"Elle" <honda.lioness@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:gQLrf.10315$nm.920@newsread2.news.atl.earthli nk.net...
> "Michael Pardee" <michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote
>> Actually, I believe the tach does get its signal from a
> separate lead on the
>> igniter.
>
> The electrical diagram for the ignition system suggests you
> are remembering correctly. See the top schematic at
> http://home.earthlink.net/~honda.lioness/id5.html . Tegger's
> version appears to confirm it:
> http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ignit...ion/index.html
>
>
>> The current symptoms do sound like igniter trouble, but
> the igniter
>> (and tune-up parts) are a little less than a year old...
> from March, IIRC. I
>> might be wise to re-heatsink the igniter, though.
>>
>> What makes me think it isn't distributor sensor trouble is
> that there is no
>> "check engine" light, suggesting the problem is past the
> ECU... i.e. igniter
>> or coil, or high tension side (like the rotor or cap.)
>
> Plus ISTM igniters don't exactly seem to die slowly, at
> least not the way coils often do. Igniters seem more like an
> all-or-nothing deal, with symptoms only for the very
> observant, at best.
>
>
I have a Bosch coil ordered through alleurasianautoparts.com, should be here
by Wednesday. Since there really is no way to determine whether the coil is
failing intermittently and 225K miles is a lot of service to expect from
one, it seemed like the prudent thing to do. I can check the ignition switch
by seeing if the voltage across it fluctuates from one time to the next, but
the coil keeps its secrets.

In my experience, the more power a device handles the more likely it is to
have a limited life. An ignition coil has to transform hefty currents into
hefty high voltage jolts, so I don't expect it to last forever. Thanks again
for the suggestion.

Mike