P07 ECU differences for VX - CA versus Fed - Fuelly Forums

Click here to see important news regarding the aCar App

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 06-08-2008, 07:12 PM   #1
Registered Member
 
Reborn996's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 45
Country: United States
Send a message via Yahoo to Reborn996
P07 ECU differences for VX - CA versus Fed

Okay, so I bought a 1992 Civic VX that has been messed with (prior B18 engine transplant) and put back to stock. My problem is I can't verify if I have a CA car or a Federal car... the engine wiring harness looks to support a 5-wire O2 and that is what is on the car now but I get a code 48 CEL. I bought a new O2 and the CEL is still there... so I dug a little more and found out the ECU is a CA version P07-L00. Could this be causing the CEL 48? I am trying to source a Federal ECU now to swap in. I also noticed the power is off in the high RPM's and that I have to downshift on hills on the freeway. Hoping the P07-A00 ECU will fix all this...

David
__________________

__________________
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid - commuter
1999 Porsche 911 C2 - weekend toy
2005 Toyota Tacoma - hauler/work truck
Reborn996 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2008, 07:35 AM   #2
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 408
Country: United States
Quote:
Originally Posted by Reborn996 View Post
I bought a 1992 Civic VX that has been messed with (prior B18 engine transplant) and put back to stock.
So I guess the engine is now a D15Z1.

Quote:
My problem is I can't verify if I have a CA car or a Federal car
Does your dash cluster have an SIL (shift indicator light)? This would be a clue that you're Federal. But of course the cluster could have been swapped.

You can also check the sticker under the hood. On a CA car, it will say something like this: "this vehicle conforms with US EPA and state of California regulations." But this is also not definitive, since hoods can be swapped.

The other two signs of a CA car are the ECU and the O2 sensor. Also the engine wiring harness, which will correspond to the O2 sensor.

Quote:
the engine wiring harness looks to support a 5-wire O2 and that is what is on the car now
In '93 to '95, the CA VX had a 4-wire O2 sensor. But in '92, the CA VX had a 5-wire sensor, just like Federal. But all CA VX ('92-'95) came with the CA ECU, which does not utilize the 5-wire sensor and hence does not support lean burn.

Quote:
I bought a new O2 and the CEL is still there... so I dug a little more and found out the ECU is a CA version P07-L00. Could this be causing the CEL 48?
I don't think it should, because I think you have an ECU and O2 sensor consistent with the way your car was equipped at the factory.

Quote:
I am trying to source a Federal ECU now to swap in.
That seems like a reasonable move, and I suppose you might as well do that first before you worry about looking for other issues. I think there probably is another issue somewhere, but you might as well start with installing the Federal ECU, since you want to do that anyway.

Quote:
I also noticed the power is off in the high RPM's
That's not right. Power should increase nicely as RPM goes up.

Quote:
I have to downshift on hills on the freeway.
Top gear is really tall. So if it's a steep grade you might have to use 4th gear instead of 5. Especially if there's any extra cargo in the car, or other issues, like a stiff headwind.

Quote:
Hoping the P07-A00 ECU will fix all this
I have a feeling there are other issues, but they might be very basic things.

In the Helms service manual, p. 11-38, there's a troubleshooting procedure for CEL 48. You should probably go through those steps, but I suppose you might as well wait until after you have the new ECU.
__________________

monroe74 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2008, 08:01 AM   #3
Registered Member
 
Reborn996's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 45
Country: United States
Send a message via Yahoo to Reborn996
Thanks Monroe, as you mentioned this car has been through alot. The hood is not original and neither is the motor. The harness looks like one for the 5-wire so I figure may as well go Federal. Will let you know once I find an ECU to swap in.

David
__________________
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid - commuter
1999 Porsche 911 C2 - weekend toy
2005 Toyota Tacoma - hauler/work truck
Reborn996 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2008, 08:23 AM   #4
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 408
Country: United States
It's great that you are bringing a VX back to life. If the body is basically solid, then I think it's probably a very worthwhile investment. VX prices are climbing.

The biggest expense in converting CA to Federal is the O2 sensor. But you already have that (or two of them, even). And you already have the Federal engine wiring harness (since your CA VX is a '92), so that means there are no wiring hassles to deal with. So giving your car a Federal ECU seems like a smart move.

Just keep the old ECU around in case you run into smog issues.
monroe74 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-09-2008, 04:19 PM   #5
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 408
Country: United States
On eBay, here's a VX ECU that just sold: 320259995128 (just put that item # in the eBay search field). The price was kind of high.

Here are two others that are for sale:
250257491801
200230419946
monroe74 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2008, 08:50 AM   #6
Registered Member
 
Reborn996's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 45
Country: United States
Send a message via Yahoo to Reborn996
Thanks for mentioning that Monroe... I was the "high" bidder on that one but needed the ECU ASAP.

Hey, I do not have access to a Helms manual... any chance you could send me over those details on troubleshooting the CEL #48? Thanks,

David
__________________
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid - commuter
1999 Porsche 911 C2 - weekend toy
2005 Toyota Tacoma - hauler/work truck
Reborn996 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2008, 09:33 AM   #7
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 408
Country: United States
It's not hard to find on the web. Do a google on words like this: Helms factory service manual Civic 1992-1995.

If you can't find it, let me know.
monroe74 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2008, 03:26 PM   #8
Registered Member
 
Reborn996's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 45
Country: United States
Send a message via Yahoo to Reborn996
Okay, I tried to find it but the only stuff using that my search was torrent downloads I can't get and a corrupted .pdf. Any chance you could post the troubleshooting for me?

David
__________________
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid - commuter
1999 Porsche 911 C2 - weekend toy
2005 Toyota Tacoma - hauler/work truck
Reborn996 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2008, 05:54 PM   #9
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 408
Country: United States
I sent you a PM.
__________________

monroe74 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
initial fill up knhobson Fuelly Web Support and Community News 5 02-02-2010 04:13 AM
Aluminum Flywheel jasonty General Fuel Topics 8 03-21-2008 08:24 PM
Carbon fouled O2 Sensor:'92 VX - Perplexed Darkelf General Maintenance and Repair 15 03-17-2008 08:16 PM
Any Motorcycle MPG sites ? razmataz Motorcycles 15 07-29-2007 06:04 PM
Skid Marks on my Silk Shorts krousdb General Discussion (Off-Topic) 6 12-02-2006 04:13 AM

» Fuelly iOS Apps
No Threads to Display.
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 06:51 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.