[Article duplicated from OG FFS TechNet / Dated June 2005 / Author: Katman]
SYNOPSIS
This article explains how to check your vehicles check engine light for MIL/CEL codes.
MIL + CEL basically mean the same thing – your idiot lights’ on and you need to check it!
MIL = Malfunction Indicator Light
CEL = Check Engine Light
88-91 CIVIC/CRX & 90-91 INTEGRA MIL/CEL CODE CHECKING
The 88-91 “OBD-0” era vehicles are by far the easiest to check CEL code(s). You simply need to gain access to the ECU located right in the passenger footwell area and peel back the carpeting. There will be a protective cover on top of the ECU that usually has a small LED window. That LED window is where you pay attention to the blinking CEL codes being thrown while the vehicle is in ACC mode or the engine is on and running. [Photos coming at some point lol]
92-00 CIVIC / 92-01 INTEGRA MIL/CEL CODE CHECKING
With a flashlight, you’ll have to get yourself situated under the passenger side of your dash board and look to the right of the glove box. Stuffed up in the side of the glove box nook, you should see a green colored rubber block stuffed up in there [IMG.1]. Pull this block down. You should see two plugs parked inside of this block. Pull out the smaller of the two connectors. It’ll either be a light grey or blue colored 2-wire connector. That is the diagnostic connector [IMG.2]. Now, you can either make your own plug to jump the diagnostic connector as shown in [IMG.3+4] or you can use a paper clip to arc the two female pins within the diagnostic connector so that you can trigger the dash cluster CEL to blink [IMG.5-coming soon].
I always have the vehicles’ ignition on ACC mode (2 clicks of the key) with the active CEL ON before jumping the diagnostic connector. Once its jumped, take a look at your gauge cluster and your CEL light should begin to blink [Fig.6+7].
Once you get the CEL light to start blinking, here’s the how to decipher the blinking codes:
- Short blink(s) = increment of 1
EX: 8 quick blinks = CEL 8 - 1 long blink = an increment of 10
EX: 1 long blink = CEL 10, or 1 long blink, short pause, 1 long blink again = CEL 20 - Very short pause = continuation of same code
EX: 1 long blink, short pause, followed by 4 short blinks = CEL 14 -
Long pause = a break between multiple CEL codes or is starting over blink cycle
Video Example
[Pardon the video quality, this was filmed with a potato back in 2005]
This vid shows an example of how to read a few CEL codes. The clip shows code 22 (vtec solenoid), 41 (02 heater), and 19 (A/T lock solenoid) being thrown, then repeats. You may want to watch the video a couple times to familiarize yourself with how the CEL light flashes numeric patterns, pauses, then flashes numeric patterns again thru a fuzzy 2005 camera lens.
It may take you a few minutes to comprehend what CEL code(s) are being flashed by your ecu. They constantly repeat until the problem is resolved.
Honda MIL/CEL code list can be found HERE.
Article Creds:
Video clip by Jameson Malpezzi