Strange Electrical problems

[erospawn]

Hello,

 

I have a 1998 Honda Accord EX, 4 Cyl. 4 door Sedan, 150K miles.

 

About 3 months ago, the dash lights started coming on.. The way it happened was it was a cold morning.. some frost on the Windshield.. and so, I got a bottle of warm water and poured it on the windshield.. After that, drove on to work. That after noon, all of a sudden like, the battery light, brake light, and all the indicator lights on the picture of the car came on.. As Im drivig down the road, they come on, then off.. then on then off..

 

I pulled the battery and alternator and had both checked. They tested good. I then replaced all the cables from the battery to the main fuse box in the engine compartment and to ground. Didn't help. As time went on, the frequency in which the lights would come on increased. Sometimes, I'd be driving down the road, and the those lights would flash on quickly and go away..The lights just really appeared to come on for no apparent reason..Sometimes, I'd turn the car off and the ligths would come on when I started the car.. or they stay on between starts etc. etc..

 

Now add to this, the SRS light had come on about 6 months earlier.. I tried to get an OBD code, nothing.. Oh and the Engine Light was staying on a long time prior to that.. I forgot the code that came up for that one, but it was easy enough to clear. Never was able to clear the SRS light though..

 

Anyway.. I came to the conclusion that it might be the ECU.. mainly because I pulled the ECU fuse, and all the lights went out... not an odd thing to happen.. should happen, but what was so odd about it was that the only light that was on, on the indicator, was the light door light that should be on. Well, anyway, a new symptom has arrived since then, now I stick my key in the passenger door and the friggen alarm goes off..

I also checked with the dealer and found out the iginition switch recall on my car had already been taken care of as well.

 

Here's my question: Does it sound like the ECU? If is the ECU, does it require the dealer to reprogram the ECU to the transponder in my Key? (I'm not buying a new one at $950.00 from the dealer) Also, take into consideration the SRS light.. Not even sure about that one yet.. and a new airbag is roughly $600.00.. Should I just junk the car and get a new one? Oh, I had the transmission replaced 3 years ago as well.. (The VIN number is one made in the US) oh well....

[s_frost]

I've only been learning what some people on these boards would call the basics, but I searched through some troubleshooting guides, and the only thing that could possibly cause all of those problems is a classic case of demon possession. Good priests don't come cheap these days, either.

 

No, but that sounds pretty serious. As for the srs light specifically, I don't know if I'd worry too much about that. My friend's maxima has had that light on for about a year, and it's not like it got stolen or anything. but then again, you'd want to make sure the electronics are working properly, which would be a concern here. if all the other lights have been going off, it is probably all related to the computer

 

All I can say. Didn't want to leave this topic blank. Good luck, though

[Turtlehead]

I am not sure it this applies to your car, but I think Honda issued a service bulletin on the drivers side interior fuse panel. They lowered the price and should only run around $30 through the dealer. I have seen several car come in with various levels of "wierd" electrical problems and often times it is the drivers side interior fuse panel and other times it is the multiplex control unit (but 99% of the time it is not the MCU though. I would try replacing the drivers sire interior fuse panel. I think the part number is 38200-S84-A01.

 

As far as the SRS goes you can not get the code or erase the light with the OBD-II scan tool. It can be done manually although I would not recommend this to anyone that is not aware of the safety risks associated with working on SRS systems. To get the code trun the key off for three plus minutes. On the inner side wall behind the plastic cover (near the drivers side interior fuse panel) there should be a yellow connector with two wires plugged into a blank connetor. ALL yellow connetors are SRS system connectors so be careful around yellow including yellow wrapped wires. Once you locate the two wire yellow dead end connector (it does not connect to other wires) you have to jumpper it to complete the loop (sometimes a paper clip will work if you don't have a jumper connector). Stay clear of the air bags (for safety reasons) and turn the key to the run position (don't start the car). The SRS light should flash your code. Watch it several times to be sure you have the code right. If there are multiple codes then there will be a somewhat long pause the the light will start flashing again. If the code that flashes again is the same as the first time then you only have one code and the system is just repeating the codes for you. I can not stress enough to stay clear of the air bags when working on the systems. People get killed by them and I have seen some pretty bad pictures of what an airbag can do to a person.

 

As far as resetting the light goes I will tell you that later. It is a little tricking but once you have done it once you will be able to do it when ever you want.

 

As far as your car being made in the US, that is not an issue. All Honda's are good. The US ones are assembled in the US but the parts are in general coming from the same vendors as Canada and Japan.

[erospawn]

[

 

I just figured I'd go ahead and replace the ECU.. Used ones are fairly cheap.. and the dealer I spoke with said they could install it and program it for 150.00.. so a total of about 250.00 isn't as bad as spending 12,000 or something on a newer car.. we'll though. As near as I can tell, the ECU for this car is supposed to be located in the center dash.. near the Radio..which would make it seem kind of funny, considering this thing started going haywire a week after replacing the Radio?!?!?.. Nah, has to be coincidence.. As for the SRS light.. We'll see if its worth it or not.. If the ECU fixes the issue, then I'll pursue the SRS thing..

[Turtlehead]

These are the things that more people need to mention when posting on this site!

 

If the radio was replaced with a Honda radio then I would tend to say it has nothing to do with the process, BUT... if it was replaced with an aftermarket radio (I have no issue with aftermarkets as I have one in mine) and the person(s) replacing screwed around with your wiring harness then I would think it the case.

 

Honestly, I have replaced I don't know how many fuse panels on your generation and "they are cheap NEW through HONDA NOT USED." If you would like you can mail me your old ECU so that I can have it on hand. I am not saying it is not the ECU, but if you are dead set on replacing the ECU as per your original post, then why post at all and waste our time. Used ECU's on your generation are cheap beacuse they "rarely" go bad, but they can as with any car. As a Honda mechanic I can say this based on what I see moving through the shop.

 

Best of luck. I hope it fixes it (as it may), but if not look to the fuse panel first (drivers side one) or the multiplex unit second (less likely). Anyone that can change their oil should be able to replace both of the previous... After that it is going to be most likely a full on electrical dianostic issue that will most likely require someone other then yourself to do.

[erospawn]

These are the things that more people need to mention when posting on this site!

 

If the radio was replaced with a Honda radio then I would tend to say it has nothing to do with the process, BUT... if it was replaced with an aftermarket radio (I have no issue with aftermarkets as I have one in mine) and the person(s) replacing screwed around with your wiring harness then I would think it the case.

 

Honestly, I have replaced I don't know how many fuse panels on your generation and "they are cheap NEW through HONDA NOT USED." If you would like you can mail me your old ECU so that I can have it on hand. I am not saying it is not the ECU, but if you are dead set on replacing the ECU as per your original post, then why post at all and waste our time. Used ECU's on your generation are cheap beacuse they "rarely" go bad, but they can as with any car. As a Honda mechanic I can say this based on what I see moving through the shop.

 

Best of luck. I hope it fixes it (as it may), but if not look to the fuse panel first (drivers side one) or the multiplex unit second (less likely). Anyone that can change their oil should be able to replace both of the previous... After that it is going to be most likely a full on electrical dianostic issue that will most likely require someone other then yourself to do.

 

 

Thanks.. one more question. Yeah, I discovered that they are pretty cheap and Honda said they could install it and program it for about 150.00... I just want to verify the part number before I buy one.. however, I've been trying to find the ECU, but can't seem to locate it. I checked under the kick panel on the passenger side.. and looked under the Radio... I heard its supposed to be under the radio..most likely in the console.. Where else could it be?