slowexcoupe

1993 Civic, D16Z6, Manual Transmission. Car died suddenly while driving and would not restart. Doesn't appear to have spark when grounding plug on valve cover. Check engine light comes on when key turned to on position and goes off after 2 seconds. Fuel pump appears to be working (can hear it).

I tested the igniter according to the helms manual (23-100) I have battery voltage between BLK/YEL and ground (step 3) and also WHT/BLU and body ground (step 4). Not sure how to test 5 and 6. Do I check continuity between the wires at the igniter and the ecu/instrument cluster? I also took the igniter to AutoZone to test (it's a Duralast unit, replaced about 6 years ago). They said it passed.

The coil tests OK, but barely. The reading between A&B was about .9 ohms, and the secondary to A was 13.1K ohms.

The ECU fuse looks OK, didn't test it with a meter or anything.

Not sure where to go from here. Run the ECU tests from chapter 11 in the Helms?

Former User

Did you check whether the timing belt snapped or stripped?

slowexcoupe

No I meant to, but forgot. I did crank the motor to turn the distributor rotor to get access to remove the bolt. The distributor turned so I think that rules out the timing belt.

I just checked the coil again since the car was towed home. Now (on the car), the coil (primary) reads .9ohms (.2 is the amount or resistance for the meter alone) , but now the secondary only shows 11.7K ohms. I checked the coil off the car earlier and the secondary read 13.2K ohms.

Former User

Remove the coil from the car again and let it warm to room temp inside your house. If the above reading repeats, replace the coil.

The Helm's manual does not have a test for the igniter unit. It has igniter unit input tests.

tony_2018

Click those links in ^^^ signature, thats a pretty good hint right there.

slowexcoupe

OK, I'll try that this afternoon. Does the temperature make that much of a difference? Yesterday when the coil was tested off the car, it was around 70-75 in my shop.

Not sure if this makes a difference, but I thought I would mention it. Until the car died yesterday, the car had a Duralast (Autozone) coil and igniter. Both were replaced 2006ish, back when I was throwing parts at the car. After the car died yesterday, I checked the coil that was in the car (duralast) and got between 11K-12K ohms between A & Secondary. I had a stripped screw on the coil and igniter so I had to pull the whole distributor off and take it home. The B terminal broke during my attempt to remove the screw so I had to used the original TEC coil that I saved. That is the coil I tested off the car and got 13.1K ohms between a & secondary. I reassembled the distributor and put it back on the car and still no fire. It was after I got it home and checked the coil (Tec) again that I got the 11.7K ohm reading.

Where is a good place to get a replacement coil? All the chain part stores have one for around $80, and the OEM honda one is around $100. There are plenty online or rockauto for $20-50. Is this one of those times when I should stick to OEM?

Former User

Yes

Ohm test both coils side-by-side after they warm for about an hour to room temp inside your house. Post both primary (subtract internal meter resistance) and secondary coil readings. If your multimeter does not autorange, then be sure to choose the correct Ohm scales.

Former User

This thread describes a good method for testing the igniter unit.

slowexcoupe

Cool, thanks. I will run that test tonight on the igniter, as well as retest the coils.

Just to make sure I'm doing this right, here's a pic of my multimeter:


I'm testing the primary in the "200" range, and the secondary in the "20k" range. It that right?

Former User

Your meter settings are good.

slowexcoupe

Ron, I saw in another thread where you said not to crank the engine over with the distributor cap off or you would risk blowing the coil. When I was replacing the oil pan gasket the other day, I cranked the engine over for maybe 30 seconds to get the oil pump primed. I had the distributor cap on, but the plug wires were not connected. Could I have damaged anything doing that?

Also, are there any other fuses that need to be checked besides the ECU fuse under the hood? Does the ACG one need to be checked?

Former User

Yes. The coil can be damaged. Remove the 15A hood ECU when cranking with the cap or plug wires removed.

If the fuel pump primes, then both fuses are fine.

slowexcoupe

The original TEC coil shows 12.58K ohms from A to secondary, and .7 ohms from A to B. The duralast coil (the one that was on the car until yesterday) shows 10.38K ohms A to secondary, and 0.7 ohms from A to B. This is inside my house just now. Inside temp is 70F.

I'll try to get out later to test the igniter.

Former User

Both coils test bad, based on the secondary coil readings.

slowexcoupe

OK.

One more question when doing the igniter test from this page: Advanced Ignition Troubleshooting - Team Integra Forums - Team Integra I don't have a test light so I made up a redneck homemade tester according to this video: . I was by myself, so I had to first screw one wire from the bulb to the neg., terminal on the coil. The other end i connected to the pos. battery terminal. As soon as I got in the car, some of the warning lights in the instrument cluster were lit up, like about half brightness. Is that normal? I went ahead and cranked the car over per the instructions and the bulb flashed. So according to those instructions, the igniter is good, which confirms what AutoZone told me.

I also tested for spark per the write-up here: https://honda-tech.com/honda-civic-d...blems-2919450/ I get no spark at all, not even a dim, orange spark.

Also, how does one disconnect the fuel injector wiring connectors? I've never done this before on my car and i didn't want to break the connectors.

Former User

Why do you want to disconnect the fuel injectors? Based on tests so far, the coil is the issue.

slowexcoupe

I guess I just wanted to confirm the igniter was OK, and see if I had any spark at all. I didn't want to crank the engine over and flood the cylinders. After I cranked it a while while trying to prime my oil system, the car was a bitch to start, probably due to all the fuel i shot into the cylinders.

As far as replacing the coil, should I go OEM, or another aftermarket replacement? The warranty on the duralast is no good according to the Autozone guy. Apparently, the lifetime warranty is only a couple years old. Before that, they had a 2 year warranty. I'm pretty sure I bought this around 2006-08, but I can't find my receipt to confirm.

Former User

For now, buy the Duralast to see whether the engine starts and runs. If the engine fires up but you decide you want OEM, return the Duralast and buy one from Honda.

Didn't you say that you probably blew the Duralast coil?

Coils usually die prematurely because regular ignition system tune ups are not done.

slowexcoupe

I would, but I'm not sure they would take back a used/installed electrical part.

Former User

I returned an ICM to AutoZone without a problem. If you are concerned, talk to a manager. Tell him that your coil has tested bad but you have heard that the coil Ohm test is not always reliable. Ask him whether he'll accept a return if that is the case for yours. My guess is that he'll happily accept a return because he hopes to get the sale.

slowexcoupe

I appears the coil was the problem. I stopped an picked one up this afternoon. Got it installed and it fired right up. Now I just need to adjust the timing again since i had removed the distributor.

Thanks RonJ for all the helpful advice.

Former User