I am having trouble getting my car (1990 honda accord lx 2.2L 4Dr) to ignite. THe starter motor is new and the battery is fully charged, the cables from the battery to the starter are new...i checked the ohm's on the connections and they were with in specs (<.05). The engine turns over but, there is no ignition. So i removed the Dist. Cap and noticed there was oil in the cap (very little) and also that the contact point in the rotor was burnt. Can that be a reason that my car isn't igniting?

There was carbon deposit in the cap as well, but didn't see any noticable cracks.

Can it be that My distributor need to be replaced for my car to turn on. or do you think i should look into somehting else.


Modified by Opponentkhaos at 8:43 AM 8/2/2008

 

Okay today i conducted some tests according to Chilton's Book on 1984-95 Accord/Prelude repair manual, on the igniter which is located inside the distributor.

Now it was telling me to check if voltage was present between the blk/yellow wire and ground, with the ignition "on". There was voltage present about 11.93v approx.

I skipped testin the other wires because the colors of the wires didn't match the ones in the book. So i went straight to testing the continuity on the wires with the ignition "off". Now the book told me to test the resistance between the terminals which connect to the blue and white/yellow wires. There was no reading at all. So i checked the other termials and noticed a reading with the blk/yel wire terminal and the yel/grn wire terminal. and it was .931k ohm's. Now those are not the terminals that the book told me to test but it was the only one that got readings. The book says ohms should be between 1,100-3,300 ohm's.

Do i replace my ignitor???????

 

The following is from Hondaaccordforum website;

Check Coil & ICM ( Igniter)

On models with single-coil ignition systems, if the
engine cranks but there’s no spark at the plugs, check the
ignition coil and the ICM (ignition control module
[igniter]) by using this procedure:
NOTE: Wire colors for wires referenced here can vary
between models, so use the appropriate ETM to ID them.
1. Turn the ignition switch ON (II), and watch the MIL
(malfunction indicator lamp).
• If the MIL doesn’t come on, or it comes on and
stays on, refer to MIL Basics on this page.
• If the MIL comes on for two seconds and then goes
off, go to step 2.
2. Check for battery voltage at the positive wire going
to the coil, and at the positive wire going to the ICM.
• If you have battery voltage, go to step 3.
• If you don’t have battery voltage, check for an
open between the ignition switch, the ICM, and the
coil.
3. Connect a voltmeter between the coil negative terminal
and ground, and record the cranking voltage two ways:
first with the wire between the coil and ICM connected,
then with it disconnected.
• If you get about 8 V with the wire connected and
10 V with it disconnected, install a new coil, and
retest.
• If you get about 10 V with the wire connected and
disconnected, install a new ICM, and retest.

Another way to test it is with a test lite,,connect a test lite
1 lead to the neg side of the coil the other to any good ground,
have someone crank the engine,
if test lite pulses it is a bad COIL ..
if test lite does NOT pulse it is a bad IGNITER

 

i did those tests and they were with 9. something volts. (this was yesterday night) Today my grandpa came and did one of his old school tests. He unplugged spark pulgs from the spark plug end and put a screwdriver in the plug wire and put it near ground while i cranked the engine and there was no spark jumpin from the screwdriver to the ground. Indicating a malfuncioning distributor; more specific coil or ignitor.

 

there was also a factory recall that went out to original owners,which i dont think most of us are,for 89 integras and my last accord(i think a '90)they had a cheaper company do the work and it didn't work so well for us....Has your car been sitting in the sun?There is a a box that looks like a toothbrush cover between the steering wheel and drivers's side door...under the dash and the design of it gathers humidity and will give you enougjh to think it will start but never give you the connection.If you can re solder the joints,all the better!!but if you can poke about 10or 12 holes in there(the fuse cover) and try park in the shade with your windows cracked,that may do it.I dont know really it just sounds alot like the probs I have had.The holes in the cover worked for me in all but the hottest and most humid of weather.Good luck!!!