Najeeh

Hello,
I'am new here and I just got myself a 1990 Celsior. It's in a pretty good condition overall but I have started to notice few problems in it. Today I read the diagnostic codes on which I could not find the CEL light blinking. The O/D OFF light was blinking every .25 seconds. The TRAC gave 47 and 51 error codes while the ABS light was continously on. I wanted to know what caused the ABS error.

I also noticed that whenever I put the transmission into reverse or drive it jerks and then jumps. The first jerk feels like drive or reverse has been engaged, the second feels like it wants to leap forward. Also the engine it not going above 2000rpm, if I keep the accelerator depressed it goes to 2000 then idles, then goes to 2000.

I figured that the ecu caps are leaking as it is giving some other symptoms related to that, but I dont know what is causing the ABS error and why trans is jerking like that.

Anyhelp will be appreciated.

AkumaUCF10

51 is a problem in the engine control system so that is most likely the cause of the jerking. Code 47 is about the throttle position voltage being incorrect when idle switch is on (at idle?). What I interpret this to mean is that there is something screwy with your idle that is causing the lurching into drive and park and then also affecting the revving of the engine, like a faulty tps sensor. Maybe start with testing that and adjusting it if its out of adjustment. I would also try to reset the ecu and clear all codes after doing so. See if it drives better like that

Najeeh

The idle is smooth, not jerky at all. Its when I depress the accelerator and keep it pressed, that it starts to pulse between idle and 2000rpm. I also noticed that after the second jerk of the transmission the car tends to feel being pushed forward, when I put it into neutral the car jerks back strongly.

Yamae

Sounds like analogue signals going to the ECU contain ripples.

Najeeh

So I have a fault in the wiringvor the capacitors in the ecu have leaked?

Yamae

I don't quite get what you mean.
I'd check the ripple explained in the FAQ page first.

Najeeh

I'll do that as soon as the car is cold. By the wiring or ecu I mean that I think the caps in the ecu are leaking. I suspect that this is the cause of the problems

Najeeh

The front left speaker also doesn't work, other three and the subwoofer work. I was thinking the speaker is blown but I could be wrong. Any suggestions?

I also want to change the head unit to another stock celsior one which has radio frequency till 107.9MHz. Anyone here have it?

Yamae

I recommend you to check the resistance at the main amplifier under the seat using an ohm meter. Sometimes, the speaker itself is open and sometimes the wire to the speaker is open at the door cable.

Incidentally, how did you get a JDM Celsior? From an importer of used JDM cars?

Najeeh

I live outside of US, in Asia. Here we consider US spec or EU spec cars as rare. We get many JDM cars but the Celsior is one the most rarest ones.

To your first sentence I dont think it has a amplifier under the seat. I've read that the amplifier for the speakers is attached to the Head unit and the subwoofer has a seperate one in the trunk

Yamae

Sorry. Yours is a 1990 model. You are right it doesn't have the main amp under the drivers seat and those are located as you wrote.

Here in Japan, I don't see the early version of Celsior any more for the past several years. They are gone and I even don't see them at junk yards.

In Japan, the FM radio stations are at between 76 to 90MHz and there isn't any domestic radio model which can catch up to 107.9MHz. You need a frequency converter or an aftermarket radio. I don't know radios for LS400 are OK for a Celsior or not.

Najeeh

I'll try to find a frequency converter. Now I knew about a problem but didn't give it a priority as I knew the ecu caps were leaking, the speedometer is showing 5 times less than the actual speed. Like if I'm doing a 100kph the speedometer will read 20kph. Along with this the trip meter is also not giving the correct mileage and the odometer is not spining. I tried to pull of codes of the transmission but there aren't any.

Najeeh

Today I fixed the Tilt steering as it wasnt going down. I installed a spacer. It worked but the motor refuses to go up. If I push up 10 times it moves up, otherwise not. Its moving down perfectly. I also noticed that someone had put black tape on the cel light. Took it off, got the codes and its giving 13 and 56. TRAC is giving 47 and 51. Transmission, ABS and there is another one as A/D MAIN. that is also clear. What is engine code 56?

Yamae

The code 56: Temperature sensor for a cooling fan is open or shorted.

I think I'd better inform the fact to people who are thinking of buying an old JDM unregistered Celsior. You'd better not expect a lot.

As fas as I know, most of those are not in good conditions or some even abused by poor mechanics. Instead of going to junk yards, those are exported after owners gave up keeping the car due to the problems that couldn't be fixed easily. Old those Celsior's value here is 0 or even negative. In most of the cases, owners have to pay some money when the car is unregistered and sent to a junk yard.

Japan is a small country but there are many many traffic lights and there often happen traffic jams. The summer here is wet and warmer than Singapore. We also have very cold winter. Cars are quite stressed here and don't expect a lot on an old Celsior exported in a condition of as is. You will have hard times fixing it without good knowledge and skills. The JDM manuals are all written in Japanese language and this is not easy to read for people in abroad. The US manuals help some though.

Najeeh

The one I have was imported to my country in 2005. Since then it has has 4 owners, me being the 5th. The first 3 were embassies and the 4th was a dentist. It has travelled 162,000km's .Me and my father are engineers and we have a '92 cressida since 2001. We saw this was up for grabs and bought it. Now after digging the car up we're finding the electrical problems, which I'am reporting here and hoping to resovle them.