Civic 93 delay to turn off the check light (engine doesn't start while CEL on)

ElMaq

Respected
Hi!

I have a Civic 93 1.5 (D15b7) sedan that never gave me any problems until 2016 when it started the following problem:

When I turn the key on, the Check Engine light is on. The normal is to turn off after 2 sec. When you turn the key, you can't hear the click of the relay or the fuel pump working.

Then I leave the key turned on, after about 30 seconds to 90 seconds, you hear the click of the relay and the pump working. So the light turn off and I crank and immediatellythe car starts fine without any problem.

Once it get it work, the more I drive, the less it happens this problem. Example: when I leave home, it takes 1 minute to turn the light off, but if I stop at gas station, I turn the key on and the check engine light will turn off normal (2 seconds).

Replaced: brand new fuel pump, BN main relay relay, BN filters, BN TDC / CRK / CYL sensors, used ECU.

Gets the same symptom.

I've checked grounds, connectors, all fine. The car never got water inside.

I made the jumper and did not retrieve any code

WHILE CHECK ENGINE IS ON, CAR CRANKS BUT WON'T START

Does anyone have any idea what is this?

regards from Rio
 

ElMaq

Respected
Boofoo, I think you're right. I leaved my ECU on automotive electronic repair. They repair ECU, keys, alarms, cd players and amplifiers. I'll post result when he finish repair
 


SD_760

New Member
Yo I got the sameee problem. I just picked up this 93 Civic Lx sedan. Solid check engine , cranks won't start. New battery new plugs , wires new distributor ( prev owner did all this) I just replaced o rings for one injector and tightened fuel rail. I'm buying a volt meter so I can go through the steps I seen on Glennh post about fuel pump not priming. Gonna hit pick your part and grab a ecu today cuz it's 50% off. Keep u posted w what happens
 

SD_760

New Member
Didn't find the right ecu so I ordered one off eBay for 80$. Picked up some random parts , including an OEM main relay - Ok so I jumped the main relay connector from 1-7 and 5-7. the fuel pump would prime at 1-7 but not at 5-7. All the fuses are good. This was a 1-owner car 129k original miles. Nothing has been touched. No signs of rats. i just barely got this car so im still looking to see what's going on. I figure I'll replace the ECU and if that doesent work I'll go buy a nice multimeter and start poking around. I'll start to post pics in a bit and try to be thorough.
 


SD_760

New Member
Ok I just re did the test , 5-7 no pump prime , replaced fuse 24 with new 15 amp fuse , retried , nothing.
 

civteck

Respected
Registered VIP
Get a meter and proceed.. #1 tool in your bag, let us know when your ready.

Sent from my boujea ass phone
 

SD_760

New Member
Get a meter and proceed.. #1 tool in your bag, let us know when your ready.

Sent from my boujea ass phone
11.94 volts from one tab of fuse 24 and .29 volts on the other side ? Went back and forth about 4 times same results IMG_3771.JPG IMG_3772.JPG
 

SD_760

New Member
No I just put a new one in and both tabs read identical ... nothing has changed though
 

SD_760

New Member
The wire that runs from the dash fuse box to the main relay or the dash fuse box itself has a short to ground. Fix the short, fix the problem.

You may have purchased a new ECU prematurely.
Haha okay well I'm trying to keep the speed up on this project - Build thread in progress but trying to get it running first
 

SD_760

New Member
image.jpg What the ... found this sucker tucked away deep and the next one image.jpg
Also my key ring came with a viper alarm clicker the kid had no idea about an alarm system cuz his aunt gave it to him ...
 

SD_760

New Member
The wire that runs from the dash fuse box to the main relay or the dash fuse box itself has a short to ground. Fix the short, fix the problem.

You may have purchased a new ECU prematurely.
image.jpg
Sorry my keyboard stopped working I had to reboot phone. Was wondering if the tab was not properly clamped to the wire if it would be causing an issue but that wire was going into a1
 
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SD_760

New Member
Ok I don't know if I fixed it with the new fuse but now my 1-7 and 5-7 are both priming the pump

Still check engine is solid no start

So... anything else I should check? Or think it's ECU
 
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SD_760

New Member
IMG_3863.JPG
Ecu came intoday , plugged it in , fired right up , check engine came off after 2 seconds fuel pump primed like it was supposed to on ON (II) , car isn't reading temp. But it turned on and I'm good to go:ok:
 

SD_760

New Member
Has the temp gauge ever worked?
Ok so I replaced the thermostat with a fail safe , I replaced the fan switch after testing the connector and turning the fan on manually , I replaced the temp sensor ( and I have a reading gauge now) my car is not saying it's over heating but everything seems to get kind of hot and some smoke from radiator starts to come and still no fan turns on so I shut the car off before any over heating occurs. What should I look for because my fan is not turning on ...
 

SD_760

New Member
Bleed the cooling system after topping off the radiator and reservoir with coolant.
Ok I did that. My thermostat is not opening up, not getting circulation to bottom radiator hose. Rad fan won't come on ... it works when I loop the connector , have a new thermostat new fan switch and new temp gauge... what am I missing?
 

SD_760

New Member
Describe how you bled the system.

Sounds like there's still air trapped in the system.
Jacked the front end up , put a funnel in the radiator filled it with coolant , squeezed the lower radiator tube and the then the upper radiator tube, topped off the reservoir to max line , turned the car on put heater on continued to squeeze lower radiator tube until no bubbles would come on let it idle for about 10 minutes or so until it started to get normal operating temp, couldn't add any more coolant, capped the radiator listened my bleeder screw not man bubbles came out at all so I squeezed the tubes a little bit solid stream of fluid so I turned it off =\ - I tried to look for a proper step by step for bleeding coolant system and found a bunch of posts with a bunch of different vague information
 

SD_760

New Member
Your method was fine, but you must let the engine idle until the radiator fan turns on twice. The radiator cap must be loose (turned one notch) the entire time. It may take 30 minutes. Watch for engine overheating during the procedure.

Was the heater set to max heat and did the air blow hot?
Yeah it got hot and everything , but my fans won't turn on, I'm still having no fan issue replaced fan switch still nothing and when I jump connector it works what do I do to get fans to come on ?
 

SD_760

New Member
Bleed!

Loosen bleeder bolt until no air is released.

Set the heater to max heat with cabin blower OFF.

Only terminate procedure if engine overheats.
Ok well my temp gauge does not show over heat but I start to see smoke rising somewhere out of engine bay between radiator and engine it could just be some fluid but still I don't want the damn engine to overheat because the thermostat is not passing fluid?
 


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