My NSX is sick... please help

i think i finally figured out the problem

my car had problem starting up again this morning. i unplugged the ACM (advanced control module) from the comptech kit, and she started right up.

this happened twice already. i never drove the car without the acm though, it felt "weird" just by blipping the throttle.

i contacted comptech or ctengineering about getting a new unit. hopefully i find out soon
 
You write about unplugging the Comptech ACM. I am unsure which unit this is as I cannot find any mention of this in the installation manual.
Can you explain which unit you mean?
 
its the black box that is "spliced" via harness going to the stock ecu.
 
Am I correct in thinking that by ACM you mean the in the installation manual mentioned Electronic Signal Modifier ESM?
 
Ah,
Just noticed that in the Whipple manual there is mention of ESM and in the Autorotor manual there is mention of a ACM.
I presume these are the same item
 
It is not the same unit. The ACM module had been previously used in other Hoda/Acura models with the Comptech system. When CT Engineering revised the system wiht the Autorotor they chose the ACM instead. IIRC this was the unit that was also revised to manage high altitude conditions as well.

HTH,
LarryB
 
Hi Hrant,

In this specific case there was a bad ground connection on the wiring harness, where the ground lead(by the ignitor) connects to the blower housing, for the ignition coil wiring harness. There is a threaded hole on the blower housing for this ground connection and it was stripped. I helicoiled it, reassembled with proper ground and all is well:).

Not sure this would relate to the other issue you are experiencing....

Regards,
LarryB
 
Thanks Larry. Since I am not a techie but not shy to keep asking questions ..... is there a test to find this or similar grounding issue or one has to go by process of elimination of checking every grounding? Would any of this have shown up on the dealer's diagnostic print outs of PGM-FI Freeze Data/Data List? TIA.
 
I really do not know of a diagnostic check for this at all. After reviewing the intermittent issues the car had, and having quite a bit of electrical experience, it seems to me to be a grounding issue. In fact, pbassjo mentioned about this possibility some time ago. When I got the car I just went through all the grounds, and as soon as I put a wrench to the bolt grounding this point, it was obvious it was stripped. Since this lead IS the ground for the coil packs, well it made sense.

The car ran fine after the fix, and I am pretty sure Ryan has had no issue since.

Regards,
LarryB
 
Larry Bastanza said:
Hi Hrant,

In this specific case there was a bad ground connection on the wiring harness, where the ground lead(by the ignitor) connects to the blower housing, for the ignition coil wiring harness. There is a threaded hole on the blower housing for this ground connection and it was stripped. I helicoiled it, reassembled with proper ground and all is well:).

Not sure this would relate to the other issue you are experiencing....

Regards,
LarryB
Click to expand...

Hi Larry,

Would you happen to have a pic or diagram of the ground connection you are taking about? Thanks in advance!
 
If you can send me a pic of your engine , a shot from the air cleaner side, I can edit it and point it out to you:).

Regards,
LarryB
 
Well after almost 2 years of troubleshooting, the cause for my rough idle at start-up has been found!!! I took my car to Driving Ambition today and we discovered that the culprit was the fuel pump voltage relay that is installed with the CTSC kit.

I first discovered the problem after my car started dying on the freeway all of a sudden for no apparent reason and would have trouble starting up immediately after. I pulled of the back panel behind the driver seat and started wiggling wires while the car was running and sure enough the car would die when I wiggled the red wire coming from the fire wall to the fuel pump relay. The wire actually came out of the socket after a few more wiggles. :eek: Actually, 2 additional wires in the relay were coming loose.

So Shad instructed me over the phone to essentially take the relay out of the loop by wiring 2 of the wires together until I could get the car to the shop. The car started up like a champ with no rough idle!

So at the shop Shad rewired the fuel pump relay and reinstalled it. He started up the car and back came the rough idle, with the car running extremely rich. We then removed the relay and rewired the fuel pump the OEM way and the car started up fine. We did this a few times to verify that indeed the relay was the issue and each time the relay was in the loop the car would start up with a rough idle.

I'm sure that Shad can do a better job explaining why the relay was causing the problem, but I think he mentioned something about the relay not getting enough voltage to switch on.

Anyway, here are pics of the wire and relay. I'm just happy that we have isolated the issue!!! :biggrin:

Fuel_Pump_Relay_1.JPG


Fuel_Pump_Relay_2.JPG
 
Brylek said:
Could you also attach a picture of the iirc unit so we know how it looks like?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I left the relay at the shop. However, you can see the relay in the second pic. The relay is a black rectangular box zip-tied to the oem harness. In the pic you can see another black and red wire going to it. There are a total of 4 wires that are connected to the relay.
 
ryan1926 said:
PM Sent. :biggrin: It turned out to be a plugged vaccuum hose (#4).
Click to expand...

Came on here because my car just had the same issue. Recently (1k miles ago), had TB, WP, all belts, hoses, and fluids replaced. My car has the CTSC and is a 2002.

Drove fine a few days ago. Started this up today and it had issues idling, check engine light and TCS light, idling went down and up to around 500-1k RPM with smoke coming out. Got a bit worried.

Hopefully it’s a simple fix as the folks here have stated. Have owned the car for 8 years and this is the first kind of issue I’ve ever had!
 

Similar threads

soliloquist
Help - RPM drops really low then goes back to idle
Replies
8
Views
6K
Old Guy
Old Guy
A
1991 NSX just doesnt want to run right/pass smog...
Replies
24
Views
2K
Honcho
Honcho
T
PLEASE HELP '02 NA2 NSX won't Crank/Start
Replies
22
Views
2K
Old Guy
Old Guy
freeon
CEL Codes
Replies
11
Views
2K
Old Guy
Old Guy
cougarcat
Flashing CEL and TPS when warm 2000 SOS TT
Replies
15
Views
4K
Old Guy
Old Guy
Back
Top