[Pomerjon]

I have a 2000 Civic EX D16y8 Manual transmission. Car has had a Check Engine light on since I bought it guy I bought it off of didn't speak English as his first language and mentioned the light briefly saying something about a short header. The only thing off about the header was the heat shield was missing. So I scanned for codes and all I got was a P1362 code (Camshaft Position (CMP) Sensor A (Top Dead Center (TDC) Sensor) No Signal, or Top Dead Center (TDC). From my researching I see that those sensors are built into the distributor and therefore must replace it. Well I'm currently on my 5th Distributor 2 OEM replacements, 2 aftermarket and a used OEM that was not throwing a code in the car it came out of. When I clear the code it comes back on in less then a second. I know it has nothing to do with the code but I recently replaced timing belt, water pump, and crank position sensor which did nothing for the code but good to do anyway lol. So I am lost, could it be a bad ECU?

 

[drtalon123]

Shotgun parts replacement at its finest.

5th distributor? By your third replacement and getting the same symptom of clearing the code and it coming right back, did you maybe stop and think, maybe its not the distributor?

The ECU is throwing the fault code, because it sees a problem. You do know, wires connect the ECU to those sensors inside the distributor? Ever maybe try to see if they are good? Or do you have one of those new wireless bluetooth distributors...

Or maybe 6th times the charm?

 

[Pomerjon]

Shotgun parts replacement at its finest.

5th distributor? By your third replacement and getting the same symptom of clearing the code and it coming right back, did you maybe stop and think, maybe its not the distributor?

The ECU is throwing the fault code, because it sees a problem. You do know, wires connect the ECU to those sensors inside the distributor? Ever maybe try to see if they are good? Or do you have one of those new wireless bluetooth distributors...

Or maybe 6th times the charm?

The First 2 where the aftermarket ones from 2 different companies but I was told aftermarket distributors had crap electronics and would probably fail even if they were new. one of the oem distributors I had to replace because a buddy stripped out the threads for the cap bolts and then after the 2nd new oem didn't fix it I returned it and used the used oem distributor. I have not traced wires I do see some electrician tape by the clips for the distributor but the wires are pretty secure. They did have a remote start installed in the car but was removed before I bought it. I don't think remote starts tie into the tdc and cmp wires but I could be wrong. I may just get a replacement engine harness to be safe.

 

[Pomerjon]

Shotgun parts replacement at its finest.

5th distributor? By your third replacement and getting the same symptom of clearing the code and it coming right back, did you maybe stop and think, maybe its not the distributor?

The ECU is throwing the fault code, because it sees a problem. You do know, wires connect the ECU to those sensors inside the distributor? Ever maybe try to see if they are good? Or do you have one of those new wireless bluetooth distributors...

Or maybe 6th times the charm?

Do all the wires from the distributor clip stay the same color all the way to the ECU?

 

[Pomerjon]

So I ran a red wire from the red tdc wire at the ecu to the red tdc wire at the dizzy, and the same with the green tdc wire still no signal from the tdc sensor =/ I have noticed that every wire that goes to the dizzy has been cut and spliced back together at some point, im guessing something to do with the remote start that was in there. Still lost.

 

[drtalon123]

Do all the wires from the distributor clip stay the same color all the way to the ECU?

No. Get schematics for you're car and follow the wiring to ensure proper connection between distributor sensors and ECU.

 

[Pomerjon]

No. Get schematics for you're car and follow the wiring to ensure proper connection between distributor sensors and ECU.

I did. I found from the ECU C20 TDC Pulse (Green) goes to TDC Output (Orange/Blue or Green) at the Dizzy plug, and C21 TDC Mass (Red) goes to TDC Ground (White/Blue or Red) at the plug. I have the 8 pin OBD2b Dizzy. I did all the test wiring with the negative terminal off but my somewhere I fried the resistor in the dizzy.

 

[Pomerjon]

Well went with my gut finally after 2 years of saying "It cant be that" I found a matching P2P-A12 ECU for $70 figured what's the worst that could happen. Plugged it and and turned the key, it turned over faster then Iv ever seen it turn over and the check engine light is finally off!