This is regarding my automatic 1990 project Integra LS sedan.

So we took it out for another test drive. It's shifting this time.

S3 is flashing though, which apparently is a check/warning indicator.

The car also has a CEL on for (7) Throttle Angle Sensor. It seems to drive fine.

So we got home and I got out and went inside the house to look up what exactly the flashing S3 meant.

While I was inside my friend (the driver) turned the engine off and left the key on accessory. Soon after he tried to remove the key from the ignition, but it wouldn't come out.

He said he didn't do anything but sit there in between turning the key to accessory and then trying to remove it like you would normally.

This is when he decided he should try to turn the car back on in case it was going to be flashing some sort of code. When he tried to turn it back on the car wouldn't turn back on. We tried over and over and nothing happened.

After this he ended up removing the shift **** and then wiring up the S4 button (didn't know what it was at that point, I don't think) since the green and black wires leading to it had been cut or such.

From there he also checked the fuses under dash and under hood, disconnected the ECM, disconnected TCM and checked wiring from steering column.

I just went back out there and checked myself. The key goes into the ignition fine and turns to accessory. When you try to turn the engine on it doesn't do anything.

When we went to remove the key it was stuck again. I disconnected the battery and the key comes out fine.

I don't hear the fuel pump priming. There is a hum on the passenger side of the engine bay. The lights still all come on bright.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

-SYMPTOMS-
- Key sticks in ignition unless battery is disconnected.
- Car will turn to accessory position and accessories turn on.
- Engine will not turn on.
- Fuel pump primes.
- Hum in engine bay on passenger side.
- CEL 7 (throttle angle sensor).
- S3 indicator flashing (unknown code).

 

Okay, might as well update this thread.

My friend had disassembled the center console and auto shifter by the time I had come back outside. So I don't really know the order of events since I wasn't there. I'm thinking maybe he was so frustrated and distracted toward the end that he confused the order of events.

Anyway, turns out it was the shifter position console switch (the cream colored box on the right of the shifter) wasn't bolted down, so it wasn't really in the correct gear.