Arrrggg! I've had the check engine light on for a year because the ECU was throwing the front O2 sensor code, and neither myself or the dealer could get the sensor out to replace it (stuck). Well I just got around to dealing with it as my smog check is due in a couple of weeks. I got it out by cutting off the end of the sensor just enough so that I could get a standard deep socket on (the O2 sensor sockets would just spread when the large torque was applied). New sensor was installed, ECU reset...CEL comes back on in a few seconds. grrrr...

I'm out of ideas so I go back to the dealer and they say the ECU is bad for the following reason: Pins D-4&5 are putting out 12V and they are supposedly only supposed to put out 0-1V. They checked another car and got 0-1V.

OK, instead of paying for the $900 ECU through them I ordered a used one for $250 from Sacramento. Plugged it in...still 12V out of pins 4&5. Start the car and the CEL comes on in seconds. F*CK!

So now they say that there might be a problem that they can't identify with the harness and they want to replace that for $1600! F*ck that! Does anyone here have any clues as to what could be up? Do I really need to get the CEL off to get it smogged?

Thanks for reading this far...

Edit: my powertrain is stock

 

Yes, you need to clear the CEL to pass smog. Try AutoHeadquarter in Redwood City for the diagnosis.

 

Thanks. I'll give them a call.

 

The guys at AutoHQ were awesome! They checked, checked, and re-checked everything and finally found that one of the ECU grounds had some corrosion causing it to get confused. They cleaned that up and all is well! They worked really hard and just charged me a flat fee so that I could afford it.

The dealer just wanted to replace parts and that was going to cost me hundreds to thousands more... (ECU, wiring harness, etc) Speaking of which, I returned the ECU I bought and now have a store credit. If you need something from the junkyard go through me if you can and I'll give you a price break!
See this thread: https://www.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2684551