jchilla

Asking here only because I think it is electrical related/sensor issue but i am not certain. im going to ask in the engine section as well but if thats not allowed i will take down the one that needs to be taken down.

I’ve got a misfire across all 4 cylinders and the cel that’s coming up is misfire on random and then a code for each individual cylinder. A weird thing that is also happening is that a relay behind the glove box will click and when it does that everything electrical shuts off in the car, speedometer, tach, radio, everything shuts off but then all comes back on within half a second and it’s happening if I put too much load on the engine and it feels like it’s tripping the electrical system and that’s when it does that flash click and everything shuts off and comes back in a flash. It started out just doing it when the engine was cold and would go away when warmed but now it is doing it at all times.

I replaced all spark plugs last night. I’ve swapped around coil packs. There are two relays I can see in the glove box a blue and a brown one I think they are the PGM 1 & 2 relays I’m not sure. If the relay is clicking that would mean it’s still operational right or no? Should I replace those?

i don’t know which direction I should start looking to next that’s why I appreciate if anyone had any advice

thank you in advance

jchilla

i have checked the main battery ground on both sides and cleaned up connection points and also the ground that goes from right above the radiator to i believe the egr/vtec solenoid area, cleaned both sides and re crimped connection

after reading around on the forums here i think i need to go recheck the alternator bolts and make sure everything is cleaned and solid

Colin42

Check the positive battery connection as well, especially if the terminal has been replaced

Wankenstein

Relay clicking might be related to voltage or amperage spikes. You may want to test your alternator for both amps and volts output in idle and under load. Check the alternator's positive and ground connections. Check it's belt deflection for proper tension. Also, if the belt is loose it's possible that the alternator's mounting bolts may be loose.

What's the CEL code(s)? Depending on the OBD2 scanner used it could be a false code unrelated to Honda's. If your engine has a misfire on all four cylinders it would run like absolute **** or not at all.

jchilla

so some significant updates, I went to pick a part and found a very very clean 2002 civic 5 speed, minus the trunk being smashed in all the way to the back seat, but everything forward from that is in immaculate condition. Im stunned it that I got to it so early that it has barely been picked a part at all. So I deciding to just pull as much stuff off if it as possible and put it on mine.

So far I’ve pulled and swapped all fuses and relays under the hood as well as behind the glove box, the intake air temp sensor and map sensor is what I’ve got on my car so far. I took it for a little drive and it actually runs a hell of a lot better and it’s only misfiring at idle and when I’m accelerating from a stop it is still tripping out stumbling clicking relay in glove box. I did some more research and I’ve pulled the ecu from that civic and am going to just swap out the EEPROM immobilizer with mine and just do the ecu swap cause I’ve found it actually is a common problem, but I need to figure out what caused it so it doesn’t happen again. A few have said alternator and I’m just going to swap that alternator from that civic as well. I know I’m shooting in the dark putting parts from a pick a part but this civic is so amazingly clean everywhere on it. There is almost no gunk or buildup of oil anywhere in the engine bay it seriously looks like it was hardly driven and garage queened I guess. Lol but I think I’m making good progress hopefully these last things I do will get it going to 100%

that civic also has some mods as well that I’m stoked to get and hopefully get if no one gets it first. So far I’ve pulled a revo technica short shift box and aftermarket cables and bushings that I paid 20$ for lol it has freaking coil overs on all 4 but has wheel locks and no one has taken the wheels off I’m guessing because of that. Usually every car there the wheels are like the first thing taken off lol this civic is a gem for pick a part standards

Colin42

There's lots of different ways to get the wheel nuts off. Take the battery cables as well

jchilla

yea definitely I just ran out of time
they were closing but I don’t have to worry about damaging anything so I can go at the lug nuts as caveman style as I want lol I also forgot to mention that my code reader read a whole different set of codes. It didn’t read any of the 5 misfire codes it used to, code for every individual cylinder and a code for random across all were the 5 it used to. Now it read P1607 engine control module internal circuit malfunction, P1889 problem in cvt speed sensor circuit, and P1850 dtc definition not found. That was the reason for me just pulling and swapping the ecu I completely left that out in the above comment lol

Colin42

That's sounds like it voltage issues, checked it with a meter yet?

jchilla

yea so I did with the original alternator and at idle it was reading 13.1-13.4 ish then I put the alternator I pulled from the civic I was talking about from pick a part and now it’s reading 14.2-14.4 and so far it is running so much better! I’ve only driven it a few miles but so far it runs perfectly. It idles perfectly no misfiring anywhere and the relay hasn’t clicked and done that stumbling shutting everything electrical off for a split second at all! That alternator from the civic wasn’t an oem it was a duralast and had the part number on it I was able to make sure it was correct. It also looked completely brand new there were any signs of wear on it whatsoever and pumped to only pay 35$ for what really seems to be a very recently new alternator.

Should I attempt to swap out the ecu still or should I leave it alone? From what I can tell it is fixed so idk if I should or not

Colin42

So the current alternator in the car is the duralast?
Just keep an eye on it. Glad the car is running better

jchilla

yes the current one is the Duralast that I got off the civic at pick a part.

An update after driving for over an hour. Everything electrical is operating a whole lot better and with more power. Windows roll up way faster, dash lights are a hell of a lot brighter, headlights seem brighter, the starter is starting with a lot more power and spins faster, and the engine itself feels like it has a lot more power all throughout the rev range and it’s gotta be getting a lot better spark and therefor running a lot better.

The only thing happening now is it is misfiring and stumbling a little only when it’s under a lot of load and very low rpm’s. I’ve looked at the tach when it’s doing it and it is always under about 2,300 rpm’s and only if I’m like in 2nd or 3rd gear with not a lot of speed so it’s lugging and has a lot of kid on it. Other than that it’s running beautifully

jchilla

Also if I give it any more than 50-60% throttle it starts misfiring and running like *** but anywhere under that throttle % it’s running very well

BrotatoChip

Could be a fueling issue (failing pump or clogged filter). You would have to test the fuel pressure.

Wankenstein

Besides a clogged cat converter it might be due to a vacuum leak? If it is it seems like it would be a large one such as intake gasket. A smoke test is very good at finding vacuum leaks. Is mechanical timing correct?