Well, i've got a problem which i think could possibly be my main relay.

Car:
1990 CRX Si
B16a
Cheap Short-Ram Intake
Crappy Exhaust

About 2 weeks ago, after having drove my car for awhile then cutting it off for about 10 mintues, i cut it back on. The CEL came on... so i checked it and it was'nt flashing, just a constant light. Tried driving it and it was in limp mode (can't rev past 3k). Anyways, i cut the car off then back on and the CEL went away. This has happened about 3-4 more times since then, but it always goes away.

Today i was stopped talking on my cell phone for about 30 minutes and i had the lights and cd player on. (I have a hawker odyssey relocated to the back, so not alot of reserve). Went to crank the car, nothing but clicking. Also, my tach started jumping all over the place and actually got stuck well past 8. So i flinstone it for a second to roll start it. It was kinda cold and raining; and since i had been sitting in my car my windows we're all fogged up so i put the defroster on max for the 40 mintue drive home. I get home and cut the car off and decide to restart it just to ensure that my battery got a good charge. Well, i go to turn it over and NOTHING. No radio, no lights, hazards won't work. I try it a few more times to no avail. Out of curiosity i popped my storage bin to look at the battery and the screw holding the negative cable down was a tad loose, so i tightened it down and (thinking main relay) opened the door for about 15 seconds to cool off the interior before trying it. Cranked right up.

So what do you guys think?
Have i been reading too many "your main relay is bad" posts and i'm getting paranoid and my car not starting after i got home just cause of the loose battery cable?
Is my ECU screwed cause it's pulling the (i guess it's code 0)?
Are these problems one in the same or seperate?
Should i stop asking rhetorical questions and post this so someone can give me and answer?

My Theory:
The ecu is just randomly throwing codes for no real reason, perhaps may be going bad but not any time soon.
My dumbass left the lights and radio on for too long and drained the battery, and mysteriously the negative cable came loose enough to lose contact and prevent the car from starting. I'm too paranoid about my car breaking.

Anyways, sorry for the long post. Thanks guys.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KnowForever &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My Theory:
The ecu is just randomly throwing codes for no real reason, perhaps may be going bad but not any time soon.
My dumbass left the lights and radio on for too long and drained the battery, and mysteriously the negative cable came loose enough to lose contact and prevent the car from starting. I'm too paranoid about my car breaking.

Anyways, sorry for the long post. Thanks guys.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Its not your main relay, when your relay goes bad your car will crank. If you ever get bored take your main relay out and try to start the car, all it does is crank. Maybe your ignition switch was going bad, or it could of been your starter. It actually could of been a lot of things. About the ecu, it sounds like you were not getting enough power to the car, therefore your ecu was throwing codes because the ecu was not getting the correct volts from the sensors. When an ecu goes bad, it will not act up. It either will throw a code all the time or not.


Modified by 90blackcrx at 7:21 PM 4/12/2004

 

its dead man u might as well sell it to me ill give u a dollar or 2 4 it then u can go get a chysler or sumpthin

seriously though i dont think theres is a code that keeps ur led on constantly like urs is any one else have this menacing red light not going out ever

damn little led probly pocessed and whats boost man lol ;]

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 90blackcrx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Not your main relay, when your relay goes bad your car will crank. If you ever get bored take your main relay out and try to start the car, all it does is crank. It sounds like you were not getting enough power to the car, there fore your ecu was throwing codes because the ecu was not getting the correct volts from the sensors. When an ecu goes bad, it will not act up. It either will threw a code all the time or not.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Awesome, so most likely my cable's been loose for awhile, randomly causing the ecu to throw the code and this last time it became loose enough to prevent the car from starting.

Thanks

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KnowForever &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Awesome, so most likely my cable's been loose for awhile, randomly causing the ecu to throw the code and this last time it became loose enough to prevent the car from starting.

Thanks</TD></TR></TABLE>

Re read what I put, I edited a little.

 

Yea, it could be those too. My ignition switch went out on me 6 or 7 months ago. This acted way different than the ignition did tho. So i don't think it's it but it's not out of the realm of possibility. Also, it's starting fine now and actually runs a tad bit better, so i'm not suspecting the starter. Maybe i should have checked the battery cables sooner.

Thanks for the quick responses and helpful options. I'm still gonna keep an eye on things and see how it runs for the next few days.