First time post. I was wondering how to check out why I have no spark out of the distrbutor. The car was parked without any problems and the next day it wouldn't fire. I see a connector at the distributor with 5 or 6 wires .can't tell which should be hot . I would like to jump past this to hot wire and see if I can get it to run. checked all the fuses What parts can I test in the distributor or replace. any leads for finding the wiring schematic?

 

1st. when was the last time your plugs/wires/cap have been replaced?

2nd. sounds like ignition coil went out. i remember the same thing happened to me. car was working one day then the next morning went to go out and my car had no spark. replaced that and it fired right up.

time to whip out that dmm

 

Thanks for that thought. I replaced the cap and rotor during this fiasco. Ignition coil? where is that item ?is it the grey part of the distributor that the contact in the cap slides into? tried to get that off actually ,looked like two screws held it on but one was impossible to get loose .....maybe i'll have to pull the distributor just to get it off.

 

this happened to my friend's EF . i think it was the main relay?

 

There should only be two reason why u aren't getting spark from the distributor, well 3 but 2 main ones. 1. Your ignition coil went bad or 2. Your ignitor went bad. 3. A ground could possibly be loose but not likely if it was just sitting and wouldn't work the next day. There's a way to test to see which part is at fault but it doesn't always work. Do u have access to a helms manual?
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by eg6d15 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">this happened to my friend's EF . i think it was the main relay? </TD></TR></TABLE> Uhh, if his main relay went bad it wouldn't cause him to not get spark. the main relay allows fuel to flow and provides a ground to the fuel pump, it doesn't affect the ignition system.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JasonST &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">There should only be two reason why u aren't getting spark from the distributor, well 3 but 2 main ones. 1. Your ignition coil went bad or 2. Your ignitor went bad. 3. A ground could possibly be loose but not likely if it was just sitting and wouldn't work the next day. There's a way to test to see which part is at fault but it doesn't always work. Do u have access to a helms manual?
Uhh, if his main relay went bad it wouldn't cause him to not get spark. the main relay allows fuel to flow and provides a ground to the fuel pump, it doesn't affect the ignition system.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Exactly what he said.

To make it shorter its either your coil or ignitor. You can check if both are bad and a helms/chilton will tell you how.

 

thanks for the replies . I know where the coil is . i went to the parts store to see the part. there are two inputs on the new one . + and - . would these be a place I could tell if i have juice?
the ignitor , eh? where is this part located.... I don't have access to a helms chilton but i do have some electrical knoledge and plenty of automotive know how but mostly in domestic cars and much older motors......... I'll check back here later ,going to go back to it and do some testing . thanks again and keep 'em coming

 

after looking back into the distributor i tested the two contacts . i had 12 volts at both of them .(+ and -) then checked for voltage at the head of the coil same voltage although it seemed weak.cranked the motor .nothing coming out of the head of the coil ..........how much voltage should be coming out of this end?i realize that maybe the two terminals checked are supposed to be hot .haven't seen a wiring diagram so i don't know where these come from or where they go . one last thing :can you take the coil out without removing the distibutor?

 

If ur getting 12v out of the coil with the key turned on, that's good. The only other check I know of is to check the + and - terminals for resistance. They should be between 11k and 18k ohms. The ignitor is right next to the ignition coil. It has 4 wires going into it i believe and looks like a fat credit or the size of an ipod.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dthug &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">1st. when was the last time your plugs/wires/cap have been replaced?

2nd. sounds like ignition coil went out. i remember the same thing happened to me. car was working one day then the next morning went to go out and my car had no spark. replaced that and it fired right up.

time to whip out that dmm </TD></TR></TABLE>
I agree ^^^
More then likely your coil went out, it happens...

 

Here you go.. this should help you..

part #7 is the ignitor.. part #10 is the coil

 

Coils are like Light bulbs they just go out! One second it works, next it's out. Being inside of the distributor does not help its life span either. I know some people who run an accord coil or a prelude coil they are external. They dont get as HOT and seem to last longer.

 

ok you guys are right on . i took your advice ,went and bit the bullet , decided to replace the coil , and that did it . thanks for everything