This is starting to get expensive, basically this all started with a failed New Ontario Emissions test.
Let me start at the beginning - the car was purchased with a manual transmission already swapped in but the car was originally an automatic.
So when they hooked it up the ECU failed due to being an automatic and no answers from whatever auto sensors.
So we get a manual ECU then pay Honda to have it reprogrammed (immobilizer).
It gets home and before we can get it to the test the ecu fries and will no longer communicate.
Put in the original to just get the car mobile and get it set up by Honda (immobilizer) and it fries within a few days.
Get another ECU for an automatic again as now we have spent the needed $450 to skip the money-scam emissions test and the new ECU lasts 5 days then dies.

So my question to anyone with knowledge would be is there a common short that could cause this?

We have checked every wire we can for shorts, the closest we came to a real short was the oxygen sensor that we replaced along with what looked like a possible bad wire.
We can't read the fried ECU's to get any error codes and after opening them up we see no burnt leads or chips or anything?
A used ECU and Honda reprogram is costing us $200 a pop and this is adding up quick.

 

You have to have a Short. Period. Fault trace every wire to the ecu start with the power and grounds. Have fun.

 

Although we have traced them once we are trying again but my fear is that since it happens after time that the short or maybe a spike only shows/occours after some sensor kicks in.
We are also putting some extra attention on the alternator (someone said look for spikes) it gives off 14 volts which appears normal. Hard to tell if it randomly spikes.


I was hoping someone knew of a common problem that was known to cause this because we can't seem to find a short.( using shopkey schematics for wire testing)

 

I take it the people who did this butcher are either not going to provide any co-operation as to what they tampered with, or are so bad they have no idea what they did, and decided to trick you into purchasing this car with expensive and difficult to diagnose problems. Get a proper genuine Honda service manual including the electrical troubleshooting manual, as you are probably using a US market schematic. Check your alternator mounting for grounding of the alternator, I would just get a proper manual transaxle wiring harness from a recycler for the same year, same trim level, and go through the labour intensive job of changing it.

 

I hope we got it this time.
While trying lots of different things someone noticed a spark at the bolt holding the Alternator and it was a little loose.

This may have been it as I have read now in other threads that a broken bracket or loose bolt will fry the computer.

We will add a separate ground wire as well to sort of over kill it.
Fingers crossed that this is the final fix.

 

I have a 2004 that had similar problem. replaced engine, good for 2-3 weeks then going down the freeway one morning i lost power. the engine was still running but tach stopped registering. I could move gingerly by manually shifting from 2nd to 3rd but once the rpms got up too high the engine would bog and lose power. Had a scope put on and was told there were spikes coming from the alternator. Getting ready to have a new ECU installed but i'm going to add an extra ground first now that i've read this. Thanks

 

Yeah that bolt being loose is a problem. Seen many a killed pcms from not tightening the top alternator bolt.