Hi guys, I am finally getting to work on a problem from a while back. It it was good to have another car to drive but I need to get this running now. The Civic died like the key had been turned off. No warning! After that it has not fired. There is NO SPARK. It is NOT the timing belt, it is NOT the fuel pump. Please do not go there. All other electrical in the car seems to be good. I do have 12.4V of power at the distributor.
Since do I have power there does that eliminate all other problems except the ICM and coil???? They did test okay at Autozone but could be weak.
I tried to follow the diagram from the service book but a couple of my wires were different colors from the guide. My distributor should be original. The car was 1 owner(leased) when I got it in 2001 but the dist. does not have TD-80U on the housing, the only marks are "70x4". It does have a Tec 08 coil. The CEL is not on but the battery was disconnected. I will check for codes with some guidance. Since I have power to the distributor, should I just get another distributor? thanks

Car is now running! Updated at top of page 3 in this thread.

 

try a new main relay

 

As suggested above, does the fuel pump prime for 2 seconds when the key is turned to ON(II)? If not, check the important ground wire attached to the thermostat housing. It may be loose or corroded.

Pull CEL codes as detailed here. Post the codes.

Next remove the distributor cap and rotor. Turn the key to ON(II) and measure voltage at the Yel/Grn wire attached to the ICM. What's the voltage?

 

would i have power to the dist. with a bad main relay?

 

Absolutely. Does the fuel pump prime?

 

I have no spark! It is not fuel related.

 

It's possible to lack both spark and fuel. Troubleshooting is different if you lack only spark versus if you lack both spark and fuel. How hard is it to listen for whether the fuel pump primes? What CEL codes did you pull?

 

I do not see a 2 pin wire at the ECU. Cannot check codes. My original post said that it is not fuel or timing belt to try to stop those items from being mentioned!

 

Very odd response. Is this an indirect way of saying that the fuel pump primes when the key is turned to ON(II)? Why are you avoiding answering this simple fundamental question?

If the only problem is spark, then do the voltage test I already mentioned. You could also lack spark because a distributor sensor is bad. Why doesn't your car have a 2P service connector? It's located above the ECU and is often stuck in a rubber holder. You can also pull codes with an OBDII scan tool if you have an OBDII ECU.

 

I found the connector, need to find a small gauge wire to jump it. It is hard to get 2 arms in there to fiddle with it. I must have OBDII, how much is a scan tool?

I now have 10V at the coil, do i check the wire at the icu unplugged or not, unplugged I have nothing.

 

on my car the CEL does not flash, it is the ABS light flashing! anyways, codes 12, 16, 18, yes 18 and 54. If it qualified for clunker i would tow it in! I need to check connections and try this again

 

I had taken the distributor out of the car and did not have the connector leading to the injectors hooked up, so disconnected the battery twice and checked codes again twice 12, 16, 18, 54

 

Neutral safety switch.

 

could you explain what that has to do with my problem?

 

Well, code 54 is CKF. 2 of the codes you posted don't really make sense (the EGR one and the one that does not exist on the list) the other 2 are Fuel INjectors and CKF.

 

Another fellow has put up a thread tonight identical to mine, car died following tune-up.

 

the blinks from my ABS light were,
one long, 2 short
one long, 6 short
one long, 8 short (unlisted, I know)
five long, 4 short

and that was confirmed multiple times!

I saw questions about egr elsewhere tonight. some Hondas have them?

 

I need to fix this in the next 2 weeks. My registration is up this month, I was due for emissions testing by June 9. I need to get it tested before I can send in for my new registration. I do not want to take it to a repair shop. Is it mechanical or electrical? The shops just start swapping out stuff and charging for it until they get lucky. They do not try to save you money!

FYI
Because of this Honda issue I had to get my rear in gear repairing my 98 Subaru (only 56K, with original tires) which already was having a bad shuttering problem on low speed terms and sat all winter in the garage. Thanks to a Subaru forum like Honda-tech I found that it could be "torque bind", and the fix is between $800-1500! You need a new solenoid, clutches inside the AT etc. Then somebody told me to change my AT fluid 3 times. I changed it, did it again 2 days later, and then 2 weeks later. FIXED!!!!! Somebody saw my thread that had gotten quoted $1500 to fix it. He did all 3 changes in 1/2 hour and drove around the block between each change. FIXED!! Like he said, spend $30 on a hunch for a chance to save $$$$$. PS. The AT fluid change is done at 60K service. In April 2001 I found this Subaru for my mom with 32K. That was the last time it saw the dealer. It got oil changes at Oil shops until they bent my car's hood and screwed with me about fixing it. Since then I did all the oil changes on both cars.
Moral of the story, use these forums AND maintain your cars!

 

bump

 

ABS trouble codes won't prevent your engine from starting. Ignore them for now.

When you disconnected the battery, you cleared any CEL codes that may have been stored in the ECU. Crank the engine for at least thirty seconds and then turn the key to OFF. Now turn the key to ON(II). Does the CEL remain on steady or turn off after 2 seconds? If it remains on, jump the service connector to pull codes. Do codes blink from the CEL or does it still remain on steady?

Did you measure 0V at the Yel/Grn wire attached to the ICM in the distributor? It shouldn't matter if the wire was connected or disconnected from the ICM. Was the key in ON(II) for this test?

 

Actually, the battery had been disconnected all summer until this Thurs!
Dist. is off right now, I will have to put it back on before cranking it and retesting Saturday some time.
BTW, is my main relay up above the ECU on the 98 Civic?

 

Yes, main relay is on the passenger side of the dash. When you are checking for engine codes, the ENGINE LIGHT will flash. Not the ABS. If you know someone with another distributor, I'd see if you can borrow it and throw it in. I'd be the car will start right up. Ignitors (ignition control module) and coils are known to go out on these cars....

 

for sure the problem is the ECU or distributor, had the same problem before, at first the problem is the distributor, i changed the whole distributor to a new one and it went ok, after a few days it rained hard and a water went inside my car and tried to start the engine for warm up but it won't start, as i checked i saw my ECU wet, and i had it also replaced, and there it was. my car is running in good condition already.

 

junk it lol maybe a bad coil in the distributor

 

If, with the key in ON(II), you measure 0V at the Yel/Grn wire attached to the ICM in the distributor, this would explain the lack of spark.

Why are you now looking at the main relay?