My wife's car just stopped working ('98 Honda Civic EX). I read through the other similar thread and tried everything mentioned. All fuses checked out ok. F/I's are getting their pulses and gas is getting on the spark plugs. Replaced cap and rotor. It appears there's just no spark. Is there a way I can test the coil? Is it right inside the distributor under the plastic shroud? Can I buy a coil by itself, because a whole new distrubtor is pretty expensive? What else could it be, or could I check for?

Any ideas? The car cranks just fine, it just all of a sudden lost spark the next time it tried to start up. I need to get it fixed soon - she has a trip that she's making tomorrow. If I don't get it fixed, I'm forced to go with her.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

 

check the distributor, if possible try to swap it out with another one for testing.

No spark is difficult to test for, but there are tests for the coil, ignitor, etc.

If the injectors are firing I would think the ECU is good.

It most likely is inside of the distributor or a short or lack of ground somewhere

 

Autozone ones are fairly reasonable, plus lifetime warranty. Some even come with the cap and rotor. I've had good results with mine.

 

How would I test for a bad coil?

 

get a new distributer.

 

Well I've looked at the car a few more times and I'll still stuck. Had the coil tested at Autozone and they said it tested perfect. Just to double check I pulled a plug and had my wife turn the ignition. Definitely no spark. If it's not the coil, then it must be the ICM, right? I would just go buy one but they're $82 at Autozone and non-returnable. I just want to elimiated all the stupid small things it could be before spending any more money guessing at what is wrong. Lose wires? Blown fusable link? What are all the little things I can check for?

If someone has a Haynes/Helms, could you tell me the procedure for testing an ICM? My Chilton's is frustratingly ambiguous. It says to check for battery voltage from the black/yellow wire to ground (this is a TEC dizzy BTW). That measures out ok. Then it says to test for battery voltage from the green wire to ground. But, there is no green wire, there's a green/yellow wire (which it what it calls it everywhere else) but no solid green wire, or any mention of one previously in the section. Could it be a typo? That's a pretty bad mistake for a technical repair manual IMO. Anyway, if I check the green/yellow wire to ground I only get 0.4V (should be battery voltage) which could indicate the ICM is bad. I just don't want to blow $82 on the ambiguity on my manual, and before checking all the little things.

Thanks to anyone that can offer advice or post the procedure from their manual.

 

ok so im stupid and didnt read the thread. honestly id change the dizzy out. i know it sucks but sometimes you have to spend the cash.

 

Here's an update. Still not fixed. I did the tests for testing an ICM in my Chilton's manual and Haynes manual. It seemed the ICM was bad so I went out on a limb (non-returnable) and replaced it. $82 more and still not fixed.

I noticed the green/yellow wire that is supposed to send the signal from the ECU to the dizzy did not have continuity from each end. I tapped a wire into each end so I know there is a solid connection now. My Chilton's said that there should be continuity, but maybe that wire runs through a relay that could be bad and that's why I got open circuit. It really doesn't look like it goes through a relay though, just looks like a straight shot from the ECU to dizzy.

Now I'm wondering if it's the ignition switch or main relay. This year/model had a faulty ignition switch that was recalled. I called a Honda dealership about it and they said they would have to look at it to see if I can have it replaced for free. No way I'm having it towed for some punk to look at my car and tell me things I already know. New switch is around $60 and probably returnable if it wasn't at fault. However, the symptoms of a faulty switch don't match what I have. The faulty switch could potentially shut off the car while driving but would usually start back up after a few minutes. My car just doesn't start period. I took the switch apart and it didn't look like it was in bad condition or anything. I cleaned it up a little. Could a bad ignition switch turn the starter but not allow power to spark? I hear the main relay clicks when turning to II, the fuel pumps pressurizes and shuts off after two seconds. Are there any other clicks to listen for?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, the sooner the better. Semester starts back up in two days and we need both our cars running. I really hate the idea of having a mechanic look it at as I've already wasted enough money, but I'm becoming more frustrated and hitting more dead ends.

 

I've also been thinking about the crankshaft position sensor or wiring being bad. Without input from the sensor telling the ICM that the crankshaft is moving, the ICM will not switch the coil. Anyone know more about this and how I could test it?

 

no spark is actually easy to test for? take a plug out and keep it in the wire then ground the tip of the plug to something metal in the engine bay. crank the motor and u will see the electrode firing if u dont then u know u dont have spark. another easy way is to get a volt meter and test the plug for volts. if u get a reading that is low then u might not have enough push to the plug