Erocer

I have a 96 Civic DX I was wondering if anybody else has had this problems with the ignition control modules.
original that was in the distributor was a Hitachi it lasted 22 years.
I'm lucky to get a year out of them.

Dec 2016 Intermotor
March 2017 Duralast
Jan 2018 BWD
May 2018 BWD
3 days later it whent bad and stuck me in the Walgreens parking lot for 3 hours in 95-degree heat.
June 4 2018 Duralast
Now it looks like this one is starting to go bad am I missing something is there something in the distributor or electrical problem that is causing these to go bad so quickly.
I've been told just to get a whole new distributor assembly any ideas am I missing something.
HELP

CFiannotti

My experience has been almost exactly a 10 year lifespan on my '95 DX coupe. bad in 2006, bad in 2016. Have you tested the ICM, AND the coil? Have you ever pulled off a plug wire to check for spark, that occasionally will eat an ICM.
365+ K miles

oneheadlight

I have gone through this with my hitachi distributor. Honda no longer makes it so all you can do is buy aftermarket. And there is A LOT of junk out there, yes it will leave you stranded. I had it happen to me.

Solution? Go get a Spectra brand distributor from Advance Auto. The duralast are junk! You will never get a good one, it isn't possible. So give up on them. I'd demand money back but that's up to you, either way be done with that. I found the Spectra brand and it was better, I tested the 3 built in sensors (with an multimeter set to ohms) and the results were within specifications.

EDIT: I bought mine from advance auto with a discount coupon code.. Looks like you can get them from Rockauto now too. At the time, Rockauto didn't have them yet.

I then took out the aftermarket ICM and coil. Replaced them with a hitachi brand coil and the Honda ICM. It's not cheap, but you get what you pay for. The other thing is you need to add thermal paste to the bottom of the ICM, A very thin layer is all you need. It is a heatsink just like in a computer. and the thermal paste will help transfer the heat away from the ICM. I also used Honda's cap and rotor. I only used the aftermarket for their housing + three sensors.

Since I've done this, it has been about 2.5years now almost.. and no issues, nothing. It continues to perform, hold the timing at 12degrees, starts every time. This has been the longest an aftermarket distributor has ever lasted. I'm hoping it goes for a long time.

Also, CFianotti is correct in checking the coil, you can test that with a multimeter set to ohms. But the ICM you cannot test with anything. Honda has a series of tests in the service manual, all they do is to see if the ICM is getting voltage, etc.. Nothing really like a test and after they say if it doesn't work, replace it. wow.. I could've made that up! lol..

If the distributor is leaving you stranded, that's most likely a bad ICM. Where you crank and crank and it won't start. A bad coil (this is all from my experience) usually causes performance problems but doesn't just die on you. The 3 sensors in the unit are to tell the ECU what the engine is doing, this helps with reporting the timing, etc. I've had drifting timing with other aftermarket distributors, that's the sensors.. Leaving you stranded is the ICM, etc.. I think you get the idea.

I'd be done with duralast and suggest what I did. It fixed the problems.

Megalodong

Maybe this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/FITS-98-99-...0AAOSwbwlXB~d~

Or, this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Prelu...gAAOSw9itZm~G7 (see full description)

Aftermarket are junk...better off picking a used OEM from a junkyard if you can find one.