HONDA CIVIC HYBRID !!COMEBACK!! STALLS/NO COMM PART 2 

I was a mechanic from 1964 to 1987 I always thought I was decent and never gave up on a problem or problems, but I never came close to your abilities, I don't know where you received your education or maybe you are just a natural with an outstanding mind? What a pleasure to watch you in action, not many around like yourself, Thanks for your great videos...

Oil is not a current conductor and does not corrode, so you don't have to worry. I had a case where antifreeze got in there and rusted a few pins, I put silicone grease in the connector to prevent shorting. Very good video!

You fixed it. Having had this problem myself, I could've told you the problem was the PCM from the second video. I could've also told you that heat doesn't touch their gasket-you have to pry it open, which breaks the seal. Basically, the ECU portion of the PCM runs on the ignition power lead, while all the rest of the PCM runs on the standby 12v line (the one that remains powered for some 30 minutes after turning the car off), switched on or off by a set of power transistors. Somewhere, a temperature sensitive fault happens where those transistors either fail, have a broken solder joint, or receive intermittent signal, causing the entire PCM to intermittently shut down except for the ECU portion. So the engine can keep running, but everything else in the PCM randomly shuts off as if you turned the ignition off, thus losing CVT control, all bus communication, and all feedback to the engine and IMA. I believe that without electronic control of its three solenoids, the CVT torques its internal belt to maximum tension and about mid-range ratio, while internally pulsing the clutch based on road speed and engine speed. Normally, the electronics have the clutch locked once you're over about 7 mph. I was doing 70mph when mine was cutting out, and I kept driving (now at 3500-5000 RPM!) and ended up smoking the CVT (high engine RPM with high belt tension). Miraculously, when I came back to the car the next day, the CVT was working again, and I was able to limp home, a few minutes at a time until it the day cooled off, and then I did hundreds of miles without any further issues. The problem literally flared up out of nowhere on an extremely reliable car (400k miles) as I drove from a cooler climate to a warmer climate. I promptly replaced the PCM and have had no issues since. I would strongly recommend that the customer NOT sell this car. Also, thank you for sharing the ThinkDiag tool. What all can it do for the Honda Civic Hybrid? I would really like to reprogram or modify the PCM's behavior regarding how it controls the CVT. I saw a lot of options on there briefly in the video and am just wondering what it can do.

Thank you so much Eric. I had exactly the same symptoms happening with a low mileage Civic Hybrid - after running for about 20mins it would stall in gear or would not shift out of Park. I noticed that just prior to the issue happening each time, the indicator for Drive would intermittently flash (even if in another gear position), then after a few more minutes the gear position indicator would completely switch off and all the warning lights would come on. P16D6 and U0100 were the most consistent codes coming up, and interestingly the ECM sockets and plugs were clean and dry. Honda Australia quoted me $2,410 (approx. US$1,750) to fix the problem (and a potential 3 month wait for the part to arrive from Japan), but after purchasing a used ECM and a ThinkDiag tool (which both arrived in a few days), the car is now running perfectly. Thanks again!

Good job Eric....As a professional electronics technician, I would not worry about oil film in the connector. Instead welcome it as a corrosion prevention for the pins. I encourage you to spray Deoxit in every connection and finish it with Dyelectric grease. Water Moisture in connections is your greatest enemy.

Eric is the man. Just can't get enough of these videos. Can't wait until the next one!

Awesome, thanks for the closure. I think a lot of people have been eagerly anticipating this video. I really liked the music you played during the test drive/ taking apart the ecm btw. Great diag as usual. Looking forward to more videos!

Thank you Eric. Good job again. Have a blessed and safe week to you and your family.

I bought this based off your video and love it. They have made it even better since. I did get the two down loads and purchased more. Please do more videos using this thank you.

Man. That was a cool case study! Like you said, the TCM and PCM are in the same unit, so if they cannot communicate with each other, there's not a lot of things that can really be wrong.

dude that scan tool is awesome ! i have the same car,, and i concluded the same repair, was the ECU... but difference i had to take my car to the dealer to input the vin and program my immobilzer.... did my fix and car is running 230K now.. keep up your energy and passion

More videos about the ThinkDiag tool.... You just taught me something valuable...!!! Thank You...!!!

Awesome fix, just like you I some times spend too much time before calling a component bad especially a PCM but I do get to re-fix a lot of other guys work who replaced parts that weren't causing the problem so that's my excuse for checking and rechecking. Now if I just had a dollar for every bad sensor connector or fuel pump plug or PCM connector that I repaired after someone replaced the component that wasn't bad, oh wait I do get paid well to do just that LOL Keep your head up and keep up the good, honest work.

Thanks for for your hard and thorough work man these videos helped me to fixed the same issue I was having with my car as well, thanks a million!

Keep on keeping on. You are a hard worker. Capillary action doesn't require pressure. It's the same thing that causes a wick to get entirely wet if one end is placed in a liquid. Liquid just wants to crawl along and wet a surface.

Nice job and thanks for sharing your knowledge. You're the man !

Just want to say mate, keep pushing and doing what you do. Hope things are looking up after closing your shop.

Good video Eric. I retired from the business after 40 years with 30 plus years working on Hondas. In early 2012, I gave a demonstration to a group of new Honda customers showing them items from their cars. During the demonstration, I had the Honda laptop computer hooked up to a vehicle and used an old TV ad phrase "This isn't your father's Oldsmobile" and showed them what the mechanics have to go through to diagnose the newer cars. I enjoyed having problem "Childs", but as you found out, they don't pay well considering the amount of time invested. I am so glad that I am out of the business and feel sorry for the upcoming mechanics. You have to be very intelligent with a good sense of logic and a lot of patience like you. I will keep watching your videos because I enjoy them very much.

I've seen much more oil in such connectors, without making any damage inside components. The only trouble with the oil is that it will slowly damage the insulation by inflating it and drying it out. Impressive how easy it is to program pcm on these hondas.

That step between scan tools capable of programming is huge, usually at least an extra thousand dollars, especially when you consider that the tool is outdated in a few years. For DIY guys who rarely need programming and who work on only a few vehicles, paying $40 per vehicle is a big improvement. I can see giving that option a try....

Great case study & fix👍 Honestly from the first 2 videos it seemed a very difficult task, but you fixed it😉 Keep up the good work, & more interesting case studies🕵️‍♂️ Thanks for sharing Bro👍 Stay safe❤

Thank you very much man, you did your best as always.

Man! This worked like a charm. Everything cool so far. Follwed the video to a T and the Thinkdiag is a little beast. So glad I didn't have to go the shop to program the key. These ecm's are junk from Honda. Picked up 2 from the junk yard yesterday just in case one of those is junk. 😪

Love your videos, keep strong man

Dang man. I have a headache now but I stayed with you to the end. Glad you solved the problem if not the cause. I would have set fire to the vehicle in the first video. LOL

Good video my friend. I was waiting for it.

Thanks for sharing the case study. BTW, oil leak on top of tranny is actually from camshaft thrust cover retainer, top right side of the engine. Yes, it is quite tricky. Cheers Eric.

Great job like always myfriend

Giant like, thank you for sharing info about diagnostics tool. please do final video on Lexus LS460

First a big like for your channel and your superior detailed diagnosis. Great work! Concerning the oil in the ecu connector, this can happen indeed. Fine stranded cables can actually work like a wick in a oil lamp. So it is capillary indeed, pressure is not needed. I guess that the oil leakage you noticed meets somewhere the end of a cable or a crack in the insulation and starts to creep its way to the other end of the cable.

Thanks for the hook up on that think diag. I ordered mine last time you mentioned it. I got $20 off with the amazon coupon plus the 10% off with your promo code. Paid $94 after tax and everything! Can’t wait till it gets here👍

Very determine , I really enjoy your videos since i have 2006 honda civic with charging issues. Hoping that changjng the battery will fix the problem.

Dude, you are the bomb! You know you your shit, and what you don't, you figure like a dog after a bone; you don't quit! Thank you for sharing your "magic." Charles Stewart; a mobile auto mechanic from Mesa, AZ ♥

Love this channel 👍👍👍👍👍

Eric great job. I’m huge huge fan !!

man i really like your videos....great content....

Great information thanks for the videos and the tool is awesome

I ordered a thinkdiag from your last video . I have not gotten it yet... but please keep on making videos using it … So can have a better understanding on how to use some of the important functions ..Thanks

KEEP IT UP WITH THE GREAT CONTENT

Love your videos!

Great job! Great job!

Good man, became a follower

I love this thinkdiag

Good call ,Handy new tool as I said before, I have someone who might buy one .All the best Cheers from Tassie..

Thanks Eric to share good Educational video

Hi. Same exact problem here in Ukraine. Having same Civic Hybrid but EU version. Customer brought this car to us for CVT replacement (because of noise coming from inside). And while testing it after replacement those ECM problems started. Thanks for your deep video report - now I know that we’re moving in right direction.

Love it🔥

Glad you go it finished. 👍

I bought one thur your link only because it had bi directional capabilities hope it meets my expectations

Fantastic! Thanks for the post!!

Thank you for your work

I like to say very good Info like your style, and great DG aloha from hawaii

You are smart 🤓 brother, thank you for sharing 🙏

Excellent once again=)...good shit

Thanks for the video 👍

Great job 👍

Hello Master Eric great diagnostic repair again have you ever considering become an instructor for a major company I'm sure you could teach them many things and put more professional techs in the field which is drastically needed , we love you brother God bless you and your family

Sounds like Honda decided to use dielectric grease only on the one terminal bank. Great series by the way. Yeah I believe the grease or oil was intentional by the manufacture.

Clearly the computer was the problem you set out top find. The oil in the connector is a separate issue. Most technology failures are caused by expansion and contraction stresses due to temperature cycling. Interment electrical problems are almost always caused by this. I'm glad you saw that there were not two physical circuit boards in that computer, just one computer doing two things. I'm glad you learned how difficult it can be to open a piece designed to keep part swapers out. I believe I would have made sure the 'new' computer worked at least as well as the old one before i took the old one apart. The oil is coming up =INSIDE= one or more of the wires. In between the metal conductor and the plastic insulation. You will not see it in the harness unless you nick the insulation on the wire carrying it. To find where it's coming from you have to disconnect each connector on that harness. When you come to the problem it will be obvious. As you pointed out when you discussed the seal around the connector on the computer, it's hard for liquid to get in or out. Something like a crank sensor or cam sensor or transmission valve solenoid or sensor has had the seal behind the connector fail and the area between the harness connector and the device connector has filled up with oil. The seal is keeping it on the inside so it looks dry until you disconnect it.

Solid Fix , Str888🆙 👊

You spent too much time on the oil residue Phenomenon for him not caring about it. But like me, It would drive me crazy not knowing where it came from... So Eric, a loose ground bolt and a $55.00 ECM/TCM module? Not bad. Unfortunately, it was kind of intermittent so it took a while to diagnose, but that's what makes you that guy. Sometimes it's better to be good (the best) than lucky.. Thanks for another great diag. I know this is 3 yrs old but I was in need of a decent Scan tool and already bought the XTool (2023), Could have saved some $ on the ThinkDiag. I'll see, should be here tomorrow and I might return it. I know I'll miss the 10% promotion (3 yrs later) but no big deal... Thanks again!

Good job! The oil definitely looked like CVT fluid. You should be able to take a sample of it and compare it to the other fluids. How it got into the gasket sealed connector is weird. It would have to come from the cable side and up through the pin gaps because there is no way to get past those red gaskets if they are not worn.

Nice job bro, only thing i can think of is the installation grease there put during assembly, some pcm at capacitors and transistors has dielectric grease which is good for insulation but when it gets too hot it melts and run like oil, i think pcm shouldn't be in the engine bay, its just too hot

06 hybrid 172k miles, dealing with this for the past year, started hot june last year, after hot driving, idling, summer car pickupline, the ima lights come on, and some fail safe mode kicked in, reduced power , as soon as you put into park car would refuse to shift anymore to drive, if you shifter lock override with screw driver insert, you would feel the abs brakes activate to prevent driving, manage to crawl over to curb, waiting for tow realized after about 30-40min rest, car started up and can drive back local. this happen half a dozen times, solution was always let it sit cool off, reset all the obd codes, drive, installed various airflow cooling fan for hybrid battery supplemental cooling, thought it was deteriorated ima battery, changed drove for moths fine during winter probably no issues b/c cooler monts, happen on a hot april day after lots of stop and go, $2k new ima over committed felt like $ flush down drain, then your video SAVED ME!!!!, I also followed your instruction meticulously to the T!, found a ebay ECU with the model serian matching as close to my original as possible same year hybrid, no key reprogramming using this video!!!, you deserved to be honored my friend, i've been advocating this channel since. i've driven all over long distance stop go, this summer will be the ultimate test , but car has not hiccups, next issue is to deal with possible cat deterioration

Great job

Another Good One

If you look at the front tire, it is very close to your connection. Running down a wet road or even driving into a hole of water might be where the liquid is coming from.

Kudos to you Eric, my question is what type of wiring diagram is that?

The owner tried to do some flip cash on this lemmon ... LOL. Good job Eric as usual. And nothing like driving alone for some time in a not busy road.

I had this same issue on the same year civic hybrid. Took me a while to figure out due to it being an intermittent issue. Long story short it was a bad ground on the driver side of the cylinder head. If you remove the air box you can access the ground and harness easier.

Eric, I have a C7 Corvette. Would you recommend using a Range AFM Disable device?

Eric, you won't see any oil on the wire loom as it will travel withing the cable insulator. Remove and check connectors is the best way

Very good video. Was THINKDIAG X431 or what model used in the video?

Nice video and Good job, it was very interesting. Thank you ////////////////////

fantastic!

@ 14:54 Where you cut the harness open, Do I see a cut wire with corrosion on it? I hope you check it out and see where it goes. I bought the thinkcar Bluetooth scan tool.

Eric what camera are you using? I tried making videos off of phone but I am not able to get a good video off of it. Anyways thanks for teach/showing us what you do, learned a lot from your channel.

Computers, aren't they lovely? I miss the old engines where a feller could work on them WITHOUT having a computer to diagnose a computer that runs another computer!

Hey Erick, you da man!! That ECM is definitely not user serviceable. If there was no oil in the harness right behind the plug from the ECM, then the oil is not wicking up the wiring harness. Could be some sort of die electric grease installed at the factory.

Did you try sniffing the connectors to determine if it was engine oil or brake fluid? (The brake fluid reservoir was above and to the side of the ECU),

Whats the software you used to see the electric diagrams on your lap top?

nice work

Ours had some light oil/grease in the upper white connector too. I assumed it was there from the factory install - to help o-ring & rubber seals slide on with the plug-connector. It was clean looking oil. Oil should not affect electronics. It's a good insulator. Some electronics are put in an oil bath... I wasn't worried about it.

that's most common in mercedes, the connector in the transmission is sealed and it basically destroy the computer module up to the hood.

I realize this video was two months ago. I made an observation. You were looking on the outside of the insulation. Wouldn't the oil be on the inside where the copper is? The insulation being the pipe? Thanks for the video!

Great video! How do you just buy another control unit. In Russia, it is necessary to repair at the level of components. I have not seen such a destructive effect from oil.

nice video! am curious how much is a PCM computer from Honda dealer ?

I wonder how much programming that can do .. can we get programming subscription or is it very basic ??

Did this solve the problem for the figure? I’m currently experiencing the same problems on a 2006. Your video really really helped me thanks

Given that both computers had oil in the top socket I believe this to be a factory corrosion protection. You could have exposed the wires as they entered the white plug to see that they were dry proving that oil had not got into the harness.

Hi did you match the serial number of the ecu when you are buying the new one..?

Did you ever post the 3rd video to this car I never did see it thanks

Nice Video 👍👍 Should mention this Connectors Oil or Water issue are horrible. Pls someone guide that this is possible with Water + Heat + Gun on Harness Tape = Oily stick thing which we show in Video?

Can Thinkdiag read the voltage in each of the hybrid battery cells?

Did you remove the fender liner or was it gone when the car showed up? That'll cause a lot of water infiltration issues....

SALUDOS DESDE PANAMA

Hi from dubai. Does thinkdiag has live date function too.

Was his phone number flashed on the internet? 😂 Old hybrids are just not worth it. $1900?? Someone will buy it sadly. Good work!

LoL honda has great gasket sealer. I love that stuff

This channel considered to be the best content i have ever seen on RU-vid and all automotive channels should do the same