 on the under-dash fuse box and it showed BAT voltage. I did this by using a Radio Shack little jumper and I checked with a mirror that there was no chance of a short during the test. So there is nothing failing tests right now - I just need to get a starter relay wired up. I had already rigorously tested the IGN SW per the table in the service manual.

Now I have continuity between C433 black wire and the right kick panel ground strap which I will attach tomorrow once I install some new push-mounts and a little electrical tape/hose tape.

All in all a good day - most likely on the home-stretch.

As far as pulling the gas tank, or cutting an access hole, it might not be necessary. But one of my two straps would not be hard to loosen as it's brand new (I had run over a piece of galvanized fence and pulled the left-one off). I have a new right strap so if I had to take and iron or something to the bolt (instead of a torch) I could probably get that bolt off.

But as you (PAHonda/Turtlehead say) I might not need to worry about it.

PS I forgot to mention that I pulled the plate off of the ECM/PCM and no damage at all. I may learn how to backplane this some time so I I might take a more detailed look at voltages and such per the manual - may have to buy a tool or two, but no reason to worry at least not now. Lucky for me!

 

Today, I did all the jobs I said I would do, and one I said I would NOT do, but I changed my mind.

After I put hose tape around the bundles containing the 3 wires I had unbundled in order to fix the wires to get them rebundled again, I turned to the task of the starter relay.

Step 1) Take it off it's bracket. I simply felt with my hand and realized it was held on by a bolt - so I tried a 10mm ratchet and I got the bolt off and the relay and bolt dropped into my left-hand. So this will make Step 2) much easier.

Step 2) Fix the harness or dummy it up somehow.

After playing some with an old Del Sol harness/relay, I just decided to take an Xacto knife and wood chisel and get rid of the one bad spade lug (the ground), and I simply made up a new spade lug so I now have a spade lug and a 3/4 connector. It works great. I had wasted a little time with the Del Sol harness idea so I just didn't quite finish the job.

I then went through some checks of the clutch interlock with the battery hooked up, and I heard the relay(s) all clicking when I turned the ignition on. So I then rehooked up the starter solenoid after unhooking my Autozone remote starter that I had dummied things with for a few days. And voila - my starter cranks now. And it does NOT crank if I do NOT put the clutch in. I don't mind this. I would know how to dummy things up if I ever needed to anyway.

So tomorrow I should have the car running as tonight I am just cleaning all the tools and materials off the floor of the car so I can start reinstalling stuff - particularly a seat or two so I can sit on something when I drive.

I finished off the wires in the right-front with hose tape as I found it easier then my electrical tape to wind around the wire bundles but I forgot to post a pic of this as of yet. I guess they make heavier electrical tape but the job is done!

 

Today is my lucky day - I started buttoning harnesses back to the body today and final tapings, and then I hooked up the fuel pump and tightened the battery terminals after putting my center console back with my stereo.

Then I turned the key and heard a quite audible fuel pump turn on for a few, then off. Great, so I started the car. I ran the car twice, the 2nd time for about 15 or 20 minutes as it's wet from rain.

It took a while to start the car - wetness is all it is. I may have a cracked distributor or plug wires might have bad insulation or whatever. I can look into it.

I videod the car under the hood - it looks and sounds great.
Merry Xmas!