:::RHMT::: Real Home Made Turbo

General Category => Engine Management => Topic started by: MantisX on November 10, 2009, 04:00:05 PM

Title: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: MantisX on November 10, 2009, 04:00:05 PM
Anyone ever have this bullshit happen? My car will not start and I get a solid CEL if my ostrich isnt plugged into the USB port of my laptop. Also, if I have my laptop cig lighter power supply in and I unplug it, the car dies and throws a solid CEL and wont start.

I checked the battery in the ostrich 2.0 and its of proper voltage. I dont even know where to begin on this one. Any ideas?

MantisX
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: d112crzy on November 10, 2009, 04:02:13 PM
Sounds like something may be grounding out through your laptop.
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: Joseph Davis on November 10, 2009, 09:10:08 PM
Sounds like something may be grounding out through your laptop.

Sounds like there is no ground in the system and it's using the laptop as ground.

I have an EconoROM 3 whose connector and board is fucking melted, as well as a dead wideband, from a car whose electrical system was fucked up like yours, MantisX.  $450 down the hole.  Your first order of business is to doublecheck your grounds, your second order of business is to call Craig Moates and tell him his gear is fucking awesome to withstand that sort of abuse.
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: MantisX on November 11, 2009, 12:04:08 AM
Well thats scary. I've been driving it like this. I guess ill check all my engine grounds. I found an OBD1 harness pinout on the web to see if one of those grounds are fucked but the wire colors dont seem to match my harness. My D21 and D22 are not the same colors that the internet says they are.

Now that I think about it, I had my LC-1 grounded to D22 a while back before I switched to a PLX. When taking the LC-1 out I noticed the ground wire of the calibration switch looked like it had melted. I didnt pay it any mind at the time because the car still ran fine. Fun times hunting this shit down this weekend.

Thanks
MantisX
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: BangBusMaster on November 11, 2009, 05:31:14 AM
I've worked on 2 cars that would power up the ECU via my USB port and cause wierd datalog problems as well.  Let us know what the exact deal was when you fix it.

JD, why use the EconoROM? You get a good deal on it?

Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: Joseph Davis on November 11, 2009, 11:06:56 AM
JD, why use the EconoROM? You get a good deal on it?

It was in the days before Ostriches, and has a cool MCU reset function for general hardware fiddling.  I could configure a MCU reset jumper to be either high or low, IIRC pin 19 or 39 or somesuch is the reset pin on OBD1.  Flashing would set limp home mode, then toggle the reset and boom back in the game.  They were a bit faster than OG firmware Ostrich v1.0, although inferior given the total package.
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: Teg2boo on November 11, 2009, 01:22:43 PM
If the batteries in the Ostrich are dead, you need to power it with the laptop. Just saying...
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: Robb on November 11, 2009, 01:50:32 PM
If the batteries in the Ostrich are dead, you need to power it with the laptop. Just saying...

Arent those batteries good for 10 years?
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: Teg2boo on November 11, 2009, 02:03:21 PM
If the batteries in the Ostrich are dead, you need to power it with the laptop. Just saying...

Arent those batteries good for 10 years?

Was not in mine  :?:
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: Robb on November 11, 2009, 02:48:56 PM
Supposedly but they had an issue with them a few years ago on the v1's iirc.  Supposed to be a non-issue in the v2's

OIC
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: MantisX on November 11, 2009, 03:22:32 PM
Yeah I voltmetered the ostrich battery and its good to go. Measured in at around 3.15 volts.

MantisX
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: Joseph Davis on November 11, 2009, 04:13:55 PM
Batteries are an imperfect science.
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: Teg2boo on November 11, 2009, 04:17:23 PM
Batteries are an imperfect science.

Batteryology?
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: MantisX on November 11, 2009, 04:19:34 PM
Ill check it again. Hell ill even replace it. If the battery was fucked though, it wouldn't save my map would it?

MantisX
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: Joseph Davis on November 11, 2009, 04:28:53 PM
Don't know for sure, but to the best of my knowledge it should lose it.  I know my Quarterhorse v1.4 operates on that premise.
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: MantisX on November 15, 2009, 10:24:31 PM
Got my shit all functional again. The problem ended up being the ostrich ribbon cable. Somehow one of the strands of wire in the ribbon got fucking toasted. I saw where it was fucked and simply made a jump wire in the ribbon. Fired right up with no CEL, laptop or anything. I went ahead and done all of my grounds again anyway for good measure.

Im still not sure what might have caused a burn in the ribbon cable but for now im just gonna monitor it to make sure it doesnt do it again while the new ribbon is on the way.

Thanks all
MantisX
Title: Re: Solid CEL and no start unless Ostrich plugged into laptop
Post by: HiProfile on November 17, 2009, 08:36:25 PM
Batteries are an imperfect science.

Batteryology?

That's only helpful knowledge if the wife can't live up to obligations.