We have gone through 3 after market coils in a few weeks...they have gotten so hot they expanded and one popped open on the side...Before we start buying parts any ideas on what can cause a coil to over heat? Or could we just have gotten some bad parts.....Thanks Greg

 

There's your problem, use Honda

 

How could you have possibly diagnosed this based only on the coil melting (and no other details about the engine/vehicle)?

OP:

When have you last replaced your wires and what wires did you use?

 

Because most aftermarket ignition parts are junk that I've used for Hondas including coils and ignitors. Unless the OEM had the same type of untimely death it's probably the coils themselves.

 

It's a pretty well documented fact in this forum that aftermarket ignition system components are very prone to failure.

 

Even the "good" ones are crap, and don't last nearly as long as the factory units. OEM ignition parts are also good up to what, 500 horses? Pay a little more now, pay a lot less later.

 

You MUST provide all pertinent information about your car and engine. Failure to do so may result in thread closure.
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In general, coils fail prematurely when their extremely high voltage cannot be released (grounded) due to a problem in a downstream ignition component, such as the cap, rotor, plug wires, and/or plugs. For example, a very efficient way to blow your coil is to remove a spark plug wire while the engine is running.

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5 coils in 500 miles ... the auto parts store is starting to get suspicious .. LOL

94 Civic CX has been sitting for 4 years with little or no use...it has 84,000 miles a new fuel pump, battery, break lights, coil, ICM, Rotor (after market)... We are in Houston and have been driving the car in 95 + temps....
I was told it could not be a ground because the ALt. is connected to the block which is connected to the engine. If the ground was bad we would see a lot of other issues....NO warring lights are on....

We are going to put new plugs and wires in and get an OEM coil...I would check the grounds but I don't know what to look for....?

After replacing the coils (the car had been setting for a few days) it took the fuel pump 10 or 15 tries to kick in. But after that it starts right away...

A Honda tech said he had seen the main computer go out on three 94s just recently??

Thanks Greg

 

Do this^, and also replace the distributor cap.

Resolder the main relay.

http://techauto.awardspace.com/mainrelay.html

 

We installed an aftermarket distributor and everything is working great...thanks Greg