Video of "Cruise/Buck" & "Fickle Shift Light" (HF/Z1 Issues)

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by MakitaDiesel

TL: DR - the cause of this 15 year headache has been a faulty sensor ground (D22) that tested fine but would intermittently short while the car was running. ...

... To summarize, I hate wiring and it is occasionally the work of Satan.

An epic and unenviable troubleshooting timeline. Did you get that satisfying feeling of success in fixing it?

[nemo]

That is persistence!

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by nemo

That is persistence!

Get that feeling we might not see MakitaDiesel again for a few more years?

[MakitaDiesel]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Get that feeling we might not see MakitaDiesel again for a few more years?

Ha, if that ends up being the case then I'll be consistent as well as persistent.

To answer your question, I haven't relaxed enough while driving it to fully accept that it may be fixed. The other shoe surely will drop any day now and the old problem will surface once again in my mind. It's as if it stormed every single day you got in your car for 15 years then one day it was bright and sunny. Why isn't it raining you'd say. This was my first swap, my first serious project car ever and it gave me maybe 4 weeks of smooth operation in over 15 years. The cruise/buck occured enough to illicit a permanent scowl but other than a cracked solder joint in the main relay she has started and ran the entire time so I just tolerated it the best I could. I still expect it to drive like **** but it just doesn't now. Amazing. I feel I almost have to drive it an equivalent amount of time with this great drivability to make up for lost time with a garbage idle and hours of trial and error. To top it off, the fix was free.

Mak

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by MakitaDiesel

... Amazing. I feel I almost have to drive it an equivalent amount of time with this great drivability to make up for lost time with a garbage idle and hours of trial and error. To top it off, the fix was free.

Mak

Yes. Drive it another 15 years. My goal with my car is to drive it forever, gradually replacing parts until one day I look at it and realize I have replaced, repaired, or modded/rebuilt the entire car.

I have been driving this 1998 Civic since June 2001.

[MakitaDiesel]

Not sure how feasible that is for this car, honestly. 10 years ago I built a '97 Civic Hatch DX + '98 D16Y5 to replace my then trusty (but rusty) '85 CRX Si with 260k. Next I bought an '01 Insight for daily duties and the '89 HF was on the chopping block as it was the oldest car in the trio. Due in part to the cruise/buck issue I sold the '97 Hatch to a friend who was in need of reliable transportation because I didn't want to sell him a (perceived) clunker with a constant stutter. Fast forward to present day and my latest creation is a '00 Insight with a K24a2 swap three years in the making. It should be road worthy by year's end. The '89 HF is back to being the oldest. Both Insights are aluminum bodied and impervious to rust, have A/C, airbags and I don't need three cars. The CRX has them in cornering no contest. We'll see how the swap turns out, no decisions will be made until she proves trustworthy and any kinks are worked out. All electrical grounds will be suspect until proven innocent.

Mak

[MakitaDiesel]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

I have been driving this 1998 Civic since June 2001.

19 years is a long time with anything, much less an economy car. That So Cal climate helps. We aren't the north but winter salt and humidity eat frames here if proper care isn't taken.

Mak