well i just bought a 90 dx and everytime i started it up when test driving and what not it started on the first turn....but now that i had the car for a few weeks it sometimes will just crank n crank n crank and wont start and its not getting any spark...so ill let the car sit and go to start it back up and it will start up just fine...what could be the deal w/ it i dont want to go start spending money on parts and not be the problem...so any help would be appreicated

 

well theres a number of things it could be but my best guess is get the started checked out and mabey even the altenator and the ummm i for got what its called but its inside of your distrubitor cap ummm.... mabey the rotor that might be what it called?

 

search MAIN RELAY and see if what threads come up match your symptoms.. i bet thats the problem.

 

if the starter is going out would that make it so the car wont have spark?

 

yea if you have week spark, it has something to do with you ignition system, most likely your dizzy im not sure what it could be though, check your coil or control module, if you coil gets no spark its gonna be your control module

 

Replace your main relay. It's fucked. All the factory honda ones are, unless they are knew, or resoldered.

Starter only cranks the car...not the dizzy. It runs off the ECU (for power) and the cam (for rotation). If your starter is cranking over, so is the dizzy.

 

well i already tried replacing one part in the distributor not to sure on what part it was but it had 4 wires plugging into it and was smaller and flat looking...and that part didnt help it out

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 89sicivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">well i already tried replacing one part in the distributor not to sure on what part it was but it had 4 wires plugging into it and was smaller and flat looking...and that part didnt help it out</TD></TR></TABLE>

Replace the main relay. It's in your dash. It controls your gas pump. They ALWAYS die. Mine died, same goes for 3/4 of the EF owners.

 

Sounds like a tune up would help you a lot.

 

it just had new plugs and plug wire,cap and rotor put on it

 

the distributor will spin but if hes not getting anyspark it would also be something with the dizzy for the dizzy is what makes the spark

 

what part inside the dizzy would you think it would be?

 

well the thing is, you say that you can get it started sometimes, if you have no spark your car wont start at all. You need a spark, fuel and air for a combustion to occur and with no combustion your engine wont run at all, are you sure that you are getting spark from all four plugs? it sound like it could just be your plugs if it turns over sometimes... If it is the distributor, you could always take off your cap and test the spark from the coil, if you are not getting spark from the coil its most likely the control module inside, and you get a weak or yellow spark from the coil, the coil could be bad... also did you do any wire to it recently?

 

What are the symptoms if the Main Relay goes? Can you start the car and then it stumbles to run then shuts off?

 

okay, first check to see that when you turn the key to the accessory (when the dash lights go on) that you hear the fuel pump prime for 2 seconds. the main relay does not control the ignition as noted in a previous thread from a few days back. if the fuel pump primes, i wouldnt look at the main relay. my car did the same thing that yours did. it died on me 2 days ago. it ended up being that the coil and the igniter unit went out. the month beforehand, my car would start after i cranked it for a while. oh yeah when you put the car on accesory or the on position, the check engine light should go out after a couple seconds, if it does, check your ecu.

things to look at
-distributor coil and ignitor. (search in archive under ignitor,igniter, or coil. there is a post that has a link and it shows you how to check your coil and igniter to see whats bad.)

-here is what i remember from yesterday. first take off distributor cap. see the coil (thing on top with spark plug wire hole thingie on it). there are a plus and minus wires connected to it. get a test light or voltmeter. next turn ignition to on position. check to see that the test light lites up when you touch each seperate wire (its screwed down, make sure the test light is connected to a ground too) if they both lite up, i think that means your coil is fine. oh yeah also try getting a spark plug wire from the distributor cap and hold it close to the spark plug wire opening thing on the coil and crank the car over, if sparks, coil is a okay

-now to the ignitor, the flat rectangular thing at the bottom of the distributor. check the black/yellow wire and the white/blue wire for power (turn ignition to on position, and then check for the test light to lite up when you touch it with the test lite poker thing). if they light up, good, if they dont, replace ignitor i think. next pull out the voltmeter and check for contiuity (i dont have one, but its a setting on the voltmeter. if they both have continuity, then, its supposed to be okay if i remember correctly. also make sure that those are on firmly, and arent loose, the little connector things.


- if those are okay, check your distributor cap to make sure you didnt break the little pin that comes off the cap and goes into the hole in the coil. i broke mine somehow.


- if that still doesnt do it, check your ground wiring

 

i had to replace my coil and ignitor unit. the ignitor unit is like 65 at pep boys and the coil is like 55 at pep boys. i also replaced my cap and rotor while i was out it. unfortunately, i was told that they didnt have the ignitor and i bought mine from the honda dealer, 125. ouch that hurt.