After hours of troubleshooting at the car and two days reading threads, it's time to bring my problem before the Honda Gods. I've been searching and fixing on my own for 10 years so please don't flame me if one in 100,000 posts has the answer already and I couldn't find it, I've tried.

Some history. Started with a stock 89 Sedan, original owner. I swapped in a y8 head/y7 block (availability), MPFI, OBD1, P28 running crome bought from a HT member and tuned locally, and at the time running a TD-41U dizzy. The only problem I ever had with it was it would throw a CKP code under load/climbing steep hills or at high speeds. (90+ confirmed by 2nd owner who pushed it harder than I ever did) But I was intermittent so I learned to drive around it. I sold the car about a year ago because I thought I was relocating (military) but that didn't happen, so 2 owners later I tracked down the car across WA and bought it back.

The gears were wasted and clutch fried. There were JDM stickers everywhere! The wires were hacked up, twisted here and there, hot ones dangling all over the place, and the guy was complaining about it blowing the 50A main fuse and it not being reliable. Well duh the moron... I just drove it onto the tow dolly, and put it on jacks when I got it home. No CEL and it ran fine for me for the few minutes I let it run. I knew it was F'd up and needed some major TLC which for me is just another side project for fun. Pulled the motor, new trans, clutch, main seals, gaskets, adjusted valves, new plugs, timing stuff, and "fixed" all the wiring. Put it all back together and fired it up. It was hard to start, sputtering and dying. But after adjusting the ign. timing it started and ran pretty smooth. Got the timing light out and dialed it in, then put the adj cam gear that YES IS Y8 NOT Z6 back at 3 deg advanced where Rich put it when it was on the dyno. Overkill with the dyno? probably, but I wanted it running right.

I drove it down the road a few miles to warm it up and adjust the timing and throttle again. No CEL. Sweet right? I noticed the buzzing sound from the start but thought it was an overtightened timing belt which I adjusted again. When I parked it running the idle was high, about 1900, dropping really low like 300 if I jazzed the gas and let it level out. I parked it for the night because I had to go to work and figured I'd adjust the throttle tomorrow and take it to emissions with the pass chip that I may or may not have

Went out today to fire it up, solid CEL and jumping the connector won't give me any codes. Just like that from sitting overnight. I traced the noise to the IACV because I noticed it moreso while putting a wire in the jumper connector when the car wasn't running but "on." Took IACV off and cleaned it, put it back on and now the car won't run. It starts, then immediately dies. Went down the street to the junkyard and grabbed an extra IACV, same problem. The plunger stays in the open position as soon as I plug it in with the ign on. Tested wires, good gnd on l/y wire, and b/y when off, and b/y +12 when ign on. It's pinned correctly on the ECU, triple checked wiring to pinouts. Pulled ECU, inspected all the connections on the board front and back and I see no burning or damage of any kind. A bad ECU is the only other thing I can think of, especially with the solid CEL. All the fuses are primo. No loose wires. OBD0-OBD1 jumper harness is perfect from boomslang. It was swapped to a TD-80U dizzy by the 2nd owner and is running that now. I have an extra I haven't tried, both ran it fine before.

Unless ya'll have any other ideas for me to try, I think I saw a virgin P28 while I was out today I'll look for tomorrow. I'd rather not throw 50 bones at it, but at least then I'd have one to socket if it turns out to be the ECU. I know it's not the right one, but it would tell me if the ECU is my problem. Or I'd just fry it too by plugging it into a compromised harness. hmm...

My bad for being long winded. Lets just consider it being thorough.

Link to my Civic's photo album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=ad938b967b

 

So when you turn it to the position before crank does the check engine light come on for 2 seconds then turn off indicating the main relay is working or does it just stay solid. Solid check engine light when checking codes means there are no codes.

 

It stays solid. It has been on since I started it this morning in the drive way and it hasn't left, CEL or car. I tried to pull the code and no blinks, just solid. So I thought it might just need a reset and pulled the 15amp ECU fuse for a bit, put it back in, started it up, still constant CEL from ign on through crank and while running. After unplugging the IACV it wouldn't start with either of them plugged in or not plugged in. No CEL only with no computer hooked up and ign on. ECM plugged in=CEL.

I've dealt with bum main relays in the past, I hope I didn't overlook something so generic, but that would be nice. I can try my CRX's relay in the morning. Is that IACV functioning properly based on what I've described? Noise ok? I gave all my spare parts when I sold it, and of course got none of them back. I had like 10 of those relays kicking around!

 

I went out this morning and it decided to start after putting the ECU and CRX relay in and hoking up the IACV. Hooked up the old relay, and it still started. Still solid CEL 100% of the time and won't flash any codes. Changed PCV which was cloggedish, I had an extra new one laying around, and cleaned dizzy contacts. Didn't seem to affect the idle at all, but it starts a little quicker. Drove it down the road and it's got no power. It died on me when I was turning around to head home about a 1/2 mile down the road. Wouldn't start. Was trying to. I retarded the ign timing a little and it started but ran with even less power, worse than if it was in limp mode. I'm going to the JY, then back to playing with timing.

If I pull the plug wires individually there is an equal drop in power. It's running like it's only on 3 cylinders, but all 4 are firing. Each plug sparks, short of going to get a stethoscope, I feel all the injectors are working properly. Fuel filter is newish, but not brand new. I think the last owner ran the tank really low often, which I never let it get below half, and it may have sucked up extra crud? It's missing.

 

Alright alright alright... I went to the junkyard and they'd just dropped a nice 95 del sol on the ground earlier in the day. ECU already gone! The civic I spied yesterday had been pillaged also. I missed 2 P28's by hours! Early bird gets the worm I guess? Richtuned wants $150 for a socketed P28 and whatever generic basemap I want on the chip. Too rich for my blood for this project. Eh... Get it?

I was messing with the timing, it was running just crappily as can be, and it just died on me when I was tightening the dizzy at the spot that was making it run the smoothest. So I finshed my Capt. & Coke (Don't hate! I'd had a stressful day at 3PM and it was too early for straight Jameson)

So I kept reading threads and got out the diagrams I'd kept while putting things together, getting ready to start chasing grounds. Just before I went out I found this on PGMFI.org:

So I grabbed my pass chip to see if my chip somehow got messed up and discovered this:



One of the zif socket prongs was also bentish. Previous owner must have messed with it, because looking at it last night was the first time I've touched it since I had it. I was just looking for burning or else I probably would have noticed it then. I seated it properly and it fired up and runs good. Idle needs adjusted, it's at about 100RPM and still runs smooth. I never would have thought to check the chip. Who messes with that stuff? Damn kids watching too much Fast and the Furious and youtube vids is who.

We're going to the park. I'll try to get it tested tomorrow. Ain't nobody got time fo dat!