OK, so I had my auto to manual done...used the 5 speed ECU and got a wiring harness which I didn't know was from the ULEV until AFTER I was told it was a different harness by my tech.

Took it to Honda...the ECU gets power and **** but their machine doesn't read the ECU or anything. Problem number one.

So, what the hell is the deal? If it gets power and everything there shouldn't be a problem. Everything is hooked up....all the wiring is connected, etc. Could it be the keyfob...needs a new one??

Another thing - I'm thinking of just going back up and having them wire the auto ECU up and have the VSS and reverse lights wired up and ****. Would save me some trouble - but my VTEC won't work. That would probably be the EASIEST solution. Just use the auto ECU, auto harness and all that....don't have to worry about the key ****. So I mean - what should I do? Has anyone had this problem before?

 

I have swapped by auto ecu and 5spd ecu frequently when i'm trying new things on my ecus. The auto ecu reads the speed differently compared to the 5spd ecu, so vtec won't kick over.

I can't really tell you what to do because people wire things differently.

 

How many boxes exist in this setup, I'm planning to go this route fairly soon.

ECU for engine etc.
then is there a separate "TCU" or only for the auto and the manual is just there?

 

you need to provide the service writer at your honda dealership with the vin for the ecu you are trying to use. The HDS requests a vin to program the pcm. the tech is using the vin on your vehicle and the HDS is not recognizing the pcm because the vin does not match the configuration on the pcm.

 

That very well could have been the problem. They put in the VIN from my vehicle, not the one from the new ECU. One other thing that I had a question on was the immobilizer in the steering column. Would that affect anything since it is from an automatic, or would I only need to get the key coded to the ECU?

I was a bit confused because I heard two different things. I brought the car back to my tech and he said that the immobilizer reads the key to send the signal to the ECU, so I might have to have the key fob/immobilizer from a manual with a new set of keys, etc. Then I heard that if I get the key coded to the ECU, then everything would work just fine.

I'm not really sure....for one of the guys that's already done the swap - what do I do? Since my car is already wired up for the manual and everything. The ECU gets power, I know that for a fact...it just doesn't crank or anything. The relay will click which means the power is all there. So I'm kind of thinking, well maybe if I gave the VIN for the new ECU then it would all work.....but I'm still unsure of the immobilizer part.

 

Hopefully someone can get back with me on this soon. It's a really strange problem.

The car won't crank over...but I'm thinking it's because the keycode and the ECU code don't match. If I got the key coded to the ECU then it would possibly start?

I'm still out on a limb about that immobilizer though. Not sure if it just reads the keycode to send to the ECU or what actually I need to do, if anything at all.

 

you follow the wiring directions from here?

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1229014

 

No. We used the manual ECU and manual harness. I hauled the car back to my tech and told him to wire it up that way so I wouldn't have to worry about all this **** but I want my VTEC to work, among other things. But if that's what I have to sacrifice for my car to work then so be it....

 

So nobody has an answer?

 

The immobilizer wasn't the problem. The VIN wasn't the problem...they didn't get to that part in the programming where they had to enter the VIN. They weren't getting any reading from the ECU.

My techs said there is nothing wrong with the immobilizer but it's something else in the wiring so they are trying to figure it out. Should be resolved today so I can get the keys programmed. If not, then I'm getting it rewired with the auto ECU.

 

I wanna convert mine to manual but its headaches like this that deter me from starting to buy the parts to do it.

 

It is a HUGE headache, believe me. My car was supposed to be done already...I should be slamming through all the gears right now. Someone sold me the wrong damn harness...the one for the ULEV so they are trying to wire it up by splicing the auto plugs into the manual harness and de-pin everything that isn't needed. It's a major PITA. Maybe if I would've had the right harness it would've been OK.

If you get all the right parts, it's pretty much a breeze. But who knows...complications can occur even if you have everything done right. And if you wire it up with your auto ECU, you lose VTEC. So that's what I'm debating. My techs don't want to go that route but if it's necessary then so be it.

 

if its as easy as the 4th and 5th gens, you should have kept the auto harness. everything depended on which wires you crossed and/or connected. the wiring wasn't bad at all for me but i have a 91 and not a 98. the swap is hard. i studied and connected parts for 1.5 years until i was confident and knowledgeable to do it myself.

 

Well I have the auto ECU in right now and it's running....not like it should but it runs. I just posted another topic.