S2000 Electrical Issues

S2000 Electrical Issues

Author
Discussion

S7Paul

Original Poster:

2,103 posts

233 months

Friday 24th March 2017
quotequote all
My daughter bought a 2006 S2000 a few months ago, and has had some issues over the last couple of weeks. Firstly, after being away for about 10 days, and leaving the car on the driveway in this cold and damp weather, she found that the hazards don't give the usual 3(?) flashes when she locks the car. Then, a couple of days ago, the car lost power and the engine warning light came on. Although still driveable (very slowly), she decided that rather than cause any damage, she'd call the AA and get the car recovered back home.

I've so far tried using my universal code reader, but it wouldn't link to the car, so I did the paperclip trick, which gave me a 37 code. This, it seems, relates to the electronic power steering control module. The problem is that she had had no problems with the steering, and the steering warning light hadn't come on.

She also reported that when the car lost power the drivetrain felt like it was juddering when she was coasting, or when she pushed the clutch down to change gear, though we're not sure this is related to the previous issues.

So, the questions that spring to mind are:

Would the code 37 steering fault cause the ECU to cut the engine power?

Would a low battery (through the car standing idle) or poor charging potentially cause both problems (alarm and the fault code)?

Any suggestions would be very welcome!

nomadics2k

22 posts

184 months

Friday 24th March 2017
quotequote all
Worth testing the battery first and charging with a good deep charger. When flat - this can cause a CEL.

The alarms are fairly reliable as long as it locks and arms! The alarm should be a Hamilton Palmer if it is standard : you could try this to determine the fault: Honda Alarm doc

I am not sure of the code you have, but get the correct one with a proper reader and compare:
CEL thread here : s2ki.com

Good luck!

S7Paul

Original Poster:

2,103 posts

233 months

Saturday 25th March 2017
quotequote all
Thanks, and good call regarding the battery. Before I saw the above post I started checking things over, starting with battery voltage, which was around 12.6V. I then tried to find a way of jamming the multimeter probes into any little gaps on the battery clamps so that I could start the car and read the charging voltage without having to hold the probes (can't be in two places at once). As I tried to attach the probe to the negative clamp, it moved! I then found that I could lift it straight off the post.

Despite the clamp being tightened as far as it could be, and the correct spacer between the (very slim) post and the clamp, it just wasn't gripping. A quick visit to Halfords later, and with a new clamp fitted, the car started up and ran perfectly - no warning lights anywhere. I assume that having the battery disconnected for a while has reset the ECU?

As for the alarm, I had seen elsewhere that the bonnet switch can cause problems, so disconnected it and the alarm worked as it should. I guess it'll need a new switch.

So, two different problems, and both solved cheaply. Result!

gdaybruce

753 posts

224 months

Sunday 26th March 2017
quotequote all
Thanks for posting this - you've solved a mystery for me! Last autumn I noticed that my 2006 S2000 had also stopped flashing its hazards when locking/unlocking but as the central locking and everything else was still working fine, I was reluctant to mess with anything for fear of making a minor irritation into something more serious. Following your post, however, I've removed the bonnet latch to see which wire related to the alarm system and after disconnecting the relevant cable lo and behold, once again I have flashing hazards when locking/unlocking.

It's hard to see how the sensor built into the latch actually works and I've no idea if the sensor is replaceable without replacing the entire latch. A liberal spray of WD40 didn't make any difference so I think I'll just leave it as it is with the cable disconnected, at least for the time being.


nomadics2k

22 posts

184 months

Tuesday 28th March 2017
quotequote all
I have had the battery terminal issue on 2 of my S's. Nice one on getting it solved!