Hi everyone, I posted this problem a few months back about the CEL light in my car. The light came on a few months ago and it was showing up the misfiring codes. So far, I got a full Tune up, changed the EGR valves and ports, and replaced the distributor in my car. The light is still coming up! Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated!
Never heard of one but by all means you could have a malfunctioning CEL light, but within the time that you repaired the codes you first checked something else could've come up. Have you checked it again since? What codes is it telling you now?
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I just got back from Honda again. They said the reader was picking up multiply misfiring codes again. They are all stomped. They changed my fuel filter tonight as they found that it was "clogged" and a pcv valve. Will have to wait and see if the light will come back. In the meantime, thank you all for giving your two cents for this problem. Keep them suggestions coming! At this point, I will give anything a try...
No compression or leak down test. I have been bringing my car back and forth for the past 3 months and changing a few at a time to tackle the problem. Labor and parts isn't cheap at Honda as you may ALL know.. lol
Already knew it was going to be costly.. that's why I took it to Honda and have them looked at it. I can't think of anything else that can be wrong unless the ECU is the problem...
It could be......... (teh ECU, that is.) Try to find a donor ECU and Ignition key (chipped) then you will need to have your key copied, but not programmed. Then you tape the 2 keys together and start the car. Understand what I mean? So that it fits in your ignition, but picks up the code from the key that matches the donor ECU.
Do you know anybody who doesn't drive their lude in the winter? They could help. Oh, and that's the method listed for testing ECU in the Helms Manual, so, the dealership should be in agreement with me on this one.
I am actually the only one of all my friends to drive a Prelude... My best option is to see if someone at Honda with a Prelude would help with this. There's only one guy who drives a Prelude that I know of at my Local Honda dealer.
Also, check all of your ground wires and vacuum hoses. It's one of the first things you are supposed to check when getting a misfire. I had a random cylinder 1 misfire a month ago. After replacing the main ground wire, plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor, ignition control module (inside the distributor) and having the injectors tested, it turned out to just be dirty EGR ports. It took me an hour to clean them and about $3.00 for new port plugs, after I spent about $250 on all the other stuff. Oh well. Live and learn, I guess. Oh! Also check and clean the IACV. It is listed as another possible cause. It is on the front of the Intake Manifold. Just take it off, let it soak in some seafoam for a half hour, take a toothbrush and brush some seafoam over the screen to clean the carbon gunk off, then empty all the seafoam out of it and put it back on. Hope some of this helps. Like I said, I had a misfire code for a couple months, and it drove me crazy, so I feel your pain.
BTW, where do you live that there are only two 5th gen Preludes in town?
I live in NYC.. Im sure there a more than 2 5th Gens Prelude in town but non of my friends really own a Prelude. They've all gave in to society's trend and driving bmws and SUVs..
I live in NYC.. Im sure there a more than 2 5th Gens Prelude in town but non of my friends really own a Prelude. They've all gave in to society's trend and driving bmws and SUVs..
Lame. Although one guy in my prelude club got a 135i, and it is pretty damn sweet. Twin turbo, straight 6, 3.0liter. WHOOOOOOOOO. Try finding a NY prelude club website. Somebody should be able to help with the ECU. In the meantime, check the grounds and clean the IACV.
Yes, I think as far as the misfire is concerned it should work, but you will get a code for the ATTS, So the ATTS light will be on, and once you get the ECU in you may want to go to Autozone and have them read the codes to see exactly what codes are coming up. (write them down and post them up. I might be able to help more if I know the exact codes.)Also, make sure the donor ECU is from a 5 speed. Oh, and how many miles are you at? You may need a valve adjustment. It's supposed to be done every 30k miles, I think. I dunno. I adjust my valves whenever the engine starts ticking a little louder than normal. It's also listed as a possible cause for a misfire. Did you clean the IACV yet?
IACV was cleaned already. My lude just hit 102000 miles. I didn't get the code from the guy at Honda last time. He just told me it was multiple misfiring. I will get the codes next time I go back if the light come up again. I haven't gotten around to driving my car in the past few days. I will also ask him about the valve adjustment. I know my car is WAY overdue for one because it takes forever for my car to warm up. I did not know that will cause misfiring. I will definitely bring this to his attention. I also need to replace timing belt and water pump.... =x
If your using high octane gas it shouldnt have anything to do with the misfire, using low grade fuel causes pinging and may cause a misfire. You mentioned that you replaced cap, rotor, plugs and wire-all done at Honda. Have you checked the gaps on the plugs? Make sure there within specs. How is the car running?
The car runs fine and the mechanic at Honda drove it for a good 10 mins on the highway with me and no problem what so ever. I am pretty sure the ECU is fine because the ABS light came on once and I fixed the problem and it has been off ever since. The check engine light still come on displaying multiply misfiring though.
Do you know if they have tested your ignition coil? What about the ignitor (located in the distributor)? Have they checked your cam position sensor and the crankshaft position sensor? Have they checked the play in the distributor shaft?
If I were in your shoes, I would get all of the above checked out. Some of the stuff I have listed are things you can check yourself so it may be worth your time downloading the Helms manual and figuring out how to test some of the above.
It won't be the ICM (ignitor).....the original post says the distributor was replaced. And Honda would've replaced the plugs with OEM Platinums, which don't get gapped. I suppose it could be the coil, but from what I hear, they RARELY go bad.
Like Vpuppy says, it could be a sensor, but I'd think you'd get the code for that sensor also. This has me stumped. Has Honda tested your injectors yet? You might wanna try it. You could have an injector going bad. Also, tell the tech at Honda that you want to know exactly what codes it is throwing (P0301, P0302....etc) They can't just keep telling you that it is throwing multiple misfire codes. Or take it to AutoZone or PepBoys and have them read the codes (FOR FREE) so you can give them to us.
I just got a code 76 today which I assumed means Random Misfire since I don't have 6 cyclinders. It is a stock 98 Auto with 121k miles. It was bitterly code and I didn't notice any performance issues.
Have you had any luck diagnosing this issue? How harmful is it to drive the car like this?
I just got a code 76 today which I assumed means Random Misfire since I don't have 6 cyclinders. It is a stock 98 Auto with 121k miles. It was bitterly code and I didn't notice any performance issues.
Have you had any luck diagnosing this issue? How harmful is it to drive the car like this?
Well It has been almost 2 weeks since I last took my car to Honda. My CEL light is on again and I contacted the mechanic already. I just have to bring the car in to have them check the codes for me and ask him to retrieve the code for me to see what's up this time. In my case, my CEL always shows up misfiring but when I drive it, I don't notice any performance issues. The 3 of the mechanics at Honda also driven it and didn't feel any performance issues.
when u changed your spark plugs did it have oil on them? that could be it!
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I do noticed that the CEL light will blink when the car is in neutral for a while. As it blinks, the car starts to idle a bit. Once I start to move the car, the idling stops and the CEL light will stay on without blinking.
Go drive down the highway for about 30 min until the engine gets nice and warm. Then park at home and let it sit for about 15 min and then pull your spark plug. see if they are wet w/ coolant or oil. Also a compression check would be very helpful. You can buy your own compression test kit for like $20 buck at most auto stores. Did honda not know what the code was? I had a random #2 cylinder filling up w/ coolant after the engine got warm. Needless to say the head came off, was "decked" and had a great port polish, oversized valves, guides, seals, springs, locks, 3 angle valve job.
So.. took the car in and they pulled the plugs out again. No oil on them but they were all black and everything was misfiring:
P0301, 302, 303, 304.
P0420 also came on as my Cat needs to be replace. This 0420 code came up 1/2 year ago but it went away so I never changed it. I purchased a Magnaflow high flow direct fit Cat already but would this cause the ECU to come on since it is not a stock cat? Purchased the Cat here: http://www.performancepeddler.com/de...CT_ID=MAG22644
The technician at Honda suggested it might be something with the emission. He tried to do a valve adjustment but my car has aftermarkets cams.
He suggest that I should purchase another intake manifold and "hot boil" it and change it. Anyone has any suggestions? The guy wrote down the result of the diagnose test which I have scanned... The handwriting is really bad so bare with it please.. -_-
In the Prelude manual from Honda code 420 is "Catalyst system efficiency below threshold". It says the two probable causes are you secondary o2 sensor or your catalytic converter itself. since you have a relativley new cat i would go w/ the o2 sensor
as for your misfire codes.... when you installed you cams did you adjust the valve lash? If not.... that is your problem. It takes about 30 min to adjust all 16 valves. Just make sure you have a feeler guage.
that's the problem.. when i bought this car, all these aftermarket parts were already installed. I will ask them about the valve lash next time I go in. As for the spark plugs turning black, they said it might be something with the emission. They took off the fuel filter and only a drop of oil came out. Something is clog for sure and they think is the intake manifold. That's why they suggested to purchase another one and "hot boil" it. I never heard of a "hot boil" method and wanna check up with you guys to get your opinions.
go to auto zone or somewhere and look for c-foam or sea foam... i don't know the spelling but you put it in your car and let it idle for like 15 min. it will smoke like a mofo but i cleans everything out....
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