my ECU CEL prob

[smp3000]

As many of you know I have a P5 or ECU and well we all remember that it will get pissed about not seeing the VTCS, and will throw a CEL- which I have and have had for almost a year.

If I go to pep boys or napa and have them flash it will it just come back later one again and again? Is there anyway to get rid of it forever?

 

[alexlitov]

remove the bulb?

 

[Matthew]

As many of you know I have a P5 or ECU and well we all remember that it will get pissed about not seeing the VTCS, and will throw a CEL- which I have and have had for almost a year.

If I go to pep boys or napa and have them flash it will it just come back later one again and again? Is there anyway to get rid of it forever?

im pretty sure someone already mentioned it was impossible to get rid of it, short of getting rid of the ecu.

 

[smp3000]

Ohh jease, <pause> This could cause a prob if I ever consider selling the car. Hmmmmm.. Anyone with any other info would rock!

 

[MikeBlueP5]

get a p5 intake manifold

 

[Little Beavis]

The MP3 does not have the wires in the engine for the VTCS solenoid. If it did you could just hook it up to "confuse" the ECU. However, if the ECU has the wires, you could probably trick it somehow. Find out what wire controls it and start "fiddling" with it! Sorry I can't be of more help, but the ECU is looking for something that isn't there anymore.

 

[alexlitov]

remove the bulb?

 

[spoolinmp3]

maybe a resistor of some sort will trick the ecu, I did this when I took the airbags out of my miata. The cell came on, I put a 2ohm resistor and the cell went away

 

[dominoy2k1]

now wich wires would we have to tap into...

 

[Little Beavis]

The Pin you are looking for is 73. I would guess that there is no wire there on your MP3 harness though. Not sure, just guessing, but 73 is the wire from the ECU that controls the VTCS.

I would think if you got a wire from there and hooked it up to a spare solenoid, you could make it think the VTCS was there, but you need a wire off the ECU. If you have one, you need the solenoid (I've got some extras), then you would wire the 73 pin to the right hand side of the solenoid connector and ground to the other side of the connector (when looking at the connector with the "clip" side at the top).

Hope that helps, but without the wire you're SOL. I looked into it before when I was thinking about doing a swap (that's why I think the wire is missing at the ECU, but I know it is missing in the engine, so the solenoid would likely need to be wired up under the dash or you'll have to run wires into the engine).

Good luck and let us know how it works!

 

[YP5 Toronto]

you could go an purchase an OBII Scanner.... and clear them yourself.... Plus... you get all the added features of reading the engine's activities..

Turboge pointed me to this one that he is using...I picked one up on ebay: www.digimoto.com

$89.... can't go wrong.

I haven't had a chance to use it yet...but it will come in handy once my rebuild is done.

 

[smp3000]

Beavis- thanks for the info! You're a smart cookie.

Yp5- I was thinking I could just clear it, but from the sound of it- the CEL will keep coming back. How exactly does the "clearing a CEL" work? Once it's cleared what would stop it from coming back if the ecu is contstanly detecting a problem?

 

[YP5 Toronto]

you aren't "fixing" the problem... merely reseting the CEL / ECU. It would be like reseting the ECU via disconnecting the power... this isn't the perfect solution, but if you have to pay someone to do it.... invest the money in the scanner and do it yourself.


Also.. the thing to remember is that if a CEL comes on all the time... when it does come on...you may ASSUME its for VTCS (crying wolf syndrome)... and ignore it (for a small duration of time)... or worse yet...multiple CEL problems...

at least with the scanner...any CEL that happens to come up, the OBII scanner will tell you exactly what it is. If its the VTCS, then simply clear it and move on (Waiting for it to pop up again).... if it isn't then at least you know what is happening (versus assuming its the VTCS).

 

[EVILSRT]

^ good points

 

[blynzoo]

Yes, as long as that CEL is on, something else could REALLY go wrong and you would never know.

Buying the P5 TB and mani would solve your problem, because then you would in fact have an entire P5 intake and ignition system, all the parts that were different for that part of the motor would now be P5 parts, no?

Perhaps I am missing something.

 

[YP5 Toronto]

agreed....buying the P5 would be a solution....but perhaps a bit pricy...plus the install time. You have many choices to work with now... but again $89 is a good deal.

 

[perfworks]

As long as the ECU doesnt see an open circuit it will go out.
It is has an internal resisitor for that circuit. You should be able to just connect the two pins together. I'll do it tonight and tell you.

 

[Little Beavis]

You have to do as Perf says. Buying a P5 manifold is a waste. You need the wires. . .we need to know if there is a wire coming out of Pin 73 first! That is what controls the VTCS. And if the MP3 does not have a wire there, one has to be added or soemthing else figured out. A P5 manifold WON'T solve the problem (sorry, I wish it did). This isn't a mechanical issue it is electrical, so we need to deal with the ecu.

Just tell us if there is a wire on #73!

 

[KzA]

I have looked into this time and time again..

THERE IS NO WIRE @ PIN #73 ON THE MP3 HARNESS...

If there was, a simple closed circuit witha resistor would do the trick, but you obviously can't do that since there is no existing wire..I see a few ways of fixing this...

Getting a P5 Wiring Harness, Solder, Heatshrink, and a weekend of nonstop soldering..

Figuring out a way to press a wire into the harness, I'm sure there are little tools for this or something...

Going back to the MP3 ECU..

I am fighting this battle right now, and we are going to attempt to put a wire into the harness..

 

[smp3000]

Wow, I'm not alone!!

Unfortunately I'll probably go the gay route of either taking out the bulb or just flashing it with the OBII scanner. I'm baaad when it comes to anything electrical and messing with my ECU is a recipe for disaster.