My 99 CRV check engine light came on at around 110k. I took the car to a mechanic to read the code and got the P1362 TDC Sensor no code error.
I had the timing belt replaced in May of this year by another shop. The mechanic who read the code suggested that the shop may have damaged the TDC Sensor or did not secure it when replacing the belt. I had driven the car nearly 3000 miles on the new belt before the light came on. Is it likely that a damaged sensor would have taken this long to trigger a code?
The code was cleared, but the light came back on within a couple days with the same code.
I replaced the spark plugs & wires and reset the code (plugs showed significant gap). I described the situation to a 2nd mechanic and he said that if the light came on again and was giving the same code that it was most likely the distributor.
I then replaced the cap and rotor and reset the code (#3 contact in the cap showed some charring).
The light did come back on(P1362 again).
I have read through the threads on this code for a Civic. I have not had the rough idle and stalling that were described with the Civic, however, the car has been rough to start, even after replacing the battery 6 months ago.
Before taking it in to start having parts replaced, are there any other diagnostics or alternative issues that I should make sure the mechanic checks that could be the source of the problem? Does the timing need to be rechecked/adjusted?
Thanks for your help.
The chart I have reads ‘P1362 No Signal In TDC 1 Sensor Circuit’. This is either the TDC sensor or the wire that runs back to the ECM. Spark gap, timing adjustment, or random parts replacement will not fix this. The sensor needs to be addressed. The second mechanic is trying to tell you the sensor is located in the distributor. I do not know if it is easily servicable, or if you need to replace the distributor to replace the sensor. But the problem is either in the sensor or the wire that feeds it’s signal back to the ECM. Nothing else, cap and rotor, or a new timing belt, will fix this.
Haynes, or Chilton"s, repair manual may show them how to check this. If not, there is www.alldata.com online for $25 (first car) per year).
Thanks. The first mechanic’s suggestion that the TDC sensor had been damaged during the timing belt replacement and the second mechanic’s suggestion to replace the distributor seemed to be at odds with those areas being on opposite sides of the engine. I just picked up a Chilton’s and it shows the TDC Sensor in the distributor, but I will check on the need to replace the distributor vs only the sensor.
The wire from that sensor back to the ignition control module will be electrically shielded with foil beneath the outside layer of plastic. If the shielding is scuffed anywhere, electrical interference can get in, or the shielding can touch metal that may be slightly charged due to imperfect grounding, causing false triggers. If you can trace the wire, at least the parts of the wire that may have been scuffed during repair, you might find the trouble spot. I would not try to repair that shielding. It has to be very intact to work properly.
If your mechanic spliced a shielded wire, he could have spliced the center conductor wire to the shield, creating a short to ground. The shield is grounded at the ends.
Just to follow up for anyone with a similar issue: I had the distributor replaced and have gone over 1000 miles without another CEL appearing.