Honda Car Forum

This is kind of a newbie question but I'd really appreciate any help people can
give.

I have a 1993 Civic DX 4Dr with a 1.5L SOHC engine. About a week ago it
wouldn't start. I looked at it and poked around in the Honda manual and found
it had a bad ignition. I replaced the ignition module (~$80) and now the car
sounds better(coughs and catches instead of just cranking) but stil won't start.

Does anyone have any ideas? Could changing my igniter/ignition module mess up
my timing or ECU?

Marshall

Marshall Smith <mss@NOSPAM.et.byu.edu> wrote in message news:<bpbvjc$e2lp$1@acs2.byu.edu>...
> This is kind of a newbie question but I'd really appreciate any help people can
> give.
>
> I have a 1993 Civic DX 4Dr with a 1.5L SOHC engine. About a week ago it
> wouldn't start. I looked at it and poked around in the Honda manual and found
> it had a bad ignition. I replaced the ignition module (~$80) and now the car
> sounds better(coughs and catches instead of just cranking) but stil won't start.
>
> Does anyone have any ideas? Could changing my igniter/ignition module mess up
> my timing or ECU?
>
> Marshall


my car is 91. Has a problem on main relay and I fixed that problem
when
it does not start at hot. Now the car does not start even at cold. not
all the time sometimes cold or hot does not start. I believe I have
the same problem as you have. I know it is ignition or electrical
problem.

1.) Make sure you are getting sparks outta the spark plugs. To test
this, disable the fuel pump (take out the fuel pump fuse) and use a
spark plug tester. These are cheap to get from the autoparts store.
2.) Once you verify all your spark plugs are producing sparks, it's
time to check the spark plug wires. Make sure the resistance is not
too high on the wire (you can do this test with a multimeter). If it
is (around 275 if I remember correctly, check in the manual); make
sure there's no corrosion or grime at the end of either one of the
two.
3.) Look at the distributor and make sure it has no craks. Your
ignition timing will go haywire with a distributor vacumm leak. Also
make sure it doesn't sport any carbon deposits on it.
5.) Preform some tests on the battery. Make sure it is fully charged.
The voltage at the terminals when the car is off (should be more than
12.5). Recharge the battery otherwise.
6.) Make sure there is no corrosion at the terminal. If so disconect,
clean, polish and reconnect.
7.) Read the voltage when cranking the engine, the battery should not
drop under 9.6V at any time during 15seconds of cranking. If so,
replace battery.

If the ignition at the this point seems ok...

8.) Do a fuel pressure test (will need a gauge and a connector, $30 at
the autoparts store). Make sure you have enough pressure otherwise
the injectors might not be putting out enough gas to start the car.
9.) Make sure the starter is actually turning the flywheel not just
making noise (if manual). You can do this by removing the flywheel
cover and checking for the flywheel turning.
10.) Test your injectors. This may not be easy...

At this point if you have not found the fault of the problem you will
need more rigorous diagnostics. I hope some of this advice helps...

- JR

Changing the igniter could probably messed up the coil because it's so
old and brittle, but not your case. You might want to check for spark
and fuel as mentioned by the previous post. Two ways to check fuel; by
smelling plugs and listen to fuel pump action. Two ways to check
spark; by plug(s) and directly at coil output, easy.

You probably got spark (becasue it coughs) just that not all plugs is
firing, due to bad gas, plugs etc. This could create a gas flood,
noticeable by smell of fuel in the plugs. Flush it out.
Ric

> This is kind of a newbie question but I'd really appreciate any help people can
> give.
>
> I have a 1993 Civic DX 4Dr with a 1.5L SOHC engine. About a week ago it
> wouldn't start. I looked at it and poked around in the Honda manual and found
> it had a bad ignition. I replaced the ignition module (~$80) and now the car
> sounds better(coughs and catches instead of just cranking) but stil won't start.
>
> Does anyone have any ideas? Could changing my igniter/ignition module mess up
> my timing or ECU?
>
> Marshall