Okay, yeah, that makes sense. I guess I was functioning off of the thing I've seen in the past (occasionally) of a "no return" policy on electronic parts -- I guess because there's nothing to protect the seller from someone kind of, you know, frying the part and then bringing it back or something. I was going to check either way, of course, but didn't know whether that was a common thing (a 30 - day) or not. Fair enough. Let's hope this works.

 

Electronic parts could be different depending on yard. Policies vary all over the place. Check ebay. A little more but you have some additional buyer protections.

good luck

 

Well, I've replaced the ECU, plugged it and the TCU back in; pretty sure I've double checked everything -- fuel pump plugged in, MFR plugged in, etc., and now I've got a no - start, CEL steady on, and a steadily blinking D4. No pauses, no longs, no shorts, nothing. Oh, and I've got a loaded shotgun.

** By the way, I pulled the Radio (Backup) fuse under the hood for about a minute. Is there a correct sequence for doing this other than, you know, pulling the thing? The TCU/ECU were plugged in while I was pulling it.


*** Additionally, just to make sure I'm not overlooking the obvious, are there any specific fuses I should be inspecting here? And when you DO inspect them, it's a pretty straightforward procedure of LOOKING AT THE THING, right? If it's blown the center wire should be pretty obviously broken, right?

 

Well, I went back and pulled the codes again, this after pulling the fuse for a minute. With the NEW MFR in place, it's the same codes as before -- steady CEL, blinking D4 at:

1, 8, 13, 14.

So at this point, it seems like I'm working with a bad TCU versus a bad ECU? I'm about ready to push this thing to the curb. *sigh*

 

(Moderator(s), feel free to advise me where to move this thread. It seems to be taking on a life of it's own, but I wanted to throw this in there.)

Had nothing better to do at this point, so I took at look at the distributor. Pulled the plastic cap off, easy enough, but upon pulling the cap off it is obvious there is some oil inside there. Not enough to be dripping out, but enough to be wiped off with a cloth and my fingers get dirty. I wanted to make sure I was correct in this next step -- the CAP and the distributor are two different things, right? Because after I pulled the cap off, I wanted to get a closer look at what might be going on with the distributor itself, so I loosened up three 12mm bolts holding it onto the passenger's side of the engine. As it came loose, a significant amount of oil came "with" it, so to speak. This was closer to being "oil running off" amounts. Enough to where I felt like that shouldn't be normal, right? Or when you pull the distributor off is that normal??

Don't move the thread unless you have to, but feel free. Sorry for the wordiness.

 

The oil inside of the distributor means that the shaft seal is leaking. It can be replaced, but it is a bit of work. The o-ring that is easier to replace is not causing this leak.

Unless you did get a bad ECU, then try a TCU. Maybe the junkyard will sell you a TCU and let you return it? It can't hurt to ask.

One other thing you may want to do is check/clean where the main ground bolts to the frame. It is in the engine bay near the brake booster. If you downloaded that 94 shop manual, the location of G101 is under the electrical section and the sub-section is wire harness and ground locations.

 

Yeah, I found that, and man, it LOOKED clean as a whistle. Not obviously corroded, from what I could tell. Maybe I'm unsure exactly what "bad" looks like, but dang.

I was looking at the codes, the numbers associated, and of course they're almost all associated with bad sensors. I can see where this is going -- wouldn't it be almost impossibly coincidental to have all these sensor go bad simultaneously? Much more likely to be a bad board, it would seem.

Did I read correctly, earlier in this thread, that a bad TCU can, in effect, "read" the ECU incorrectly? This was part of my concern all along -- that a bad computer could essentially give you bad information. Understandable.

To confirm, I did go back and re-check the fuel pump, and yes, it runs when "hot wired" through the MFR connector in key position "II".


** By the way, it is obvious from the passenger side of the engine compartment that this distributor seal has been leaking. There's widespread gunk, to some extent. Is there a safe, easy way to at least clean some of this off?

 

Want to make sure -- the fuse that would clear any codes would be the one that is under the hood, reads "7.5 BACKUP (Radio)", right?

*** Do any of ya'll have a PDF that lists the specific code translations for the 1994 Accord?? Just curious.

 

Yes, that is correct fuse.

See Online Manuals post links for a download manual. It has description and diagnostics for codes.

good luck

 

By the way, just so I'm clear, forgot to say:

I have now replaced the MFR, ECU and TCU, and still when I turn the key to "II", I get the same codes. Unless I am doing something wrong in trying to CLEAR them, I have no choice but at this point to think that the codes being thrown actually DO reflect bad sensors versus bad computer. (I guess -- I am at a loss otherwise). I've pulled the fuse for a minute and rekeyed and still I get the steady on CEL, codes 1, 8, 13, and 14. I'm at a loss where to go now. . .perhaps to the curb. *sigh*