99 Civic Check Engine Light

Hi there,

Got my sister's car with the CEL on, she doesn't
maintain it that well... All of the ignition
stuff looked wore out, so I replaced Cap, rotor,
Wires, and plugs. However, the light came back
on.

What is the procedure to check for the ECU
trouble code if I don't have a scanning tool?

Any other ideas other than checking the code
that I may have overlooked?

t

 

RTFSM (Read the fucking shop manual )

Visit a dealer and read their fucking shop manual if you don't have a copy.

 

HEY ASShole. I have the 'fucking' shop
manual, and i read it. It sure tells me how to
scan the code if I have an OBDII tool. I don't
have one of those, so i am asking the nice people
on this forum for some input. So go take a long
walk off a short pier, OK? Dumbass.

Anybody else with something useful to say?

t

 

The #1 most common reason for the MIL to come on is an insufficiently
tightened gas cap. It has to click at least three times. If the light has
come on for that reason, it will go off within a few drive cycles.

With your car, you *MUST* read that code before wasting enormous amounts of
money and time. OBD-II error codes cover a couple of hundred different
problems (and that's just the Federally-mandated ones), and blindly
replacing parts without knowing the code is not wise at all.

Have a look at the list here:
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/error_codes.html#standard

The code can only be read with a scan tool. If you're in the States,
AutoZone will do it for free. If you're in Canada, call around to various
garages and get quotes on having the code read. It takes only a few
minutes.

If I were you, I'd get the dealer to do it if you haven't got a trusted
garage. They're most likely to know what commonly causes your error.

 

I thought there was a way to jumper the service
connector and watch the CEL flashes to determine
the codes being thrown. Am I mistaken?

t

 

Not after 1995, unless someone has information I haven't got.

For pre-'96, see here:
http://www.iequus.com/assets/manuals/3173_ICCR_E_14JAN03.pdf

 

The circuit to make it blink out codes is still in there, at least according
to the FSM for the 99-00 Acura TL. Pin 1 in the diagnostic connector is the
SCS line. The blink codes are listed in the book. It says it will blink
them out if the SCS line is jumped by the Honda PGM tool. What it doesn't
tell is what line it has to be jumped to in order to activate it.

 

The 96 and 97 accord (and odyssey too) have the jumper also, I guess to
phase people in for a little while. The service manual should give both
procedures for troubleshooting. (with scantool and without).

 

Now *that's* the kind of info I'm looking for!

What does the PGM tool look like? (Don't tell me it's a paper clip!)

 

The sketch in the FSM looks like a digital multimeter (a screen, a square
keyboard array under the screen and a data cable coming out the bottom).

 

might be worth the $99 for an actron scanner. its good for all cars from
'96 on up.

aside from that, autozone might check it for free.

you pretty much need the code, and we can take it from there

i had a CEL on my 98 civic, and the scanner told me not only that is was
the O2 sensor, but which one, and what part was malfunctioning. beats
spending $99 at the dealer for a diagnosis.

 

Hm. Then it's still not a DIY thing like the old service connector was.

 

not on anything made since '96. i guarantee youll like the code scanner-
its a neat toy. youve already got the shop manual, so....?

 

It might be. There are only 6 wires connected to the 16 pin connector -

Pin 1 is the SCS line
Pin 6 connects to SRS & ABS/TCS units
Pin 8 goes to a fuse
Pin 12 is a ground
Pin 13 is another ground
Pin 15 is the scan tool I/O line & also goes to the MIL through the PCM

just need to find out which Pin line 1 needs to be jumped to. It pretty
much has to be one of the grounds or the I/O line.

I don't plan to try it unless I can figure it out definitively, though.

 

Be nice if somebody did find out. That would be a nice FAQ addition.

 

Tools are something that ALWAYS pay for themselves.
If you fix something once, you have wisely spent your money. Lend it to a
friend, , he'll owe you one.

Dan

 

According to the service manual for the '96 - '00 Civic (pages 11-7 and
11-81), the old MIL blink routine can be used instead of a scan tool.
Again, according to the manual, there is the regular OBD2 Data Link
Connector under the steering wheel, and there is a Service Check
Connector tucked away by the ECU (right side of passenger foot well).
The Service Check Connector has two pins only, and you short them with a
paper clip then turn on the ignition.

On the service check connector, one wire is ground, the other is an
input to the ECU. This latter wire is NOT duplicated on the OBD2
connector (although the wiring diagrams for that section are very poorly
scanned in my manual, there could easily be lines missing).

VW Golf and Jetta from around 1990 had a great setup: The check engine
light was in a push button on the dash. To read the codes, you just
pushed the button and read the flashes.

 

This is going into the FAQ, thanks again.

 

I have a US 1997 Civic LX sedan owned since new.
Jumpered the connector in my pass. footwell and read CEL 2x with
success. Once for loose gascap (it was actually tight, but was a
cheesy aftermarket one which i tossed) and once for failed O2 sensor.
Correct both times.
Not sure but Civic might have changed in 1998.

Jeff

 

so which table did you use to interpret the flashes? In the shop manual?

t