The car didn't start for the first time in 11 years!

[DenisC]

Hey guys,

I’m looking to get some tips and suggestions regarding a particular problem I’m having with my 2000 LS integra.

I have had this car for the eleven years of its life and it has been totally reliable although I haven’t been religious regarding its maintenance. Just before Christmas it refused to start for the first time ever (it had been raining heavily during the drive to the local store). I tried to jump it when I got back to the car but to know avail, the starter motor would run but nothing would ignite. I then had it towed to my local mechanic and he couldn’t get it started either. It wasn’t for a few hours of reviewing the engine that he notice that the “Immobilizer Sysmtem Indicator” was flashing. He checked all the fuses and the wiring and he concluded that the problem was either with the coding in the keys or with the Engine Control Module (ECM).

I had a guy call out to have a look at the keys as it was the cheapest option. He tried to connect to the car for about an hour with three different coding units and none of them would connect. He said that “ it would go so far but would not allow the process to finish”. He then also checked all the fuses and found nothing burnt out either. He suggested that it was a problem with the computer and that I might have to bring it back to the acura dealer. Before bringing it to the dealer and spending the same amount as the car is worth on repairs, I would like to see if it is something I can fix myself.

My gut feeling is that I have short-circuited the ECM and hence the keys are not recognized by the immobilizer system. I have come to this conclusion because the car also had a leaking problem; the water that had collected in the wheel well (on this rainy day) was sufficient to flow over onto the backseat under heavy breaking. I believe that this water completely saturated the electrical junction box (wires running to the catalytic converter etc) that is located under the backseat (It was still saturated when I checked it out a week after this incident) and caused the wires to short circuit at this point. I believe (think) this caused the problem and that I will need to replace the ECM and have my keys recoded to recognize to the new ECM.

If my logic regarding the problem seems sound or if there is something else I should try before I buy a new/second-hand ECM please let me know?

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Regards, Denis

 

[sps21112]

with a little bit of research it could just be your ignition and your key not syncing not the ecu its a common problem or you can take it down to a car audio shop and have them install a dei immobilizer bypass. Im not sure but thats what i came up with.

 

[1sloDC2]

with a little bit of research it could just be your ignition and your key not syncing not the ecu its a common problem or you can take it down to a car audio shop and have them install a dei immobilizer bypass. Im not sure but thats what i came up with.

This is the best bet. When I bought mine I had no idea I had an aftermarket alarm till about three am one morning. I didn't have keyless entry to begin with, but with the bypass you lose your keyless entry. The kicker to this is it is 100+ for five minutes of work for the dealer to reprogram the key

 

[DenisC]

After six months of sitting idle, the wife insisted that I get the car fixed so I could clear the garden that had started to grown under and around it. I picked up a second hand ECM off ebay last week for 140 bucks including shipping, threw it into the car and had a key reprogramming guy call round to do two keys for 90. Ten minutes and half a can of starting fluid later the engine spluttered to life in a haze of blue smoke. It is now working great, however the break disks need to be buffed/ sanded to remove the six months of rust that is causing a terrible noise while driving.

So, it turned out to be a fried ECM due to water from the wheel well inundating the electrical junction box located under the backseat. Its nice to get the car running without paying a fortune!

Regards,

Denis

 

[Cripton805]

I really hope you did an oil change. That car sat for a while. I would have done the change before starting the car...
Thats great you had it start!

Only 00 and 01 Integra has this security feature. Thats why its hard for us to help. Most of us have 94-98s.

 

[DenisC]

Thanks, I did an oil and topped up the manual transmission fluid change after getting it started. There are a few little items that still need to be resolved, like the blocked drainage tube from the sunroof and checking to see if the gaskets around the tail lights are also the reason for the water getting into the carl. As a temporary measure I I have added a drainage hole to prevent the water from ponding in the wheel well. The interior of the car also needs to be put back together...maybe in an other six months.

 

[Cripton805]

This car really need maintenance. Also, check the weatherstripping around the hatch, for cracks or tears

 

[TheIVJackal]

Awesome you got the car running again! Best thing to do is write up a to-do list of all the things you need to check and do them one by one. Check the owners manual to see what you need to check if you need some ideas. Nice work.
- Aaron