Honda Car Forum

Hi all,

I've read some posts on similar problem but have a slight variation.
Car gave no prior indication of problem then one day started and was
warm up for about 2 mins the just died. Now it cranks but won't start.
main relay can be heard click off and so does fuel pump by rear.
tested for spark on wire and had none. coil was replaced 6 months ago.
(and i'm assuming ingition switch since I just took the whole thing
off and traded it in for a new one) I could be wrong on this. Any
ideas as to what I can check for and how? Thanks all.

The distributor's ignition control module (= igniter) is notorious for failing
on circa 1990 Hondas. It with the distributor coil are and main fuel relay are
probably the most frequently cited cause of Honda cars of this vintage not
starting. The "no spark" condition points in the direction of the igniter, too.
If your car's coil was malfunctioning for awhile, then you might imagine this
would reduce the igniter's life, too. Just a hunch based on experience with both
on my 1991 Civic, 150k miles, and some comments from technicians.

http://www.crx.org/southcal/tech/igniter/default.htm has a link on testing the
igniter.

http://www.crx.org/southcal/tech/igniter/igniter.htm was also helpful to me when
I replaced my car's igniter last spring.

Then again, the problem could be just either an old distributor cap, wires, and
plugs. How old are they? These are lots cheaper, so check them first.

I have had one coil (installed by Firestone) fail within about two months of its
replacement. They deemed it defective and replaced it at no charge. And it then
lasted a whopping two years. Go OEM for distributor parts.

"cj" <cjaikaran@yahoo.com> wrote
> I've read some posts on similar problem but have a slight variation.
> Car gave no prior indication of problem then one day started and was
> warm up for about 2 mins the just died. Now it cranks but won't start.
> main relay can be heard click off and so does fuel pump by rear.
> tested for spark on wire and had none. coil was replaced 6 months ago.
> (and i'm assuming ingition switch since I just took the whole thing
> off and traded it in for a new one) I could be wrong on this. Any
> ideas as to what I can check for and how? Thanks all.

cj wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I've read some posts on similar problem but have a slight variation.
> Car gave no prior indication of problem then one day started and was
> warm up for about 2 mins the just died. Now it cranks but won't start.
> main relay can be heard click off and so does fuel pump by rear.
> tested for spark on wire and had none. coil was replaced 6 months ago.
> (and i'm assuming ingition switch since I just took the whole thing
> off and traded it in for a new one) I could be wrong on this. Any
> ideas as to what I can check for and how? Thanks all.

===============

cj,

Have you checked to see if your distributor rotor is turning when you
crank? 'no' means it's probably timing belt time. At least it wasn't
going highway speed.

'curly'

=========

I just got through with this on my 90 accord. Disconnect the
connecter (2p) from the distributor and check for voltage across the
incoming part of the connector with the ignition key on. If yes
(input to the igniter is ok) remove the cover, rotor, leak shield
from the distributor, disconnect both connecters from the coil and
check resistance across the terminals. If OK it is 99.9 sure your
igniter is no good. It fails just like you mentioned and it did it to
me less than a month ago.

A kind soul on in this group even provided a step by step pictorial
instruction on changing the igniter and it should still be on this
sites archive.

On 22 Jan 2004 12:01:51 -0800, cjaikaran@yahoo.com (cj) wrote:

>Hi all,
>
>I've read some posts on similar problem but have a slight variation.
>Car gave no prior indication of problem then one day started and was
>warm up for about 2 mins the just died. Now it cranks but won't start.
>main relay can be heard click off and so does fuel pump by rear.
>tested for spark on wire and had none. coil was replaced 6 months ago.
>(and i'm assuming ingition switch since I just took the whole thing
>off and traded it in for a new one) I could be wrong on this. Any
>ideas as to what I can check for and how? Thanks all.

Note: there's a distributor recall on the 1991's; if your's hasn't
been replaced yet (you can call honda or check with dealer using VIN),
you can get it replaced free.