tdc sensor issue in 1989 Honda Civic DX (Sedan Model) 1.5 litre.

[Brian (aka Zod )]

Ok the other day.. my engine stalls out.. i turn it back on and the check engine light is on. But i notice nothing wrong. But i felt bad for my car.. changed the spark plugs, fuel filter, air filter and distributer cap.

I drove the thing up the highway (which i hadn't done yet) and noticed it starts jerking when it revs high. Like when it drops down a gear to keep your speed going up a hill. ITs an automatic and therefore doesn't have a tachometer, but it felt like this was happening around 4000rpm.. maybe 4500.
Only when it was reving high.

Anyways i kept driving it for a few days.. then one start it was super rough... and it barely made it home.

The trouble code on the led display under the carpet on the passenger side was 8 flashes which indicates a TDC sensor problem.

I took it into the shop.. and they found a use broke distributer to get another tdc sensor from and put it in mine.

after all this is done... i get my car and they tell me part of my computer fried so the check engine light is going to stay on and that the warning is now 6 lights to indicate this (i really wish i would of looked in person). I drive it home and it still has problems during acceleration and the trouble code is back to 8 flashes. Did i blow the TDC sensor again.. what the hell is going on?

is my timing belt causing shit to happen in my distributer? anyone have a clue? This is really getting expensive

- Brian

 

[N.E.Ohio Bob]

Bet you need the temp sensor that "talks " to the computer. There are two of them on the thermostat housing. It's the one nearest to the center of the engine. Check it with the car fully warmed up. Pull off the wire connector (check for broken wires) and measure the resistance between the two pins. Should be between 200 and 400 ohms. Replace it if the number is above 400, because it is confusing the ECU. Pull the ECU fuse from the under hood fuse box, and count to ten and reinstall it. This re-sets the ECU. Sensor should cost about forty bucks. Probably a dealer only item.
Hope this helps. bob

 

[Brian (aka Zod )]

actually the people i was getting to work on my car said the ECU on the passenger side was f'd and the tdc circuit was blown. So i'm letting them replace the board with a used one. I hope that works. <shrug>

- Brian

 

[N.E.Ohio Bob]

Give us a post and let us know how it turns out. bob