caden564

Hi, I have a 1991 CRX DX with the d15b2, a few months ago I was driving at night and i came to a stop light and it died and wouldn't start. All the lights worked and it was cranking, but no start. I thought it was the main relay but I have already re soldered it and it was clicking like it should. So I checked the coil and it looked like it had gotten really hot and maybe started on fire. So I replaced the coil and distributor cap and it started up fine. I check the alternator and its charging fine, around 14.0v then i took it in to a auto shop and they said it had a bad voltage regulator, but it has a new alternator on it. The last owner said it would die at stop lights a lot so he took it in and they went through three distributors. Since I replaced the coil it has been running great, so i checked the coil again and there is a sort of grey ash inside the cap like it was getting hot again. and the car started sputtering recently around 2k rpms (it did this a lot right before it died on me the first time at the stop light) could this all be because of a bad voltage regulator?

matt965

I think if the regulator is allowing too much voltage through the system, it would blow fuses and it would fry the battery if the voltage was high enough. You haven't mentioned either of these symptoms so I don't think it's frying your coil. Were the spark plugs and wires replaced recently?

caden564

Yeah it hasn't had any blown fuses or anything and the battery is fine, it has one of those optima yellow top batteries. It did get new spark plugs and wires around a year ago. Also I dont know if this has anything to do with it, but the last owner installed some off brand eBay HID headlights, could they have fried something?

matt965

The HID's wouldn't cause a problem I think. They pull a lot of power only when the lights are first turned on.
Make sure the spark plugs are gapped within specs. Too much gap could be stressing the coil. Worn plugs can also stress it.

Did you swap anything over from the old dizzy to the new one?

solomon93

Is this an Ebay Dizzy by chance?
FWIW every EF I've owned has died at/after stoplights or after getting to the bottom of a hill.
When you turn the key it just cranks right?
Main Relay (I know you soldered it but grab another known working unit)
Distributor (Replace it with a known working unit NOT just the coil)
Fuel Tank/Fuel Pump (YES others have experienced this as I have personally)
Idle Set to Low (Not enough Fuel to Idle Hot)
Have you tried flooring it and cranking when it no longer restarts?

caden564

It has a new distributer from a shop I took it to several months ago, and the coil was the only thing I replaced. But it could be a eBay distributer for all I know. I tried giving it gas when it wouldn't start but I never floored it and nothing happened. And how do I check the fuel pump and fuel tank?

caden564

Also it has been getting really poor gas mileage, could it have a faulty ecu possibly?

matt965

I'm not sure about these civics. I was looking at the igniter unit. Some cars will burn through coils with bad igniters. I'm curious about what swapping the dizzy with oem would accomplish.

Also, I try staying away from aftermarket distibutors.

caden564

Okay I will try getting a OEM distributer. I adjusted all the spark plug gaps today and the plugs looked kinda white, mixture too lean? The car has been getting really poor gas mileage since I bought it, could it have a faulty ecu possibly?

matt965

I don't think so. Is there an engine light?

caden564

There was a code for the o2 sensor, but I changed the sensor and it stopped.

solomon93

I personally love ebay dizzys. I've ran them for years on my cars and my buddies. With that being said, its purely opinion and many others have in fact had bad experiences with them.
My money is on the main relay since you havnt tried another good working unit. Keep in mind, its an old electronic, 25years in fact. Other things on the relay fail aside from bad solder joints.

fyi - u can narrow it down to fuel or spark issue by checking for spark when the car wont start...

tamboo

this is the guy morningz at team integra recommends:

http://stores.ebay.com/onestopandshop/?_dmd=2&_nkw=B18C+distributor

all ebay dizzies are not equal, i've been burned too. i'd grab a car-part.com used tec unit or new richporter.
i carry spare coils as they are the weakest link. 5 years max (about 75k miles) is my experience.
tec=$75 richporter=$25
spare icm is a good idea too imho...

tamboo

also:

Advanced Ignition Troubleshooting - Team Integra Forums - Team Integra

matt965

I've been burned a couple times with amazon dizzies. I'll save that ebay store in case I need one. I bought a used oem si dizzy with 200k miles. It works but not sure how much life is left. I've heard some stores carry the bearings for them so I was considering a replacement if I can crack it open.

I've also heard most oem icm's are completely interchangeable as long as you know the pinout. I haven't tried this myself yet.