Well, today after I parked my car for a total of 1 minute, I fired it back up, and a second later, the CEL came on. I didn't notice and problems so I restarted and drove it home, about 2 miles. Just before I get in my driveway, the CEL came back, and I felt the engine miss one time.

So I pull up the carpet and check the red flasher on the ECM. I've read many codes in 92+ Honda's, but not sure on this one. There is one long flash, a pause, 8 short (TDC Sensor?), a pause, and 15 short (IGN Output?).

Not sure what to do about the first long flash. I thought it was code 18 at first, which apparently does not exist, but after seeing 15 short ones right after, I'm wondering if its a self check flash every time it cycles the codes, to mark the start of the stream. Any advise on that is helpful.

If my interpretation is correct, I'll need a distributor, because The shaft bearing is ruined and causing the tone wheels to hit the sensor. At any rate, the diagnostics part is not the issue, just the reading of the codes.

 

Come on, someone else has had to have read thier own codes, anything is helpful.

 

The long flash at the beginning might be the code for a bad ECU. I agree the other codes appear to be for the TDC sensor and "ignition output signal" (dizzy wiring problem or bad igniter).

Have you taken off the dizzy cap and looked for the "red dust of death" and play suggesting a failed dizzy bearing?

What work, if any, has been done on the car recently?

I am not sure why you would get a bad ECU code. I would try to clear the two dizzy codes first.

 

The distributor is junk, I know that for a fact, I've had it apart multiple times, the question pertains to the code stream. I want to know if I'm interpreting it correctly.

Edit: Code 10 is for IAT, and if that be the case, the why is code 15 represented with 15 short blinks instead of 1 long and 5 short.

 

If you have a 89-91 Civic/CRX, I was wondering if you could trip a code, and let me know if the same thing happens for you, since this is becoming confusing. Unplug the coolant sensor and see if it gives you that one long blink, and then the code, and repeat. I really would like to know if I have two problems, a distributor problem and a computer problem, or just a distributor problem.

My ECM blinks one time when it has no codes stored in it, and never blinks again. Even so much as comparing that to a similar car would go far.

 

Unfortunately I sold my stock 91 Civic LX a few weeks ago. The archives suggest a Code 0 would be a steady light, not a long flash. Plus if the ECU were having problems, it likely would not drive well at all. I am now leaning towards what you think: the code is the IAT sensor.

This still begs the question as to why you get 15 short blinks (and not one long and five short) for Code 15.

Re-check; search the archives; consider what work has been done on the car. Is the ECU stock?

 

Car is as stock as the day it rolled off the factory floor, it is very well kept, minus buying a crap distributor for it. It drives great, and has since I bought it.

 

Problem was resolved, codes 8 and 15 were valid codes, the other blink is a phantom. I've never seen anything like that before. I tried replicating those exact codes with the new distributor, and it only does 8 and 15, without the long blink. I've also set codes for fuel injector circuit and IAT circuit to verify if it is a delimiter or start blink, and it is not.

At any rate my problem is solved, but this phantom blink requires an explanation, car runs like a top now.