I have a code on my Neice’s 1997 Honda Accord - its P1361 which the book says is “Intermittent Interruption In TDC 1 Sensor Circuit” which I think is in the distributor. I have checked all the connections and peeked in the distributor and all looks OK and the car still runs fine. What do I do next? Thanks!
Clear the code and the CEL and drive on…If it comes back on, same code, have a pro check it out…
On top of the right (passenger side) shock tower, there are three connectors stacked vertically. Undo the bottom one and clean the connections, check the wires. Also clean the connector at the CKP/TDC (Crankshaft Position/ Top Dead Center) sensor. Then clear the code, it should not come back.
The CKP/TDC sensors are at the front of the engine, behind the alternator.
I checked the wires and cleaned the connectors and that worked for a while, but the check engine light came back on - I re-cleaned the connections and the light keeps coming back on after a day or so. Now the car surges when the throttle is pressed past the half way point when the check engine light is on, but as soon as I cleared it the surge went away?
I checked the wires and cleaned the connectors and that worked for a while, but the check engine light came back on - I re-cleaned the connections and the light keeps coming back on after a day or so. Now the car surges when the throttle is pressed past the half way point when the check engine light is on, but as soon as I cleared it the surge went away?
Any ideas? Thanks again for your help!
All Accords I’ve seen with this problem have been fixed with a TDC sensor. It is beside the crankshaft timing gear and requires removal of the timing belt covers so you might as well replace the timing belt and water pump while the sensor is being installed.
Thanks for your help here, I thought on that the TDC sensor was in the distributor or at least in that area of the engine?
I checked the wires and cleaned the connectors and that worked for a while, but the check engine light came back on - I re-cleaned the connections and the light keeps coming back on after a day or so. Now the car surges when the throttle is pressed past the half way point when the check engine light is on, but as soon as I cleared it the surge went away?
I see from the manual that it looks like the TDC sensor is in the distributor, is that true and can it be replaced by itself or do I need to replace the distributor itself
Thanks again for your help!
ON HONDA ACCORDS 1995 and earlier, there are three sensors in the distributor, two of these (CKP / TDC sensors) are not in the 1996 and later distributors (they are under the timing belt cover).
CORRECTED ON 02/02/10.
Thank you!
I don’t know what book you are reading, but I have a 97 Accord and I have the factory service manual. The TDC sensor is not in the distributor, nor does it have any connection to the distributor.
BTW, I forgot to mention, if this car has less than 150,000 miles on it, take it to the dealer and let them deal with it, its covered by an extended warrantee forced on Honda by the EPA. The warrantee is for 14 years or 150,000 miles.
If you still insist on troubleshooting it, or the car has more than 150k miles, disconnect the 4 pin CPK/TDC connector and use an ohm meter to measure the resistance between pins 1 & 2 (the two closest to the connector lock). It should be between 1850 and 2450 ?. If that is good, then check pin 1 (green wire) to ground, if there is no continuity, then reconnect and disconnect the ECM/PCM connector C, that will be the one next to the smallest connector (D) on the end. A is the largest connector on the other end. If any are bad, replace the CKP/TDC.
|x|02|03|04|o|05|06|07||o|08|x|10
|x|12|13|14||o|16|17|18|o|20|x||x|
o |x| |x| |x| |o| |x| |x| |x| |o| |x| |x| |x|
Above is the best graphical representation of the wire side of the plug that I can do, hope it shows up on the post. Any way, repeat the tests above with pins 3 and 13 (green and red wires). If one of these test bad, fix the wiring (good luck). If good, you might need a new ECM. BTW, if the car has had a problem with the AC condensor drain backing up, you might just need to clean this connector.
The post keep dropping all the spaces in my graphic. The x means blank or empty slot, the o means space
I am confused - I have gotten answers saying its not in the distributor and others that say it is - attached is the section from the 1994-1994 Accord manual that sure makes it look like its in the distributor. I just dont want to make an expensive mistake here. Thanks again for your help folks!
I can’t open your file for some reason. However, mine is the factory service manual specific to the 97 Honda Accord.
Maybe this will help
This was very helpful - that said I still wonder why my manual shows it differently - did Honda offer two different 4 cylinders in the Accord in 1997? And if so how do I tell which one I have? Thanks again folks!
According to the first page Keith sent there are two related sensors:
Cylinder Position sensor (CYP) in the distributor.
Top Dead Center sensor (CKP/TDC) on the opposite side of the block.
This second one is the one Keith is talking about and that’s the one the OP needs to look into.
It seems that the information that the other responders have is correct for your 1997 Honda Accord 4 cylinder. A FSM (Factory Service Manual) would be nice to have. Alldata.com is an alternate source you could try ($15, I think).
My Haynes #42013, says, “…on 1996 and later models…the CKP and TDC are in a separate assembly…attached to the front of the engine…under the timing belt cover.” [CKP/TDC = CranKshaft Position / Top Dead Center sensors].
There are four wires going between the CKP/TDC sensors and the engine computer. You need to disconnect the battery, disconnect the electrical connector on the engine computer, and make the ohm measurements that Keith speaks of. You can also check the circuits at an inbetween point, in the engine compartment, as Keith shows.
When you parts search for the part, use the name “crank TDC sensor”. I found the sensor for $195 at this site: http://www.thehondapartsstore.com