Brak's 98 EX

[Brak]

I checked the plugs after it happened. and nothing looked out of the ordinary, for a motor with 225k, and only 250 miles on the plugs.
issue was only happening for the 10-15 minutes it took to get home, and only at very low speed (parking lot, stop sign, etc).

Either way, i'm convinced it was heat related, as i've driven another 50 miles (cumulative), short trips throughout the week, and haven't been able to replicate it. when it happened, i had been driving around all day.

Also, i completely forgot (maybe i blocked it out), but...
couple days earlier, my throttle stuck open when i was approaching a stop sign. Depressing the gas pedal cleared it up, but forced me to accelerate through the stop sign, and across a major Highway
luckily no one was coming, or it could've been a really bad day.
had to change my pants after that one.

 

[Brak]

In other news:

Last night, I made the mistake of going through the car wash (for the first time), on my way home.
Should've known better.

my jacket and pants were completely soaked.

 

[Brak]

I've spent the winter mulling over the future of this car...
This summer will be focused on making it reliable (Suspension, weatherstripping, etc.), but there's definitely a swap in it's future...

I've always wanted to do a J swap, but i'm starting to seriously consider a K24. especially since it opens up the possibility of a 6 speed manual.
Been browsing the JDM engine sites, will probably start collecting parts soon.

 

[nd4sped]

K24's are cheap and readily available. Most of the "unwanted" K series Accord, Element, etc can all be used reliably with a oil pump swap.

 

[Brak]

K24's are cheap and readily available. Most of the "unwanted" K series Accord, Element, etc can all be used reliably with a oil pump swap.

That's what i was thinking. most of the accord or TSX variants are 180-190 hp on paper.
could easily swap cams if needed.
I'm not interested in turbos, so not worried about bottom end.

I already have a turbo car, and it has been a driveway ornament for nearly 2 years.
the velosters turbo ate itself at 70k, and Hyundai isn't holding up their end of the warranty.

 

[Brak]

In other news, I think i'm falling out of love with the Ghost Key.

it's kind of a pain, if your car sits for a while, and doesn't always start in 3 seconds.
you can't just hit the button again, you have to turn the car off, back on, then repeat the start process.

it's not

Also, i'm pretty sure it's slowly draining my battery.
it's fine when i drive the car every day, but if it sits for a few days, the battery is too weak to start.
if it sits for a couple weeks, the battery will be pretty much flat.

Battery was brand new back in August/Sep. car has no other electronics

 

[nd4sped]

Ghost Key should not be drawing much power at all. No more than a keyless entry system would. 100% get in contact with JDI on that one. Mine is still in the box to be honest. I have one kit and want to put it on the Civic. Thought about putting one in each of the Honda ACTY's.

 

[Brak]

Ghost Key should not be drawing much power at all. No more than a keyless entry system would. 100% get in contact with JDI on that one. Mine is still in the box to be honest. I have one kit and want to put it on the Civic. Thought about putting one in each of the Honda ACTY's.

It's useful in my case where the steering lock was destroyed, but it's not as convenient as the active keyless systems, where you can leave your keys in your pocket.

I actually find it kind of akward, since you have to swipe the fob, which is on my keychain, and then figure out what to do with the keys.
I'm realizing why the card based keys back in the early 2ks never really took off.
First World Problems right?

but yeah, i'll reach out to them and see what they say.

 

[Brak]

Been a while since the civic has gotten any love... I've only put about 500 miles on it since spring...
Yesterday my truck got a new head unit, so the civic gets the hand me down.

Last year, i threw in the $14 Dual unit i had laying around.
It honestly wasn't half bad (especially for the price), but this Alpine is "technically" an upgrade.
even if in name only.

Harness properly soldered, and shrunk.

Ready for install

 

[Brak]

In other news,
i need to make my car lockable, so i decided to finally add a keyless entry system.
They're like $16 now, so it's kind of a no brainer...

I refuse to cut wires unless ABSOLUTELY necessary
I dug into the wiring diagrams, and figured out the necessary pins on the (currently unused) security harness.



I'd like to make a proper harness, if only i could figure out what connector this is.
it's pretty standard, used by many vehicles (suburu, volvo, etc), but i can't figure out the manufacturer.

Best i can tell, it's not Delphi, Amphenol, or Deutsch...

If i can figure it out, I could also provide a harness to others, if they wanted one...

 

[Brak]

--EDIT--
Think i finally figured it out.

Manufacturer: JAE
Series: IL-AG5
Model: IL-AG5-16P-D3C1

Mouser has some in stock, so I'm gonna order one and test it out.
Fingers Crossed

 

[nd4sped]

Just about to say you can still get these from the dealer. Hit up IRunOEM on Instagram, has a Honda/Acura parts guy.

 

[Brak]

The dealer has the female plug for the harness, but not the male end since it was part of the radio.

unfortunately, since the keyless system was built into the radio, it wasn't meant to be removed.
I've spent years trying to find an adapter harness, and every one i've tried has the wrong connector.

This is specifically a 96-98 issue.
99-00 is easier, since the keyless controls were on a standalone box.

 

[nd4sped]

The dealer has the female plug for the harness, but not the male end since it was part of the radio.

unfortunately, since the keyless system was built into the radio, it wasn't meant to be removed.
I've spent years trying to find an adapter harness, and every one i've tried has the wrong connector.

This is specifically a 96-98 issue.
99-00 is easier, since the keyless controls were on a standalone box.

All facts. Guess I read your other post wrong. I honestly don't remember what that harness was in my 98 LX I had (first car, 4DR auto). I think I actually paid Best Buy to install it back in 2001.

 

[Brak]

All facts. Guess I read your other post wrong. I honestly don't remember what that harness was in my 98 LX I had (first car, 4DR auto). I think I actually paid Best Buy to install it back in 2001.

Yeah, there may have been one back in the day, but nothing i can find now.
Super niche product at this point.
What idiot would be wasting money on a 98 civic?

 

[nd4sped]

Yeah, there may have been one back in the day, but nothing i can find now.
Super niche product at this point.
What idiot would be wasting money on a 98 civic?

<<< This guy would too

 

[Brak]

Whelp...

I received my parts from Mouser, and i made a long harness for testing...
my research paid off, as everything connected first try, except the drivers door is not responding...

I can hear the door controller (mounted in drivers door) clicking, when i send the drivers door signal, so i know that's good.
Drivers door has always acted wonky, due to the "anti lock out" function, so i've always assumed it was normal...

In too deep to stop now, so i bite the bullet, and tear my door apart.

Armed with my wiring diagrams, i successfully verify continuity for everything at the door controller unit...

Haven't even gotten to the actuator yet, when i notice something weird.
there's a piece of speaker wire shoved into one of the holes on the harness.
unravelling the mess, i find this...

apparently, at some point there was an issue with the constant power wire to the door controller, and they just shoved a piece of wire in there, rather than fixing it correctly.

I'm starting to wonder if this may be part of my power drain issue, as i pulled this unit out last summer, to gain access to the window track.

 

[Brak]

Now i'm on the hunt to identify this connector.

At the very least, i need to replace the pin, so i can fix the wire, but I'll probably just replace the entire connector, pins and all.

it doesn't appear to be JAE like the other connectors.
so far, i've found International Semi's use the same connector for their gauge clusters, but that's all.

maybe tomorrow, i can actually test the actuator, but i'm not going to hold my breath on that being good.

 

[Brak]

Found it!
my mad filtering skillz are on point.

P/N 176116-6
Automotive Connectors 070 MLC II PLUG ASY 12P GRAY

This one was tricky, as there's another version, with the same shape, but different sized pins.
The correct one doesn't have a picture, but the product schematic reveals all...

at $1.57, i may as well grab one since minimum purchase for the pins is100...
Thankfully they're only $0.16 each.

 

[nd4sped]

Making me miss making long form threads. I might have to do this in conjunction to my Civic videos. Might help bring new members to CC and old ones back.


BTW I have couple of old Honda harnesses in a box at my storage. Kept them simply for the plugs. Saw it the other day, totally forgot I had them.