I was driving my 94 Accord EX last night and noticed the check engine light came on and the car lost power and died...

If I tried to start the car AFTER turning the ignition to OFF the check engine light would go out and then when going to the start position the car would start briefly with the TACH going up but then die with the check engine light coming on again. Now if I move to the start position (without going to OFF) the engine would crank with no tach indication and no firing at all.

Called a tow truck and 45 minutes later when he came the car started fine and I was able to drive to the garage. They so far have replaced the "three speed sensor" (maybe main FI relay?) which didn't solve the problem......and installed a brand new distributor which also did not solve the problem. They thought they fixed it but once I tried to start it - it just died again (after paying $543)!

The code that came up was #15 which they say isn't very helpful.

What should be done next? I am thinking the ignition switch and then perhaps the main ECU???

Any help would be appreciated!

Thank you ,

Michael

 

When they replaced the distributor, did the replace the ignition control module (aka igniter)?

 

It was a new distributor with all new components and carried a 1 yr warranty from what he said. I asked him why he didn't replace coil or ignition control mod first and he said it was the way it came and the best way to go. Said you couldn't replace the sensor parts. Now he has to remove it and put the original back in.

Someone in the shop took the car on a 40 -50 mile ride with no problems before I picked it up. Said it was also idling for 1.5 hours.

Waiting to hear what they do next!

Michael

 

The ignition switch can be tested when the car stalls by checking for voltage to the blk/yel wire going to the distributor when the car stalls out while leaving the key in the II position. Can you get the engine to stall out by shaking the key while the engine is running?

There is a ground on the driver's side of the intake manifold that you may want to unbolt, clean the bolt and eyelet with a wire brush or sand paper, then reattach. That is the main ground for the engine computer. See G101 in the picture below.

 

Got a call from the shop today and it is not good. They say they contacted a help line from Honda and was told "some cars just cannot be fixed"! They (the shop) suggested I might want to try another main computer from a junk yard and I can get one for $85 and the guy said it is functionally tested.

If I had a job I would just go out and buy a new car but right now I am unemployed

Going to look at the computer PCB and see if I can see any cold solder joints....wish me luck!

Michael

 

Your shop is lying to you. Fire your repair shop and find one that has lots of experience with Hondas. If you want to DIY the problem first you'll have to determine if the problem is spark or fuel related. It's not rocket science and there's plenty of experience on this forum to help you if you go that route. You can download a factory service manual in the sticky at the top of this forum. That and a $5 Harbor Freight multimeter will probably locate the problem.

The ECU components are almost all very fine pitched surface mount components, probably several hundred of them, so a visual check will be tough to do. ECUs do go bad on occasion. If you want another ECU to troubleshoot with you might get lucky and find one at your local salvage yard or on Craig's List. $30 is what they go for in my neighborhood. Be sure to match the numbers; it's probably a P0A-A51. Ebay is another source.

The FSM on DTC 15: "A problem in the Ignition Output Signal circuit." Troubleshooting this DTC involves some simple voltage checks.

 

I picked up a used ECU today at a local Honda/Acura Junk yard for $90. When I arrived home I opened it up and found a capacitor that either leaked or had what looked like overheated lands nearby:

http://n2zdb.com/94Accord/Cap1.jpg

They told me it was tested! Wouldn't even try it when I saw that. Opened mine up and it looked nice and clean and in perfect condition. Put De-Oxit on all the terminals and removed/inserted the connectors several times. So far it is working but I am not holding my breath.

The mechanic said he thinks it's either a fuel injector signal problem or perhaps maybe the installed factor Honda alarm might be the problem.... But as far as I know the alarm only disables the starter from engaging and that is not happening.

I will return the ecu on Monday or Tuesday for a replacement since they will not refund the part.

I do have the complete Shop Manual set (mechanical and electrical) from Honda which was purchased 19 years ago.

Michael

 

Pull the code(s).

 

The code was pulled.....#15 Ignition Output Signal. The shop replaced the "3 speed switch" which I think was the main FI Relay under the dash. That didn't solve the problem so next was the entire distributor.......thought that solved it until I drove it away and it did not start...same system. This was after a 50 mile round trip.

I re-seated all the ECU connectors after inspecting the computer and used De-Oxit....will wait and see what happens next.

Michael

 

I have no idea what a 3-speed switch means. The code 15 is for the ignition system, so the main relay has nothing to do with the ignition system. My guess is they replaced the igniter (the ignition control module). When that failed, they assumed the distributor/wiring in the distributor was bad.

I don't know what De-oxit does, but I will be looking when finished with this post.

This could be a wiring problem or an ECU problem. Your shop sounds incompetent to me, because there are several tests to do when you get a code 15. They picked replacing the most common part that fails, and when that did not fix the problem, they threw the 2nd most common part at the problem. They didn't diagnose.

With that said, I agree with Roader that you should check for engine codes. It is very simple and takes about 5-10 minutes to do. This thread is a sitcky on top of this form. Read how to get CEL codes. Also, the online manuals link has a 94 shop manual you can download that will help a lot.

https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/for...threads-40780/

If you think the ECU is the culprit, then you may want to check car-part.com for an engine computer. That site searches junkyards that subscribe and will sort parts by price or distance. You may find a cheap one in your area.