"Miss Livvy" <XeveryidiwantistakenX@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:zAeNd.1351$UX3.7@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink .net:

> Here's my story ... this is a '91 TEG
>
> Car started acting like it needed a tune-up. I neglected to bring it
> in right way. My bad.
>
> Car stalls out while driving it. No starty. So I tow it to the
> mechanic. He finds the ignition coil is burnt and replaces it. I drive
> it home and my "check engine" light goes on briefly which causes me to
> worry so I bring it back. He looks at it, can't see any problem.


And what was the error code? Pretty important.


> Two
> days later, car stalls out while driving it. No starty. I tow it back
> to the mechanic. He finds ignition coil is burnt out as well as
> distributor. *sigh*. I tell him to find the "root cause". He calls me
> back later and tells me I have 2 spark plug wires that are burned out
> and that's what started the whole problem. Now I have new wires,
> rebuilt dristributor and new ignition coil. Car is driving great
> again. I am just wanting to get other opinions on whether or not bad
> wires could have caused this problem to occur. I believe I had bad
> wires (tho I did last change them only 2 years ago).


I'd like to know how he determined the wires were "burnt out". Were they
aftermarket, or did you get them from the dealer? "Burnt out" wires that
cannot reliably carry voltage can cause a wrecked coil.

A coil generates a tremendous jolt of voltage every time a plug is supposed
to fire (about 40,000 volts), which is 2,000 times per minute at 4,000rpm.
If that voltage can't go to ground through legitimate channels, it will
attempt to find a path through the body of the coil. That path can persist
even after the legitimate path is restored, and if it does, the coil is
ruined.

The answer is maintenance. Make sure the cap, rotor, wires and plugs are in
good condition and properly connected. Never attempt to run the car with
wires disconnected or the cap removed.

Replace the cap, rotor and wires every 5-7 years--with *OEM* parts!
Installing aftermarket ignition parts is asking for trouble. Replace the
plugs every couple of years, or whenever the gap increases significantly
and the electrodes become very rounded.


--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/