Test ECU in '96 Civic?

[DPBlom]

Hello All - I have posted this question on another site - this site was also recommended so here goes ..

I have a 1996 Civic DX with a D16Y7 engine. The original engine had 330,000Km on it when I replaced it with a used D16Y7. Wiring harness, intake manifold & fuel injectors, and exhaust manifold from original engine were retained. 'New' engine now turns over, but there is no fuel pumping & there is no spark. I have verified the fuel pump by supplying power to it directly & have also verified that the coil will produce a spark. Have also gone over all harness connectors & checked for loose or missing ground wires, etc. - all seems OK. I have a Haynes manual & have checked resistances & levels of various ignition components & also checked the fuel pump relay & all are within spec. The Check Engine light goes out when I turn the ignition to on & the motor turns over. Tried shorting the plug on the right side near the ECU to get trouble codes to blink when the key is turned on, but no codes appeared. Bought a ProScan Universal scan tool w. USB interface from Gore Research (cool toy!), but it indicates it can't talk to the ECU. Have disconnected & reconnected the battery to reset things, but no joy. It is looking to me like the ECU is cooked, but I would have expected some kind of error indication if this were true - at least the 'check engine' light should turn on?!

Does anyone know if there is any kind of bench test that can be done to verify the ECU? I'd like to be a little more confident that it is broken before swapping in another one.
Thanks,
Dave

 

[Szady]

What ECU do you currently have in the car?

 

[DPBlom]

Large letters on label - "EG", then 2 sets of numbers"

37820-P2E-C01
902-108223 1C13

 

[Szady]

You said you swaped engines....when you did that, did you make sure to reconnect ALL your grounds? A bad ground will cause the engine not to start, but get power to everything else (fuel pump, starter, ect).

 

[DPBlom]

I think so - there were two of them. Valve cover to chassis on the driver's side & transaxle to chassis on passenger side. Cleaned for good electrical contact, etc.

BTW I checked & cleaned the main fuel pump relay as well, since I wasn't hearing 'clunk' & then fuel pump noise when ignition turned on. Relay is OK.

The only sensor retained from the 'new' motor was the one on the crank pulley (driver's side). If this were toast there would be no spark, but would the fuel pump also not come on??

 

[Szady]

If the fuel pump dosent prime, its either a blown fuse, or bad wiring. You said the pump works, b/c you tested it w/an external power source. Maybe your ignition switch is dead?

That "clunk" noise is the ECU turning on.

 

[DPBlom]

All fuses checked, and the harness & all sensors except for the aforementioned crank sensor, water temp sensor, & oil temp sensor are from the original car. Car ran OK with original engine but was using oil & had a *very* noisy 5 speed tranny.

Took cover off ECU just now & nothing in there looks like it has overheated or blown.

I have heard of ignition switch failing by not causing the starter to turn, but in this case starter turns OK. Suppose I could work out how to bypass the switch with 'hot wire' & see if that works.

I think I will try cleaning the 2 grounds again & then maybe shoot some contact cleaner into each of the harness plugs & blow them out w compressed air.

I don't remember what happens when you first turn the ignition on - should I see the check engine light come on & then turn off, indicating a self test & then 'ready'?

I'm starting to miss the piece of sh*t cars I worked on as a kid - points & condenser & carburetor. Don't miss the monthly tune-ups & crappy mileage, though...

 

[michael km]

All fuses checked, and the harness & all sensors except for the aforementioned crank sensor, water temp sensor, & oil temp sensor are from the original car. Car ran OK with original engine but was using oil & had a *very* noisy 5 speed tranny.

Took cover off ECU just now & nothing in there looks like it has overheated or blown.

I have heard of ignition switch failing by not causing the starter to turn, but in this case starter turns OK. Suppose I could work out how to bypass the switch with 'hot wire' & see if that works.

I think I will try cleaning the 2 grounds again & then maybe shoot some contact cleaner into each of the harness plugs & blow them out w compressed air.

I don't remember what happens when you first turn the ignition on - should I see the check engine light come on & then turn off, indicating a self test & then 'ready'?

I'm starting to miss the piece of sh*t cars I worked on as a kid - points & condenser & carburetor. Don't miss the monthly tune-ups & crappy mileage, though...

Hi, Im writing from Dublin, having '96 Civic 1.5 lsi, parked car, after 10 min tried to start but no success at all, in the mean time my wife hit the dash (around the radio) with her big shoes (once)

Car won't start, got second hand distributor, nothing ( distributor has clear cover ) can't see any sparks, cant hear fuel pump either, can see green yellow light on dash but wont go off as engine wont start.(some guy told me that will not go off until engine fire )
5 mechanics said I dont know. somebody told me there is a hit sensor around the radio ( not sure where is it / how to test it ). another person said that ecu has blwn, another one said camshaft sensor / or camshaft sensor wire has been cutted by fan belt.
car has been in working order for 2 years. any ideas ?

Thanks merchats10024@hotmail.com
Michal