hello everyone, hope everyone had a good Christmas. Well i was going home one night and the car suddenly starts bogging as if it was running out of gas. I was going 30 mph so i tried to pop the clutch, but that didn't do any good. my car is a:

CRX HF, B16, OBD 1

I dont think it is a gasoline problem or the main relay because gas pumps are reliable in hondas and i had just put gas on my way home, and because the main relay clicks. I did some distributor troubleshooting, and found i had no spark on the cables. I soon checked the ignition coil, and same result followed. I then, checked the ICM (ignition control module) and i got the same result. Is the ICM the primary source of spark in the car? or is it the starter? The distributor itself is in good working condition i suppose, because there is no leaks or dust (correct me if I'm wrong). I dont want to buy the ICM if I am not certain that is the problem. Also, I was driving a couple times before the incident, and the RPM needle would drop, I thought it was my imagination, but i read that that it is a side effect of a bad dizzy? and i would get a check engine light from time to time, but it would go away after i would turn off the car. any thoughts or help is appreciated, thank you.

 

than theres your prob. change the dizzy

 

that's the issue though.. should I just change the whole dizzy??, or should I change just the ICM and save me some cash? and does anyone know a good spot to get dizzies in the socal area?

 

Ignitor is my guess. It will strand you when it dies, but it usually gives an indication beforehand.

 

What would be some indicators of an igniter on its last breaths? The car was running strong and suddenly, no spark??

 

When I've experienced the ignitor going out, the car will kinda buck and the tach needle will jump around. Then it clears and is OK for a little while.

 

Test the ignitier unit and the coil. And make sure that timing belt did not snap or strip.

 

So I tested to see if the cables had spark, there is none. I also checked to see if the coil had spark, none. My guess is the ICM?? I also checked all the fuses, but they are all good.... Timing belt is good too.

 

Just thinking out loud here. Have you checked your grounding cables? I had a similar problem with my CRX HF and found that the grounds were corroded and broken. Those cables flex quite a bit when the engine moves in the engine bay. I added another ground from the dizzy to the frame and installed new ground wire and connectors and that solved my problem. To check just take a jumper cable and attach one end to the negative on the battery and the other end to any metal on the engine.

Could also be a bad distributor. I've replaced mine twice now after getting a tad over 300K on each. I now religiously replace my igniters after 75k miles not matter what. They seem to go whenever they feel like it after 75k miles.

 

thank you all for the replies and thoughts. I got a light tester, and after doing some research, I found that it was not my ICM but my ignitor coil. All evidence led up to it. The rpm needle spiking sometimes, the check engine light coming on and off, the sudden stall of the car, and the tests i performed on it today. I researched that you ground your tester in a good ground, you place it near the coil (not touching, but a few mm away from it), and if spark does not jump, you may have a bad coil. The next test is, you directly touch the negative terminal from the ignitor coil to the test light after grounding your light (always ground your test light), you crank the engine, and if your light has a continuous on and off signal (light blinks), the ICM is good, and you can be totally positive you have a bad ignitor coil. And yes, I also heard you must replace the coil after 75K or you will most likely be stuck somewhere you do not want to be. I will get a new coil in a few hours, replace it, and see how it goes. I will report my status after that for you guys to know the situation.

 

replaced the coil, and we're back in business!! got a new one for 20 bux! hope this helps others with the same problem!