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EP3 EP3 with stock ECU, yet, later VTEC and higher limiter?

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335
To follow up a request from yesterday, I made a video with a few pulls. The camera angle is a bit tricky, VTEC comes at 6800, and the limiter is at 9500 indicated. Am I overreacting, or is this how it should be? Any idea what can cause it? Incorrect RPM gauge? Some technical issue? Somehow the ECU was fiddled with? I have absolutely no clue at this point, so all ideas are welcome. I am considering taking it to a Honda service to get the ECU reflashed.
[video=youtube;shRFwzIg3Cc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shRFwzIg3Cc[/video]
 
Are you 100% sure it's a stock Ecu?

Could have Flash Pro or another piggyback programmable Ecu.
 
I think the dials must be out, the car sounds fine (especially with the injen;) ). I take it you are pulling away on 2nd, or you hit 60mph in 1st :D
The rev limiter is around 1,000 rpm out.
 
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I hit 105 kph in second gear, while other EP3s I saw on videos do about 90-92. That's 56 vs 65 miles an hour. Both gauges are wrong?
 
Has it always been the same? It's an odd one, that's for sure. I'm wondering if the battery light has anything to do with the rpm signal from the alternator? Or has that since happened and the fault has always remained?

Have you tried an obd reader to see what rpm that is seeing?

It's strange how the vtec window is normal, as I'm the amount of rpm to redline, just the whole lot is shifted higher. If the gauge needle had been moved the idle wouldn't sit around 1k like it is.



Sent from my Mi MIX 2 using Tapatalk
 
Try a test-mode/cluster calibration
[video=youtube;cGf3t9nRbP4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGf3t9nRbP4[/video]
might make a difference, might not
 
It's strange how the vtec window is normal, as I'm the amount of rpm to redline, just the whole lot is shifted higher. If the gauge needle had been moved the idle wouldn't sit around 1k like it is.k

Exactly my thoughts. It feels like it's been mapped to vtec only, when you rag the crap out of it, and never otherwise. Who the <#>&#{@@&{ would map a car this way?!

The battery light is not relevant. The car has been like this way before I bought it, the battery light is a recent problem after the alternator refurbishment.

Haven't tried an OBD reader, don't have one. Any ideas on where I can buy a decent one?

Also, tried the gauge cluster calibration multiple times, it changed nothing.
 
If you have an Android phone and you're willing to pay for a properly decent reader it'll be maybe $US60 (I'd recommend the OBDLink LX) - https://torque-bhp.com/wiki/Bluetooth_Adapters and the Torque app. If you have an Apple phone then you'll need to get a wi-fi based reader rather than a bluetooth one, and the apps available aren't as good. The reason I suggest the higher cost one is you can do decent high update-rate logging of various engine bits and pieces including O2 and other aspects, the cheaper ones are slower there and might not paint as useful a picture, plus the OBDLink comes with some vaguely-decent Windows software too.
 
It seems like this thing will stay a mistery. No matter who I asked, noone could tell me what I should look for. Tuners told me to go to a Honda dealer, because the ECU is stock and it can't be mapped. The Honda dealer/service told me to go the tuners, because the ECU is not stock. Really... ](*,):smt067

In details, the Honda service leader told me, that the ECU most possibly has been fiddled with. With a chip/eeprom change the VTEC and rev limit will be both higher. This is why they dared not touch it, because if they reset it with the factory software, the car would've had trouble running as a best case, but it most probably wouldn't have even started. Since the car was running fine anyway, we left it the way it was, I didn't want to make things worse.

I bought a stock ECU from a breaker, it's going in on tuesday, this is the only solution I could think of.
 
Have/did you open the lid on your current ECU to see if it has been messed with (new solder work, different socketed EPROM, separate daughter-card etc.)?
 
Have/did you open the lid on your current ECU to see if it has been messed with (new solder work, different socketed EPROM, separate daughter-card etc.)?

Yes, I did, please a look at the pictures on page 1. I have no clue what to look for, other than the obvious extra chip e.g. K100. Do you see anything?
 
Yes, I did, please a look at the pictures on page 1. I have no clue what to look for, other than the obvious extra chip e.g. K100. Do you see anything?

Thank you. Sorry I forgot that this was this discussion :)

The solder work in your picture looks original as far as I can tell. I seem to recall there were companies like Icetronix who did map/flash the PRA ECU, so I guess it could have had something like that done to it. I hope you eventually get to the bottom of this (or just replace the ECU outright).
 
late VTEC and limiter turned out to be inaccurate gauges

The title says it. Should've taken a look before I bought the ECU... ](*,) According to Torque app and OBD Link LX, everything is where it should be. Unortunately my gauges are not, both indicate higher numbers, than they should.

So, how do I fix my gauges? I booked the car to a Honda dealer for tuesday, will they be able to do something?
 
OEM wheels and 205/45 R17 tyres, as standard. The Honda mechanics did a full diagnostic on the car, it only showed 1 error, the speedometer sensor at the gearbox. They said it's either that, or the gauge cluster, although I wasn't impressed by their ''expertise''
 
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