It's not all too often I get completely stumped, but I'm at a total loss here. I'm not even getting spark off the cap on any cylinder. Already replaced cap & rotor(needed to be done anyways). Checked the coil, tested good, swapped with another known good one anyways to rule out intermittent short or open. Checked the ignition module/ignitor, tested good, swapped with another known good one anyways to rule out intermittent short or open. I even swapped another distributor in with all different internals to see if that made any difference.

Wtf else could cause a no spark condition??

As far as I know, CKF/CYP/etc sensors will throw codes but can't completely cut spark

 

Check the key switch

 

Check key switch for what exactly? Starter turns, headlights work, blower, radio, etc.

 

Have you scanned it for codes, sounds like a bad crank sensor to me

 

Check ecu for power?

 

Voltage could be dropping out when your cranking it

If you dont have a multimeter take it to a shop

If you have one but dont know how to use it learn how to use it

 

I was getting random misfires and misfire on all cylinders for a few days before it just wouldn't start anymore, no other codes tho. That's why I was thinking it was primary ignition related. I have had a bad crank sensor before on my old B20vtec civic, it would still start but ran a little rough and threw a code for it. Would that cause no spark off the diz in the Si?


Yep. Ign and B+ at all pins where there should be. Ign module has power on the yel/grn wire from the ecu as well. No blown fuses anywhere

 

Have you checked for voltage WHILE YOU ARE CRANKING THE MOTOR??

Check the purge solenoid

 

Try to keep the commentary civil. Advice was given, and even though it was a bit more abrasive then necessary, it wasn't a direct attack.

 

Check main relay.

 

Replace the whole distributor with a known good one. Do you have access to one? A friend with an OBD2 B series distributor, perhaps?

Your CYP/CKP might be dead. Or a bad igniter.

Are all your grounds good? Recent work done to the car?

 

Updating this just for search purposes. I doubt anyone will run into the exact same combination of clusterfuck that I did with this thing, but who knows. It turns out it was a comedy of errors. After almost 2 months of swapping parts back and forth in and out of the car just to try and narrow down and hopefully pinpoint the exact cause of all the troubles, here's what I ended up with:

The car originally had spark, that was pretty much the first thing I checked. But apparently at some point during the diagnosing process (after checking the coil), it **** itself. Or it developed an intermittent short or break somewhere internally. I dunno, don't care, it went in the garbage, replaced with new. Car still wouldn't start.

Removed + cleaned + tested fuel injectors, all seemed fine. Reinstalled. No change. Just for the hell of it I swapped in another set, along with new lower injector seals. Finally got the engine to fire, although barely able to keep it running on it's own. Swapped the old injectors back in with the old seals, back to nothing. Old injectors with the new seals, back to starting but barely running. So I'm guessing here the old seals were worn/dried out just enough to be letting some (unmetered) air past that the ecu had a real hard time compensating for.

Just for ***** & giggles I swapped the purge solenoid, bc I remembered that every once in a blue moon the car would throw a soft emissions code, then go away within minutes. I had gotten so used to blowing it off that it took awhile for it to dawn on me that could be part of the problem. And believe it or not, that seemed to be the majority of the problem. I have no idea how or why, but sure enough when I swapped the old one back in, it went back to barely running.

The car was still running a bit rough, so I pulled and checked the iacv. It looked fine but I cleaned it out thoroughly anyways. No change. Swapped in another one, and it improved yet again.

It also appears that the ignitor had gotten weak or otherwise screwy, bc after I finally got the car back to normal, I swapped the old one back in, and the car felt noticeably weaker with an intermittent hesitation/stumble. Swapped in two other known good ones and it's back to 100%.

It was about time for plugs + wires + cap + rotor + fuel filter + etc anyways, so I threw those all at it with the money I didn't have from my nonexistent tax return. Thanks Obama. No noticeable improvement, but hopefully it will help to keep the car happy for awhile.

My only guess overall is that the quality of driveability had gone downhill so slowly that I hadn't even really noticed. Other than that I don't know what the story on the coil and/or if there was any relationship to the purge solenoid failure and/or how the rest of all the parts involved seemed to go **** themselves overnight. Maybe lightning hit the car during the night. Who knows.

Anyways thanks tons for all who threw ideas out there

 

I told you to check that solenoid