Pic came through shows readings for 3-4, 2-4, 1-4. looks like botom of pic may be cut off. Are there any other resistance checks or just those 3? BTW what's the PCM?

 

PCM = Powertrain Control Module. That's Honda-speak for the engine computer and transmission computer packaged together in one steel box.

 

Actuator resistance readings:
3-4 .......................54 ohms
2-4........................54
1-4 No continuity

 

there were only the three.

bad news, if one to four is open then the manual says the "safety solenoid" is bad...replace actuator.

Double check, hate to spend money, the readings. Then you can try to search junk yards for the item - car-part dot com is a good place to start. It is rare, IMO, for these to fail.

 

Rechecked actuator resistance readings. I had taken them at the female end of the connection which I think connects to the ECM, but I know does not connect to the Actuator. The male end-actuator- readings are:
1-4..................90ohms
2-4..................90
3-4..................50
1st 2 are 505 +/- high. Ambient temp at reading was 85F
Curiouser and curiouser, said Alice! :-)

 

Rechecked actuator resistance readings. I had taken them at the female end of the connection which I think connects to the ECM, but I know does not connect to the Actuator. The male end-actuator- readings are:
CORRECTION TO 1ST MESSAGE. READING WAS 2-4 NOT 2-3
1-4..................90ohms
2-4..................90
3-4..................50
1st 2 are 505 +/- high. Ambient temp at reading was 85F
Curiouser and curiouser, said Alice! :-)

 

Again, hate to spend money but the spec's are out of range.

My suggestion from here, since it is rare these fail, visit a local bone yard with your volt meter and test one there. If the spec's are within range

 

Found one on ebay - returnable. I'll give that a try. Looking at an exploded picture of the unit though, it appears that the defective part may be what is described as the valve. I'll let you know how it works out. Thanks for your help!

 

Yes, please keep us updated.

If you are going to keep this car for any amount of time, I would suggest getting a good shop manual for this car. You can look online for a source, I've used automanualsource before.

 

Bought an actuator on ebay. Seller claims it is in working condition, though how he would know that is hard to figure. Checked its resistance readings-found 2 of the 3 were off-spec about the same as the one in place. This makes me suspect some other cause. The failure was sudden-worked fine, then failed. No erratic performance before failure. As I said speed sensor works (downshifts) but no throttle. Could it be the PCM or some other cause?