This 2001 Honda Civic came in with a multitude of problems one of which was a code P1298 stored for an ELD fault (electric load detector circuit input high). I had never had to actually test one of these before although I knew that they existed. The ELD sends a signal to the engine control computer so that the computer can adjust the alternator output in relation to power consumption. The ELD is located in the underhood fuse box. I am pointing to it with my screw driver.
To test the ELD I had to lift the underhood fuse box and remove the bottom cover. Once removed I could access the wiring for the ELD. The wire on the far right of the connector is power supply (battery voltage).
The wire in the middle of the connector is battery ground.
The wire on the far left of the connector is a five volt signal sent from the computer. The ELD will pull the voltage lower with increased system load and should vary with a change in load. For example if the blower or headlights are turned on it should drop. This particular unit was stuck at 3.81 volts and would not change with no loads or full loads applied. If the voltage had been near zero I would have had to unplug the connector and see if the five volt reference signal was being sent by the computer and wiring.
After testing and finding a faulty ELD, it was very easy to change. I removed the four adjoining phillips headed screws that held the two PAL fuses in place.
I released the latch on the harness connector and unplugged the connector.
With the wiring removed I simply lifted the unit. Slid the bar out and installed the new unit.
Below are a couple of pictures of the actual ELD part from Honda.
Hi Sparky,
I was thinking along the same lines, but the SES light doesn’t come on at any point, even when the problem manifests. At the same time, it *does* light briefly on ignition, as it should, indicating that the circuit associated with that indicator is OK, at least. Does that change things at all for you? Thanks again,
DS
Chris R
Hey Sparky, thought I would update again. I didnt drive the car last week and today was my first commute. I drove it twice after I installed the O2 sensors but it was only for about 5 minutes at a time with no CEL. Today, I drove to work (110 miles) and about 1 hr and 40 minutes. No CEL. I left work and about 30 miles into the commute home it tripped. So I drove a total of 135 miles. I havent checked the codes yet but it is safe to assume it will be the P0420 code. I am going to purchase a cat and install it. Once again, I will update you when its all done.
More than likely your vehicle has an electronic throttle body. No cable between the throttle body and the gas pedal. Someone will need to look at codes and data related to that system. There should be an SES light on.
Hi Sparky,
Thanks for the quick reply, and sorry to be less than precise in my description – so when the car has its issue, it’s almost as if the link between the accelerator pedal and the engine has been severed – you hear / see idle RPMs displayed, and applying pressure to the accelerator pedal has absolutely no effect. The engine does not rev up, there is no shifting at all, it’s just in low gear, still moving due to the momentum of the vehicle (presumably) but idling – as near as I can tell anyway. A minute later, it’ll be behaving entirely normally, as if nothing every happened. Weird stuff. Thanks again,
DS
The code P1298 will not cause your drive ability concerns. I see a little bit of grey area in your description. When the car will not react to gas pedal input; Does it fail to shift into the next gear? Does the engine fail to accelerate, stuck at idle? Does the engine accelerate fine but the vehicle speed does not increase?