B20 w/LS auto - won't shif out of park

[civicjason]

I found this link but of course no solution. I think it may be similar enough to my TCM (obd1 I think) and it's pretty close to the problems I'm having.

Here's a snippet from the link:

I'm getting a D4 blinking light for code "14", which is a "short in FAS wire". ​

Code 14: Symptom: Transmission jerks hard when shifting. Possible cause, short or open in Brn/Wht wire between D16 wire and ECM, or Faulty ECM.​

Fix: I sent the harness back to rywire while the bad automatic was being swapped and this code went away so I dont' know which fixed the problem but I suspect something rywire did but I have no proof just the thought that a loose wire is more likely to throw such a code rather than a slipping transmission.

What's weird is the brown/white is what I jumper to check codes right?​

Automatic transmission..Tested the wire harness for continuity..ECU - JustAnswer

 

[civicjason]

 

[civicjason]

Ignore the red wire it's part of the stereo that's disconnected at the moment. sorry they are so large it was just the quickest way to get the pics on here.

 

[civicious]

That's exactly what I needed to see. I didn't get a chance to look anything up yesterday evening, and I've got a busy morning at the shop, but this afternoon I'll see what I can come up with.

AllData said the wire was yellow, I believe - although it doesn't matter the wire color that the open is in, as it's going to be one of the grey wires going from the ECU to the TCM, I believe. It's entirely possible that it could be something else causing it, as I'd be surprised if there's a wiring problem with your brand-new harness, although it's possible.

I'll check some other resources today as well and see if I can dig up any more info on the code 14.

In the meantime, have you checked what engine fault codes are stored?

 

[civicjason]

That's exactly what I needed to see. I didn't get a chance to look anything up yesterday evening, and I've got a busy morning at the shop, but this afternoon I'll see what I can come up with.

AllData said the wire was yellow, I believe - although it doesn't matter the wire color that the open is in, as it's going to be one of the grey wires going from the ECU to the TCM, I believe. It's entirely possible that it could be something else causing it, as I'd be surprised if there's a wiring problem with your brand-new harness, although it's possible.

I'll check some other resources today as well and see if I can dig up any more info on the code 14.

In the meantime, have you checked what engine fault codes are stored?

I had no engine lights at all until I disconnected the IAC last night then an engine light triggered. The engine actually seemed to idle better but when I put it in reverse and started moving it made it to the back of my driveway and died. I had to reset the code before the car would even go back up my driveway.

I also noticed their is a tube on the valve cover that's sucking air and it looks like it's the one that runs up to air intake piping. When put my finger over it I really didn't notice much difference in the idle but that's hard to say.

I did notice last night a real fuelly smell like the car is running really rich but could that be because I disconnected the IAC for a short time.

On my way to work today I noticed a few things:
(1) The car drove better at cruising speeds.
(2) The weather was warmer and it was raining. Did this affect the above?
(3) The D4 light only started flashing once and that was only after I mashed on the gas a little bit more than usual (it was wet so I broke the tires lose a little) to get moving before oncoming traffic caught up to me. At the next light I turned off the engine and started it back up and had no issues after that except for the usual idle surge and some sputtering when taking off.
(4) When I first started the car this morning it did the sputtering and a little surging.
(5) At any light I stop at it seems to idle ok for a second and then it's like a switch turns on and my car starts idling real low and may die.

My suspicions of what might be wrong:
(1) Bad ground to the ECU and/or TCM or one of them is bad
(2) Vacuum leak(s)
(3) Miswired harness
(4) Bad injector(s)
(5) Bad distributor, plugs, or plug wires
(6) Anything wiring or sensor related...see #7 ugh
(7) etc

 

[JKOBD.com]

Jason,

I got all your emails now bud. I'll go through all your questions and clarify things and make sure all your wiring for the conversion harness is 100% correct.

Thanks,

Jason

 

[civicjason]

The car idles poorly it seems when their is a sort of an electrical surge in car. Like maybe a fan or something is supposed to be triggered. The passenger side radiator fan turns on and off but it doesn't seem to be directly related to the fluctuation but on the other hand the drivers side fan never turns on from what I can tell. Could this be related to either fan or the thermostat? The ignition system possibly? Any sensors related to these areas that could cause my problems?

Thanks,
Jason

 

[civicious]

I'm thinking your problem on that end is a stuck idle air valve. Pull that thing off and clean it really well with carb cleaner (CARB CLEANER, exactly what I said), or just replace it. I'm thinking it may be stuck open.

What did you find when you checked for vacuum leaks like I described earlier?

As far as the fans, one of them should come on per the temperature switch on the thermostat housing, and the other should only come on when the A/C is engaged.



I'm still trying to find a good wiring diagram of the ECU connectors so you can test those, unfortunately I don't have a lot of in-depth wiring stuff for the older Hondas - there usually aren't weird problems like this that come up, most issues like this typically end up being something overlooked or misinstalled - I'm still digging though. Perhaps the OBD2 guy that posted above will be able to offer advice as well.

 

[civicjason]

I'm thinking your problem on that end is a stuck idle air valve. Pull that thing off and clean it really well with carb cleaner (CARB CLEANER, exactly what I said), or just replace it. I'm thinking it may be stuck open.

What did you find when you checked for vacuum leaks like I described earlier?

As far as the fans, one of them should come on per the temperature switch on the thermostat housing, and the other should only come on when the A/C is engaged.



I'm still trying to find a good wiring diagram of the ECU connectors so you can test those, unfortunately I don't have a lot of in-depth wiring stuff for the older Hondas - there usually aren't weird problems like this that come up, most issues like this typically end up being something overlooked or misinstalled - I'm still digging though. Perhaps the OBD2 guy that posted above will be able to offer advice as well.

Since the car is dying at idle I'm having a hard time figuring out whether it's dying because of a vacuum leak or another reason when I spray carb cleaner on it. Since I didn't drive my car to work today and I think my car is less likely to die at idle when it's cold I'm going to try again when I get home.

I had my TCM and ECU out all weekend, took some pictures I need to post, and when I put them back in and drove the car I noticed a lot of clattering from the passenger side engine compartment in first gear.

 

[civicious]

What did you find when you checked for vacuum leaks like I described earlier?

 

[civicjason]

What did you find when you checked for vacuum leaks like I described earlier?

I'm not certain if I found a leak at this point or not. When I sprayed carb cleaner around the throttle body/IAC area it died but I can't be sure it wasn't doing what it usually does after it idles without a foot touching the accelerator. I'll try again on a cold engine tonight...heck I may disconnect it again because I'm thinking the stalling goes away when I do that except for when I touch the gas it dies then.

I think we found one of the problems.

 

[civicjason]

Well I pulled the intake piping and cleaned out the throttle body and it was really black with some oily crap. So I cleaned it out with throttle body cleaner and it seems to be running a little bit better now but it will occasionally drop rpm and then idle back up but at least it doesn't stall out and die like it did before. I still hear some of the clatter from the transmission so I still think it's a fickle solenoid or something funny is going on down there (rattle??)

to be continued...



This rattle was due to a poorly installed motor mount...thanks again Trackmasters...but maybe it's just the way it has to be. I think I can get a crowbar pry it away from the frame and make it stop.

 

[civicjason]

Ok D4 light still comes on occasion but not as often.
The car idles without stalling but still stumbles and full throttle mostly makes noise without much acceleration.

I plan to pull the MAP sensor next and clean it if that's even possible and if that doesn't work I may just replace it. I figure that oily stuff from the throttle body has gummed it up maybe.

I also have some K&N air filter cleaner and oil so I'm going to use it and see if that helps.

 

[civicjason]

Well I think I found the problem. If you notice the transmission code there S4XA that means it's an OBD2 automatic. I believe this means it has OBD2 sensors and well that's a big problem but I'm not certain just how big at this point.

to be continued...

Just for the heck of it here are some pictures I took of the engine bay.

Pictures removed.

This transmission was bad either because the installed damaged the axel seal and it became low on fluid or it was bad from the beginning thus the TCM code 14 for FAS wire.







ECU below:

 

[civicjason]

It's not a map sensor...tried a new one and no change. Cleaned the throttle body some more but it's still better than it was but no change.

Weird though I pulled the IAC and cleaned it up but still no change. I did forget to tighten the screws and one of the screws fell out but the funny part is that it once the IACV fell partly off the car felt a lot more powerful but surged and accelerated itself to the point I could I had to shift into neutral to stop. I think my IACV is bad so a new one is about to be on order.

 

[civicjason]

My IACV has no tubes running from it for coolant or vacuum. It looks like I have a modified one which I think is not good and may be part of my problem.

I now have a transmission fluid leak but I'm not sure where from but I'm thinking hmotorsonline has probably sent me a bad transmission, probably not on purpose but of course my warranty is probably out now.

 

[dc4dude]

This whole thread seems like such a fail....

 

[civicjason]

This whole thread seems like such a fail....

Yeah tell me about it hmotors sends me a pretty decent engine but a totally trashed automatic transmission that needs that seems to cause me all kinds of problems. First it has a broken mount, a busted mainshaft sensor, an obd2 transmission, and quite possibly one with a blown torque converter. Now after I call them they say they'll call me back but never do. Well maybe hmotorsonline will man up after I have the transmission checked this weekend but if not lesson learned and I'll get a good transmission from somewhere else.

 

[civicious]

What did the fluid look like that came out of the transmission before you ran it?

 

[civicjason]

What did the fluid look like that came out of the transmission before you ran it?

I couldn't tell you what color it was when it went in because the shop that installed it put it in but I can say the fluid I added was pretty much the same color as what's dripping off the transmission now. What got on the floor looked red also but some had mixed with the antifreeze that came out of my throttle body when I had it off.