ie: i was driving the other day and i have a slight whine driver side. i do not think it is engine at all but rather something else maybe a belt?

and i got a cel while driving. i turned car off and back on and it went away... i checked it with the pin and got a 20 Electrical load detector CEL. it always goes away when i turn car on.


today i was driving and speedo started goin nuts and went dead to 0mph. got a cel. turned car off at home and back on and they were gone. i checked it with pin and got codes

9 CYP - cylinder sensor
10 IAT - intake air temperature sensor
12 EGR - exhaust gas recirculation lift valve
17 VSS - speed sensor

ill have to double check but the 10 and 12 could also maybe be a 22.


but the cel doesnt stay on when i turn car back on so i am thinking there is a short being caused by the vss being bad which could be causing all these other CEL's?

im wondering if the vss being bad could be causing these other symptoms?

and what can i expect to pay for a new vss sensor?



update 7/19

just got the vss yesterday installed it with a new pin as well. the old one was pretty nasty and gunked up. but it did not fix the problem. what is my next course of action? also my odo and trip meters dont work either.

should i return the vss and use the old one since it wasnt the culprit?

 

If you have a 96-99 Civic, check whether fuse 15 under the dash is blown.

 

car is a 94.


bump

 

1. To test the system, verify that the Black/Yellow wire at the alternator has battery voltage with the key on. Verify that the charge light works if the key is turned on, the voltage regulator needs to ground the White/Blue wire. The Electrical load detector (ELD) circuit also has control of the alternator. To test the ELD circuits, back probe the White/Yellow wire with a voltmeter. If the Engine Control Module (ECM) does not think that the alternator should charge, it will ground that circuit. When there is no ground, the alternator should charge. The Blue wire is a field return to the ECM for idle up. If the power circuits voltage drop correctly, the White/Blue wire is not grounded and the alternator does not charge, the alternator is faulty.

Potential Causes: Alternator
Connection

Tech Tips: If the White/Blue wire is removed from the alternator circuit, this is a normal charging system and should charge like any other alternator. Always voltage-drop all circuits to the alternator and verify that the connections are OK.

Diagnostic Codes: None

Author: Steve Wilson

thsi is how to check your alternator.. codes 20 is for elctrical load which is basically the same thing. my understanding of how the ELD works is normally you would have a 5 volt reference. if you start losing that 5v reference to lets say... 3.5v.. code 20 would come on. this very well could explain all your other problems

 

Yes it can.


Especially in VW's lol. I seen one instance in a Beetle that had 7 check engines lights due to one malfunction.

 

After clearing the many CEL codes from the ECU, do any of the codes repeat after driving the the car?

 

ok. i had my alternator tested the other day at a shop and everything came out 100% but my dads got a voltmeter in the garage so i will try this as well.

just reset ecu last night and drove the car a couple miles. no cels have yet to come on. but they should be back within a few days if not sooner

 

Ignore CEL codes that don't repeat.

 

so i got the cels back today.

it wasnt cel 10 and 12 it was actually 22 (vtec pressure)


but i got codes 9 17 and 22 again today. all repeating. i have a feeling that they will be fixed if i fix the vss so i will start with that. gonna order the part in a few days when i get paid and report back wiht an update.

 

A bad VSS would not cause the other CEL codes. You'll likely have to replace the distributor housing to fix code 9. For code 22, is the engine low on oil?

 

update 7/19

just got the vss yesterday installed it with a new pin as well. the old one was pretty nasty and gunked up. but it did not fix the problem. what is my next course of action? also my odo and trip meters dont work either.

should i return the vss and use the old one since it wasnt the culprit?

 

you have a couple of problems....not just one problem.

 

ok but how do i go about fixing the speedo? vss didnt work. ill worry about the probs one at a time

 

bump

 

yellow/blue wire is KOEO (Key On Engine Off) and should be 12 volts.

black wire is ground

yellow/white is your 5 volt reference wire from the control unit.


with the unit plugged in you should see 5v-0v while spinning the VSS by hand. (vehilce speed sensor)

if you have power,ground, and the 5 volt reference then check your connections on back of your gauge cluster. if connections for the gauge cluster are good then you need a new speedometer head unit.