MadVladCivic

Hi guys!
96 Civic DX w/ 111.5K miles. Was driving along at about 35mph when lost power and coasted gently to a stop. Police cruiser
pushed me into a nearby parking lot. No warning. No noises, eg, boom, pop, crack, squeal etc. Just lost power and died.
No CEL either. Charging system light has never been illuminated outside the normal ignition sequence. Electrical appliances
(headlights, blower, radio, etc) all work. Timing belt is about 8yrs old and has close to 45K miles. There had been no starting,
stalling, mis-fire or rough idle issues to this point. Fuel filter was replaced 4-5 months ago. Had been running on the current tank of
gas for about 3wks now--tank is 3/4-7/8 full.
The following are implicated until testing proves otherwise:
1) distributor (original!!!)--cap, rotor and wires were changed by Honda 7yrs or about 38K miles ago ( I changed plugs 1yr ago--NGK)
2) main relay
3) fuel pump
4) timing belt
5) ignition switch
6) battery (doubtful culprit)
7) alternator (belt??)

Hood is stuck so I can't do any testing. Will address that issue soon. Have testing protocols for the dizzy,
fuel pump, battery (and alternator once car is running), main relay and timing belt. Have a fuel pressure gauge fitted to the fuel filter.
And can hear what appears to be the main relay clicking when I turn the key to position I. Additionally, all dash lights illuminate
when I turn the key to position I. Starting sequence seems normal except for the fact that the car will not turnover.
Have all (or most) necessary electronic test equipment: multi-meter, test light, spark tester, jump cables, LED light, etc.
Do I have everything covered here or are there other possibilities, ECU, signal to fuel injectors, etc?

BTW, I have searched the internet and have not found a video or description of someone accessing the hood latch
release mechanism from underneath the raised front of the car after removing the plastic splashguard. Is this a viable
approach? Have an assortment of diff length pry bars and flathead screwdrivers. Would prefer not to damage the grille.
And pulling on the cable w/ vice grips either inside the cabin or at the front of the car has been futile.

Thanks.

mk378

If you're saying it cranks but won't start you can rule out dead battery. Test of the ignition switch is to pull up the hand brake handle and make sure the "brake" light stays lit while cranking. It is on the same circuit as the ignition.

When the cable is broken at the handle end you need to hold the cable housing still while pulling the center wire. If you don't generate a relative force between the wire and the housing it doesn't do anything. Also try having someone push down on the hood while you pull on the cable. This sometimes helps when the latch is jammed. If / When you hear the latch click, of course they should let go.

Being unable to open the hood will of course lead to lack of maintenance issues. Replace it if you get the car working again.

MadVladCivic

Hi MK,
That's the test for the iggy switch? Well, I can say w/ extreme confidence then that it is NOT the iggy switch as I start the car EVERY time w/ the parking brake engaged. I do not fasten my seatbelts or remove the parking brake until
the car is running. Matter of habit more than anything else. The brake light is always illuminated at start and always has been for the reason just noted. The "brake" light stays illuminated throughout the ignition sequence and is extinguished
only when I dis-engage the handbrake. Never really thought it was a bad battery.

MadVladCivic

Hi guys,

UPDATE:
Got the hood opened. Pushed back the remnants of the plastic cabin handle sleeve and exposed the metal.
Used a vice grip from there and leaned a little on the hood. Opened grudgingly but opened.
The fuel pressure gauge is registering approx 38psi and that is from the last attempted start on Sun night.
Unless I am missing something here, that exonerates the fuel pump, the main relay and the pressure regulator.
And, according to the service manny, that excludes the fuel filter as being clogged.

Former User

You could contribute to this forum by updating your past threads. Members get frustrated when they search for answers only to find threads where no solution is posted.

MadVladCivic

I may not be able to get to the testing of the distributor until next week; thus, I am posting a protocol I plan to follow:

http://easyautodiagnostics.com/honda...system-tests-1

Required (or recommended?) testing equipment:
1) multimeter
2) spark tester (I have this one: https://www.amazon.com/OTC-6589-Elec.../dp/B0050SFVO2)
3) test light (ATD 5513)
4) LED light (fabricated from Radio Shack parts--description can be found here: Part 1 -The LED Light Test Tool and How To Make One)
[can substitute multimeter equipped w/ frequency (Hz) function; same source says that test light cannot be used in this application]

I am planning to begin the test for spark at the dizzy coil as that will allow me to kill two birds w/ one stone: Either spark
will be present, exonerating the dizzy and its upstream components, or it will be absent (weak/irregular??) necessitating
more in-depth assessment of the coil and ICM AND the rotor can be observed either rotating or not,
which will exclude or implicate, respectively, the timing belt. I will post the final diagnostic result when available
and the remedy.

MadVladCivic

FINAL diagnostic disposition:
Part 1 -How to Test the Igniter, Ignition Coil Accord, Civic, CRV, and Odyssey
Per the above reference, I conducted Tests 3-6. There indeed was no spark at the coil (Test 3).
The coil/ICM were getting power (Test 4). The switching signal was present (Test 5).
The ECU was sending its spark signal but the ICM was ignoring it (Test 6).
Conclusion: ICM is faulty.
Remedy: Replace dizzy.
QUESTION: As old as the car is plus the fact that it will see only 1500-2000 mi/yr, is an aftermarket
dizzy the most viable choice and if so, what manufacture? I consulted the aftermarkets parts guide
in the FAQs and found a reference to Standard Motor Products but cannot find a Honda compatible dizzy at their website.
Also, is it worth re-building the old dizzy w/ a new Honda ICM as a back-up?

matt965

If you replace the dizzy, keep the old one. I've heard that the bearing can go out and the sensors sometimes go bad. None are serviceable AFAIK.

I prefer sticking with oem since I had problems with my aftermarket back when I was driving a '94 DX. I don't know of any reputable stores for a distributor assembly.
You could replace the igniter itself. Try Honda or this site: 1996 HONDA CIVIC 1.6L L4 Ignition Control Module (ICM) | RockAuto

Alternatively, you could find a used dizzy with a good igniter.

MadVladCivic

Hi matt965,
I am resigned to biting the bullet and going OEM from Bernardi Honda. Better price than Majestic when S&H taken into acct
and then re-building the old dizzy later. I broke one of the dizzy cap bolts in the dizzy so need to drill that out. Hopefully, it won't be such
a chore w/ my left-handed metal drill bits as my research suggests that these fasteners are grade 2 steel (if not aluminum). Unfortunately,
Honda does not sell the ICM (ignitor) ala carte. (At least not at Majestic or Bernardi.) The coil is sold ala carte but the ICM is sold as part of a
sub-assembly or the full dizzy assembly. The bearings seem to be OK as there is not the telltale brown dust inside the dizzy; additionally, the
onboard sensors would appear to be OK as the CEL never illuminated--there are several codes for faulty sensors as well as a diagnostic flowchart in the
service manny. I think the sensors are usually implicated when either an appropriate code is thrown (PO335, PO336, P1361, P1362, P1381, P1382, etc)
or when the ECM fails to provide the pulsing signal to the ICM.

MadVladCivic

FINAL DISPOSITION and OUTCOME:
Procured Honda dizzy from Bernardi and installed.
Also changed the spark plug wires (Prestolite--Rock Auto).
Car started w/ a punch of the accelerator. Subsequent starts
were normal. Idle speed in reverse is ZERO. Forward idle speed
seems about where it was prior to dizzy change. I may set timing
anyway just for shirts n giggles.
NOTE OF INTEREST: The service manny says to leave the dizzy not fully tightened
so that timing can be set. 'Not fully tightened' means just short of torqued to spec. I left the dizzy
bolts loose (too loose) per the manual and the car would not start on multiple attempts.
Tightened the bolts then punched the accelerator and MAGIC!