While driving home from school, my car suddenly jerked for a couple of seconds. I couldn't gas anymore. The car just rolled when I stepped on the gas pedal. Then I pulled over and turned off my car and tried to turn it back on. The car cranked, but it wouldn't start. I also noticed the battery and oil light turned on.

I had no choice but to tow it to the nearest auto shop. The guy at the front desk told me they diagnosed that the ECU was bad. He said he's looking around everywhere (ebay included) and cannot find an ECU replacement. He told me my other option was to spend $300 to send it out of country to have it rebuilt, and that's only a 50% chance of having it fixed.

I just did an ebay search and found the part right away. I searched for the OEM part number : 37820-P2E-A92. This place seems kind of shady. I was wondering if I could get some suggestions on what I should do next.

1999 Honda Civic LX 4DR Automatic

- Thanks, much appreciated!

 

The number P2E-A92 is all that matters. Make sure the P2E is the same on whatever you buy, but the A92 can differ a little. A C and J tell what country the ECU is designed for, but you might want to look up the differences, if any, between the A and C ECU's, Canadian ECU might be a direct match for you. The last two digits a reserved for trim and transmission styles.

I just replaced my P06-A02 today with a P06-A01. Just make sure the new ECU isn't meant for a VX/HX lean-burn engine, or VTEC if you don't have VTEC, or for a 5-speed and you have an automatic, you catch my drift?

 

http://car-part.com/

 

Do you trust that the mechanic's diagnosis is correct? Ask him how he absolutely knows the ECU is bad and post his response here. Or is he just guessing? How much did you pay for the diagnosis?

 

Came across this tidbit from another post RonJ posted in, could be helpful since you have a 99-00.

Quote:
Originally Posted by HFXCIVIC
Question: if i found a p2e ecu from a 98 civic w/MT would it work in my 00 civic ?
No. 96-98 Civics have OBD2a ECUs, whereas 99-00 Civics have OBD2b ECUs. You need to buy a 99-00 P2E ECU for a manual transmission.

 

Thank you so much for the help guys!

To be honest, I don't really trust that place. The guy told me he knew for sure it was the ECU, because the mechanics checked everything else. He said that the car is still drive able, but when the ECU heats up, it the cars turns off. He still didn't give me a price for the diagnose yet.

Do you guys think I can replace this part myself? I also read that you have to reprogram the ECU when you replace it.

-Thanks

 

you don't have to reprogram. it's only a few bolts and 3 connectors to replace.

 

I would have the car towed back to your house. The problem sounds more like a bad main relay than a bad ECU to me. That's an easy cheap fix.

 

Do you think I could drive it back home, or should I tow it just to be safe? I live about 10 miles away.

 

That's your call. Do you have a buddy who can follow you if the engine stalls?

When you get it home, we can tell you tests to do to pinpoint the problem. Even if the ECU turns out to be bad, as suggested by the mechanic, it's a simple job to replace it yourself.

 

Hey guys, I finally towed my car back home. They have pulled the ecu out and left it there. They told me that the car will drive for about 3 minutes and turn off. I have turned the car on and drove it back into my garage, but I haven't tested how long it will stay on. How do I know for sure that I should replace my ECU?

The part number of my ECU is 37820-p2e-a92, but the numbers underneath are different from the ones I looked on ebay. Do I have to match the number underneath as well? Also the poster wrote that the ECU may have to be programmed if my car is 98 or newer. How do I know if I have to program it?

Thanks.

 

Best way to tell is if you have a CEL light while running it, and when you go to pull the CEL codes with a paperclip or piece of wire, the CEL light will stay solidly lit.

 

The CEL light actually has been on for a while. I put a paper clip into both holes of the jumper and the CEL light flashed once and stayed on.

 

Hey guys, so I just got an ECU off of Ebay and plugged it in. When I start the car, the rev starts at 2000 and then jumps up and down between 1000-2000.

Then I swapped my original ECU back. The same thing happened, except it took longer for the rpm to jump. This time the CEL was off. I swapped it once more with the new ECU and the ECU light turned back on.

What do you guys think happened?

 

Install the new ECU and jump the service connector when the CEL turns on. What code is thrown?

 

I'm not sure if I'm jumping it right but, I got one quick flash. I read on the other thread it means oxygen sensor 1? I put a paperclip into both holes of the blue connector. When it took it out, it still gave a quick flash.

 

Where is this blue connector? What are the two wire colors in the connector?

 

Underneath the passenger side. Black and brown wire.

 

Okay. That's definitely the service connector. Post a video of the CEL with and without the service connector jumped when the key is turned to ON(II).

 

Haha, I am so dumb, I just realized that I jumped it wrong. I put the clip on the bottom holes. Sorry about that, Ron. So I got 1 long, 4 short, indicating IAC? Should I take it out and clean it?

 

Code 14 is the OBD1 code, but you have an OBD2 car. Drive the car to AutoZone and ask them to pull the code with a code reader. This will recover the OBD2 code, which in this case is more informative than the OBD1 code. Post the code and then reset the ECU to see if the same code returns.

 

By the way, it's completely unclear at this point whether your original ECU is bad.

 

Code: P1509

Definition:
IAC valve circuit failure
Probable cause:
1. Open or short circuit condition
2. Poor electrical connection
3. Failed IAC valve

 

Could it be the distributor? My 2000 Si did the same jerking thing and I found out the distributor was going out causing the car to jerk and then die.

 

Yesterday I noticed the electrical connector was unplugged from the IAC, so I plugged it back in. I just unplugged the connector and the car rpm stayed at 1500. This time, I got a second code: manifold absolute pressure sensor (3 quick flashes).