I have an odd issue that I need advice on. I have a 1996 EK Civic with a K24a swap. The car will crank but the car will not start. It seems that I maybe dealing with multiple issues.

1) When cracking the car the car seems to hesitate and die after few cranks and the cranks get weaker as you hold the key. The battery is measuring at 12.1volts.

2) When you turn the key to ING position 2 the fuel primes and the main relay clicks once and then a 2nd time shortly after the fist but I don’t see a green led light on the KPro 4 in the ECU which tells me it’s possibly not on?. I tested voltage on multiple pins in ECU with key on position 2 and I’m getting 12v and 5v on other pins. Not sure which pins I should be looking at specifically for this issue.

(Note: when key in 2nd position the fuel pump primes but fuel is constant and will not click off until key is turned back into first position. Fuel pump is on an after market relay)

3) Pin 2 on the main relay is not grounding and I am not getting any continuity when testing that pin against the chassis.

I also wanted to mention that I put a laptop on the KPro and it connects but when I turn the key to Position 2 ING . The KPro says the Ignition is still off.

I’m not sure of the exact issue and where to start with diagnosis. I am looking for advice and guidance on where to start but these are things I’ve noticed. Thanks

 

What engine harness do you have ?
What chassis conversion harness are you using ?
What ECU foundation are you using for your K-Pro4 foundation ?

It sounds as though you do not have power to the ECU in the IGN2 position... or not constant power there anyway. You did mention that the fuel pump primes... which would suggest that the green light inside the ECU might be "On" for a short time and then turns off when you lose power to the ECU. Why that is happening would be in the car... not a K-Pro setting.

The engine harness ground should be connected to one of the valve cover studs... placing the ground ring terminal under the appropriate cap nut before torquing it down. With a stock OE engine harness, this would be the front middle stud on the top edge of the valve cover. If you have an aftermarket "tucked" style engine harness, it will likely connect to the one along the coil pack valley closest to the cam gear end of the valve cover. Make sure this connection is clean, any paint removed, and properly torqued down.

 

Thanks for replying
What engine harness do you have ?

02-04 RSX K24 engine harness, I believe

What chassis conversion harness are you using ?

KPro

What ECU foundation are you using for your K-Pro4 foundation ?

37820-PRB-A07

The KPro is not getting a Green LED in any key position for any period of time. LED does not show up at all. I was able to connect the KPro to a laptop as see that’s Online but Ignition shows off no matter what key position.

The Engine harness is grounded on the valve cover as you suggested and there is another ground on the backside of the valve cover to the chassis.

I was just running some tests on the ECU not too long ago with a multimeter with key in ING 2nd position. I put the multimeter on E9 and was get 10v. I’m getting the same 10v on A2/A3. I believe I should be getting 12v. I check the voltage directly at the battery as was reading 12.1v.

I ran the same test again but this time with the high beams on the car and heard a noticeable difference in the fuel pump and tested the voltage. I was then getting 8v on E9, A2/A3.

Im possibly thinking that the battery might be bad or need to be recharged so that I’m getting 12v on those pins and the low voltage isn’t enough to power the ECU and it’s not sending a ground signal to the main relay because the voltage is too low? Not sure.

 

The '02-04 RSX OE engine harness was only produced for a K20 type engine... if you have a K24 style engine harness, it is aftermarket. What brand and version is it ?
You didn't answer the conversion harness question: This harness is required for your '96 Civic chassis to work WITH your engine harness. It should plug into the large single plug found between the firewall and shock tower on the left side of the engine bay and connect to the green plug under the dash near your original ECU plugs. What brand do you have ?

 

My bad I meant to type “KTuned Conversion Harness” and the plugs you mentioned are plugged in.

it might be an aftermarket engine harness that looks OEM. I’m just not sure which one because it was on the car when I bought it. What are some determining factors I can look for on the engine harness to tell what year?

 

Did the car ever run properly or did you buy someone else's unfinished project ?

 

it was someone else’s unfinished project.

 

Do you get power out of the relay to fuse 31?



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I checked fuse 31 and it seems good and has continuity. The car cranks over and main relay clicks twice and fuel pump primes (but primes constantly and doesn’t turn of until the key turns off)

It seems like my ECU isn’t getting powered though. Recently charged my battery all way back to 12.9v. When I log into the KPro all sensors show zero with the key on and temp is showing 302 degrees and ignition off.

 

Do you have a calibration uploaded into the KPro ?

 

Yes but I can’t upload another or erase because ignition is off in KPro no matter what key position.

 

FIXED: ECU was fried, KPro is fine.

 

WOW... that would be a tough one to diagnose since the average home hobbyist doesn't have a spare socketed K-series ECU just lying around. Well done and thanks for updating the thread with your fix/solution.