Stru

So I read the FSM and all the forums and they all tell me what to test and what steps to take, that's cool. BUT I made a booboo. I took my car apart yesterday, removed EVERYTHING (Throttle Body, IACV, TPS, ECM, Air Intake, Battery, etc.) and did all this before I even thought to test the wires. oops

The FSM is telling me that I need to power my car on in order to test them, but that's sort of impossible right now. Even if I hooked up the battery again, I still don't think it will turn on because there's no computer in the car.

Would I be able to test the connections without the car being on with a multimeter tool? Can't I just ground the connections to the negative battery and test them for power like that?

Also, what exact readings am I looking for? The FSM didn't specify. What would I check to see if the connections are okay between the IACV and ECM? Sorry, I'm a serious noob with car electronics..

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

Since you have the car apart, all you can check is the continuity of the wires, i.e., if the wire is broken or not. The service manual has you checking for voltages which also checks the continuity but is a little easier to do.

To check continuity, you need to connect a tester to both ends of a wire. If one end of that wire is at the ECU in the car and the other end is under the hood, it is a bit more inconvenient. The tester can be an ohmmeter or a test light.

rullywowr

Its easy to test the IACV for shorts, just check the pins as described in the FSM:

Pin 2 to 1
Pin 2 to 3
Pin 5 to 4
Pin 5 to 6

All should be around 22 ohms. You should check for any shorts from top row to bottom row as well. If in doubt just replace IACV as it can take out your ECM as well. I got mine from eBay for like 50 bucks.

I made a great backprobe set with some sewing needles, spare wire scrounged from an ac/dc adapter, alligator clips, and basic soldering. This is useful for backprobing connections into connectors and is invaluable when setting the TPS.

Most of the time the wiring harness is just fine and the IACV is toast. The real question is if you fried your ECU. You should pull it and look for any burned chips (especially the STA508/STA509). If its an auto also disconnect the electric engine mounts.

I highly recommend replacing the TPS screws with hex head as well as the ECU screws with hex as well. They are a real PITA to get those phillips out of there and back in again. Good luck man. I just went through the same ordeal and felt like I would never get my car back together. Now its running awesome.