hi, I own a 98 ex auto civic and yesterday as i was driving home my CEL came on after I made a sharp u-turn. So today I went to autozone to get the codes. I got p1298- Electrical load detector circuit high input, p0135 - problem with oxygen sensor 1, p0141 - problem with oxygen sensor 2, and p0501 - problem with speedometer (speedometer doesn't work now or it bounces around when it does work). I only have about 70k miles and i was surprised to see the cel on. Not only that but now a strange noise is coming from the engine when and after I rev it or accelerate. Also the lights in the dash on my car dim and then keep brightening again when i rev it. And when I was driving home from autozone i had to stop at a red light and when I stepped on the gas to go, the car had trouble accelerating (i think it was having trouble shifting too). I think its probably a problem with the electrical circuit of my car. Is there anyway that I can fix this myself? Thank you for the help!

 

Check the ground wires on the engine. There's a big one on the transmission and smaller ones on the thermostat housing. Also make sure the vehicle speed sensor (on the top of the transmission over where the axles go into it) is securely plugged in. If you still have trouble with the speedometer you probably need a new speed sensor.

After the speedometer works again, reset the ECU by disconnecting the battery for a while (with the key off) then see if the CEL stays off.

 

If you don't find a problem with the engine ground wires (mentioned by mk378), my recommendation is that you next focus on the trouble code for the Electrical Load Detector circuit. This may be the root of most or all of your problems. You will find one picture here and two in a post that follows. They may help you diagnose the problem.

[IMG]local://upfiles/25538/64C3F997839042B6A4D4F966E10D7865.jpg[/IMG]

 

Last two pictures:

[IMG]local://upfiles/25538/FE1A53EE5CBB4EF0801DA600D0F6549B.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/25538/9D30C68AA5F84CE68776FE0D53863DD9.jpg[/IMG]

 

thanks a lot of the help guys. ill check it out and say if it works

 

where exactly is the speed sensor? is it closer to the front or the back of the tranny? also where is the thermostat housing?

 

Does the component location picture in the post above help you locate the speed sensor?

The thermostat housing should be visible behind and below the distributor as you face the vehicle. Look for several hoses emanating from it.

 

You may also find these two posts helpful:

https://www.hondacivicforum.com/m_78902/tm.htm

https://www.hondacivicforum.com/m_501475/tm.htm

 

In the picture it looks like the VSS is closer to the front of the car but I thought I found farther to the back when I looked? I was actually just looking at one of those topics you posted. Also I found this meant for a guy with pretty much the same problem:
https://www.hondacivicforum.com/m_64753/tm.htm
I'm hoping that a ground wire was damaged or something and then a fuse blew because of too much current running through it. That won't be too hard to fix. My friend is gonna have a voltameter tomarrow hopefully so then I can see if and where the wires are damaged and then replace the fuse. I'll try to keep this topic updated.
thanks for the help!

 

Yes, the speed sensor is farther back and located on top of the transmission. It is made of black plastic and is attached by one 10-mm bolt.

This eBay link shows a picture of the VSS when removed from transmission:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/96-00...QQcmdZViewItem