centermass2009

Hello my name is Eddie new to the site.

First I checked the CEL codes. Only thing I am getting is a code 22

I have owned 4 Hondas in my time including a 93 Prelude VTEC. Found this 92 SI (2.3 auto now has H22 VTEC and 5 speed) for a 'project daily driver' that's had some work done to it. Not sure if it was done right!?!? It runs and drives but has seaveral things that make me scratch my head.





Other than brakes, tires, shocks, O2 sensor, VSS, motor mounts, body work and paint!!

Here are my problems!

Gas/temp guage did not work when I bought the car. I changed it twice and both times it started smoking about 2 minutes after starting it up!?!?

The AC condenser fan stays on all the time (key is in auxilary and in on position) and I am not sure if this is normal.

When I turn the lights on the radiator/coolant turns on!

I cannot check engine codes. The wire/paper clip jump does nothing. CEL stays on constant.

Thought I should look at the ECU. Whoever put the ECU in did not bother bolting it back where it was. At some point water got into the car and sat for awhile.. This is what I found. Along with an ant nest!!! I changed to another used ECU and still has the same problems!




Wires to ECU look shady as well


These are plunges that are empty. I do not see where they would go of if they are to be used at all!!!

This one is under the distributer

This one is by the condenser fan plug



Any help would be appreciated..



Thanks

Eddie

centermass2009

Also the check engine light is on. I tried to check the codes with the paper clip/wire jump. Nothing happens. Turn the key to auxiliary the CEL turns off then comes back on and stays on!!

mokhkw

Had a similar issue with the Fuel/Temp gauge right before my ignition wiring burnt out (92 Prelude Si 4WS).

I'm guessing that's the cause of all the problems you are having.

snobordboy

With the fact that water got inside the car, and sat, and from what I can see on the outside, I would venture that wiring and "custom" work was done inside. i.e. stereo, lights, alarm etc.

It is probably going to be a painstaking process of identifying and checking most of the wiring in the cabin, and repairing as needed. Might be faster to locate a good cab harness from another car and swap it in.

centermass2009

Thank God somebody responded! Something's better than nothing. The ghetto swap is nothing short of amazing!!! The VTEC wired is not done right. I drove the car home from St Pete down to Sarasota (about 25 miles) and never noticed if the VTEC was working or not. Of course I was driving with no tag, no rear bumper and had forgot my wallet at home at 11pm

How hard would it be to swap out cab harness? Would I need to remove the dash?


I had read somewhere about ECU 'Limp Mode'???


Thanks

Eddie

mokhkw

Swapping out the engine bay harness is relatively easy. From memory I paid $80 for complete wrecked 5G harness when I swapped in a h22Z1 into my 5G.

Vtec not wired correctly would just mean the vtec would not engage when you reach 4500rpm but it would not affect how the engine or car ran.

With vtec, if the car is tuned correctly, you barely notice the changeover apart from the exhaust note.

If you replace electrical parts like the fuel/temp gauge try & get ones from a 95-96 Prelude as they're less prone to failure. Electricals on 92-94 models are a weak point - the soldering wasn't great to begin with and over time the solders break off. This was improved in the 95-96 upgrade.

From the photos you posted I think the plug under the dizzy is for water temp & the one by the A/C is for cruise control but I don't have mine at home atm so I can't check for you. I'll try & get to the Dyno shop & get some pics later today.

centermass2009

Cool. Pics would be great!!!! It would be some much easier if I could get the check engine codes

Eddie

mokhkw

Unfortunately head & manifolds had already been removed when I got to the shop.

For the engine codes, try putting the key into the correct position then dis-connect the battery earth. Not the usual method but what you described sounds like the ignition is shorting out. You may need a friend to help you with the battery so you can observe the flashes in the cabin.

https://honda-tech.com/honda-prelude...elude-2495089/

Maybe the ECU wasn't reset after the last attempt to diagnose engine codes?

centermass2009

I got the ECU to reset. The one code I am getting is a code 22 and that's it??? There should be more!! Hell I don't even have the O2 Senser hooked up. I'm waiting for my DC exhaust to get here.

Eddie

centermass2009

The thermostat fan switch connects to the Vtec and three wires go to the ECU. Red, blue and green. Is that right???

Eddie

holmesnmanny

Is your fan switch really connected to the vtec solenoid ?

centermass2009

Unfortunately YES! I have an empty plug under the Distributer but it wI'll not reach over to that spot. There is some thing in the wrong spots. I tried a second gas/temp cluster and it burnt up just like the last one! Could it be getting to much power to the cluster?

Eddie

snobordboy

Well, the empty plug under the dist. would be for the front water temp sensor on the water neck from the head to the rad. Some cars did not have it, it was just a secondary switch, for the fan to run when the car is off. I personally don't run one, and have deleted that wire from my harness.

The one by the rad, probably something to do with a/c, and I haven't had a/c in so long on my car that I don't remember.

You probably have a short somewhere for the fuel gauge, and I bet it is due to the harness getting wet, something is probably corroded away. A new dash harness may fix it, and yes, it would involve removing the dash.

vtec wiring should be the 2 wire switch to show good oil pressure, one wire from the ecu, and one to ground, usually on the thermostat housing. the other single wire to activate it, coming from the ecu. There are a few good threads on wirng vtec, in the FAQs at the top of the page.

centermass2009

Could an after market car alarm (AudioVox APS996A) cause electrical problems? While working on the car I noticed the door locks making noise. A wire by my elbow was grounding out and cuasing the doors to lock. I looked under the dash and there it was wires all bundled up. I found out that this model controls a lot. Is removing one of these difficult?

Also I noticed when rolling the windows up they get to the top and the coolant fan starts up and stops when I release the button!?!?!? What the hell?

Could this alarm be the problem?

Thanks

Eddie

centermass2009

Ok so I took out the aftermarket alarm and I have a new problem!!

Check out the yellow plug in the center. The wires are twisted together. If I take them apart the car doesn't even crank! Now the problem is that the car starts for a second or so then stalls out!



Any suggestions?

centermass2009

I am figuring it out SLOWLY!!! LOL

Figured out that this plug goes to the clutch safety switch. I figure it was done for the remote start. Is this normal? Will it hurt anything?




Also I got it running and it fires up every time now. Got a new fuel/temp guage that works. The gas gauge reads full and I know it isn't. Drove it about 5 miles. The temp gauge satat half for awhile then started climbing. I rushed home and by the time I pulled into my driveway it was in the red. Coasted into the garage and got out expecting the radiator cap to start steaming or something. There wasn't really any significant heat coming from the engine bay. My guess is thermostat?!?!?

Anybody???

Thanks

Eddie

holmesnmanny

The switch was probably bad so they bypassed it instead of spending $20 on another.

centermass2009

After working on this car for the past month I AGREE... I hooked it back up to the clutch and it dosnet work!!! Ghetto mechanics..

Ed

holmesnmanny

They coulda just put a paperclip in the connector instead of hacking it up.

snobordboy

For your temp, when it was heated up, did you feel the rad hoses? If the thermostat was bad, the top one would be hot, but the bottom one would still be cold.
Did the fan turn on while the car was running?
Was there heat in the cab of the car from the heater core?

centermass2009

Yeah top hose was hot and bottom cold. Took the thermostat out and flushed it. Nothing but rusty water in it with hardly any coolant! Filled back with the thermostat out and I ran the engine for about half an hour. The temp gauge never went up.


Eddie

centermass2009

Replacing the headers and this is what I found. Is this normal?

holmesnmanny

It looks normal.

accordturb96

Dam it wouldnt hurt you to find the auto/manual and h22 swap guide and follow it yourself and make sure everything is making sense. This is a mess

centermass2009

Yeah it's beed fix one problem and find three more. Been fun!

Eddie