Please help with annoying Engine Light

[apapada]

Hello,

here are the symptoms and how they are produced. The check engine light will come lit everytime I will accelerate while being in too high a gear for the given acceleration.

To clarify this statement, let me give an example: Say I'm doing 30 mph in 3rd gear and decide to merge into light traffic without downshifting. While the revs are going up without hesitation, 3 or so seconds into this manoeuver the check engine light will come on and stay on. If I turn the engine off and restart it (right then or later) the check engine light will be off until I try the same manoeuver again. If I accelerate while downshifted in second, the light will not come up. If I have it in 4th or 5th, light will come up.
This actually happens at any speed, with any gear (except 1st and reverse -> didn't try it) as long as I have a gear too high for optimum acceleration.

The error code that I get is 2 or 22 or 222 or ... and the FAQs say it's something electrical that I do not understand. Before I bring my car to the dealership, anyone here that has experienced this before ? Could it be actually linked to a richer-than normal fuel/air mixture ?

please help...

 

[Briank]

2 is an O2 sensor problem, a 22 is a problem with the oil pressure switch on the spool valve(s) and a 222 is not a valid code. You need to clarify what code you are getting.

If you can confirm its a "2" you more then likely have a bad rear O2 sensor heater.

 

[matteni]

Well I did a little snooping on the web site in your profile and I think I found the culpret with your A/F problems:

J/K!

Seriously - did you get some aftermarket headers installed lately? Any other work that pre-empted the light? It is very common to use some wd40 or something to loosten the o2 sensor and if any gets on them they are as good as gone.

I am betting too it is a "2" code / the o2 sensor but you should be able to tell us if the code is "2" or "22".

 

[apapada]

I want to say it's a 2, rather than a 22 since I'm only doing 1,500-2500 RPM and the VTEC should not even be an issue at so low RPMs.

Could the O2 sensor still be ok (I never experience the engine light otherwise, even my gas mileage is ok -> 23-24 mpg) and this be caused by running a bit rich which would become most noticeable (fall out of tolerance) by the O2 sensor when accelerating under load ?

I'm saying this because I believe the car is probably tuned to run a bit rich (used to be a TT Aerodyne setup, now turbos are off but computer + fuel delivery still there). Plus, I have had people tell me I sometimes blow a black smoke of unburned fuel when upshifting at high RPM.

 

[Briank]

"2" is the o2 heater is bad so a replacement is required to fix

 

[apapada]

Well I did a little snooping on the web site in your profile and I think I found the culpret with your A/F problems:

J/K!

Good Detective Work!

Seriously - did you get some aftermarket headers installed lately? Any other work that pre-empted the light? It is very common to use some wd40 or something to loosten the o2 sensor and if any gets on them they are as good as gone.

I am betting too it is a "2" code / the o2 sensor but you should be able to tell us if the code is "2" or "22". [/B]

Please see previous post about TT setup that was on the car.
More info about my NSX from the previous owner at:
http://www.tenniscaptain.com/public/nsx/