98 hx limp mode

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chadcharb

Well-Known Member
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Alright I'm back from the dead again! I've been on the search for a commuter for a while and my dad calls and says he found a car for me. I'm at work pulling 12's for the foreseeable future so i asked him to check it out for me and if it looks good to go ahead and buy it. So later that night he shows up with a semi clean 1998 HX and hands me a rebuilt title :facepalm: first giant red flag right? Only thing i can tell though is one fender and the hood replaced so hopefully no huge deal. On to the title though. 26 degrees at my house this morning go out and warm it up, come out 20 minutes later ask the frost is defrosted and hit the road. I notice about 5 miles into the drive that the temp gauge isn't coming off cold even though the heater is blowing hot. Then as I'm merging on to I90 i decided to very into it a little and discover it won't rev over 4k. 100% stock (i think) no codes. I'm guessing the 2 thing's are connected?

Cliffs:
98hx 137k miles
Stock
No codes
Won't rev over 4k
Temp doesn't come off cold
 
Swapped thermostat today with a new one and disconnected the battery to reset the ecu. Came out of limp mode for a minute then went back. It also appears the cel is disconnected... how do you even do that? So there may be codes after all
 
battery doesnt "reset" the ecu on 96+ btw still has stored/pending codes smh lol
 
How is it that your such a pompous fucking prick Scott? I've watched you respond to people like this for years and wonder how many of them you've driven away from the forum. If you can't show a little respect then don't respond.

I ordered a scanner this morning. Is it possible to turn the check engine light off completely? It never comes in at all when you turn the key on.
 
Perhaps the old "JDM" bulb removal trick?
 
oh if the light never comes on its probably blown lol lights supposed to come on for a few seconds with ignition on and then turn off while cranking and come back on if its throwing codes... and yea I can come off a little rude somtimes but you arent a new guy A and B you are a grown ass man probably older than me and you already know the car is OBD2 and has a diagnostic port .. ANY mechanic or shop or technician/shady tree/Hobby mechanic is going to very 1st thing pull engine codes step #1 and I guess im wrong for assuming its common knowledge I mean hell you can literally got to Vatoz Zone and get them to pull the P0 Codes for you and boom theres your answer , its stupid and ignorant to make a post like "hey my shit doesnt run right what do I do" on a 96+ vehicle because not really a good way to diagnose over internet and the car is smart enough to tell you whats wrong with it
 
it prob needed the thermostat etc but you are throwing money at it without doing any kind of educated narrowing down the problem , more than likely going to be something like IACV for the limp mode and temp gauge not working isnt going to be correlated more than likely ... idk Im sorry for coming off as a dick but you have been here since 2002 and have more than likely seen people get told more than one occasion you start by pulling the codes always
 
Perhaps the old "JDM" bulb removal trick?
It wouldn't surprise me with the guy that had this car. I'll pull codes when I get home and go from there. The new thermostat seems to be doing its job.

The guy confessed that he was having trouble getting the car through emissions but won't tell me what he did to get it to pass. Thankfully I don't have to worry about emissions but fuck this guy lol
 
in most states if the check engine light does not come on at the beginning of the ignition cycle and go off they automatically fail you soo literally could be something simple as the bulb and a sensor issue causing limp mode
 
in most states if the check engine light does not come on at the beginning of the ignition cycle and go off they automatically fail you soo literally could be something simple as the bulb and a sensor issue causing limp mode
Im fully expecting it to be something like that. Didn't have time to mess with it tonight though.
 
Alright, I ended up with 2 codes.
P0401- EGR A insufficient flow detected

P1259-VTEC system circuit fault (bank 1)

New egr is easy enough any ideas on the 1259 code?
(Yes im going to Google it)
 
well the egr code probably 99.9% means it does need the EGR Its safe to say its probably bad if oem its going to be clogged with carbon (somtimes get away with cleaning it out) , the vtec system fault either means its unplugged or the solenoid isnt working correctly . Id take and unbolt the vtec solenoid off the side of the head and make sure the screen isnt full of trash
 
well the egr code probably 99.9% means it does need the EGR Its safe to say its probably bad if oem its going to be clogged with carbon (somtimes get away with cleaning it out) , the vtec system fault either means its unplugged or the solenoid isnt working correctly . Id take and unbolt the vtec solenoid off the side of the head and make sure the screen isnt full of trash
Yea gonna check that screen and change the oil in the car since it looks dirty af and who knows when it was done. Also going to clean the egr passages on the manifold.
 
Ok, changed the oil and ordered a screen and gasket for the vtec solenoid. I didn't want to pay for the egr as a roll of the dice and looking it over it looks pretty new so I just cleaned the passages on the manifold and they were super bad. Pretty much sealed shut. That cleared up the egr code so now I just have vtec to figure out
 

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you might want to change the oil again. lol looks like that thing has been sludge heaven
Ya i think I'll run the fresh oil for the rest of this week and change it again. I got the filter today so I'll swap it out tonight. I really don't want to go dig through junk yards for the whole damn valve assembly
 
Decided to check the valve lash today and I'm glad I did :(
 

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