Hey everyone, I have been a happy owner of a 1991 accord SE for about a year,I got the car for free, put a main relay,battery, timing belt and new suspenion in it, and have been driving it since. I got the car as a daily driver while I worked on my 89 thunderbird sc. The car has been awesome, but this is the 1st time I have ever had any issues, and im kind of at a loss.

This morning i was about to enter a highway on ramp, on the left, as i accelerated for a turn, the car died. A cop pushed me to the side of the road with his car, and i pop the hood. No gas, No spark, i figured the main relay took a crap. I checked the fuses, and the fuse for the ECU was popped. Put another fuse in and it started right up, i got about 1/8 mile and it died again in the middle of the road, put another fuse in, got about 900 ft, did it again and again until i got home ( under a mile) I started doing some research into this. I checked the grounds on the T-stat housing, which were fine, i checked the main relay itself, it checked out. I took the computers out from the floor, opened them up, no burnt spots or leaking caps. Checked the wiring for the main relay, and the wiring going to the ECU, nothing out of the ordinary. Also checked any connector or ground in the engine bay or interior i could find. Also checked the o2 sensor, it was kind of kinked so i pulled back the sheathing, and the wires are completely fine, not enough to cause a short.

Here is where it gets fun. I put everything back together and it hasnt died all day. I wish it would, so i can try to track down the problem. I feel like the car is a timebomb waiting to die in the middle of the road again, it is a far cry from the comfort and reliability i know from the car. I am a tech for a living, and im very good at diagnostics, but I dont know where to look for a problem if it isnt showing itself. I also scanned the codes from the little blue service connector near the glove box. My "sport" light flashed a 14, which is IAC or ECU, but that was only after the fuse blew. no codes with a good fuse. It seems the fuse didnt blow with the key on, only when the car shifted, well thats what it felt like to me.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

 

A moderator on here had to replace his ECU. He checked the board and didn't see any obvious problems.

With the ECU fuse blowing plus the code 14 from the TCU, I would consider replacing the ECU.

I would check out car-part.com to find used ECUs in your area. You can sort by price or distance. If you have a U-Pull-It yard that would be another cheap source.

 

That sounds like a pretty cheap option, there is another a50 20 miles away for about 50 bucks. Thanks for the suggestion. Is there anything I missed as far as components to check aside from wiring?

 

Which fuse is blowing? What amperage and where is it located? There may be some other items on that fuse that could draw too much current.

 

I don't know off the top of my head. Underhood ecu fuse, 10 amp . I want to say 28. But I'm not sure, not near the car.