Hi all,

It's been awhile since I've had a Honda car. Have a few bikes, quads and a 3 wheeler still!!

Anyhow, a scrapper was coming to work to pick up a co-workers mom's car. I asked about it and bought it for what the scrapper was going to pay.

Turns out it was a 97 Integra 4 door 5 speed. Car runs and drives, but has a few issues. Reeks like cigarettes but has the maintenance records as she bought it new.

Car supposedly will not start after it rains, and it has a parasitic draw that kills the battery within 2 days. Previous owner's son in law is convinced the ECU is to blame for the no start. He's a heavy equipment tech with a strong electrical background. He wired in a trickle charger to combat the draw.

My plan is to do general maintenance, timing belt and water pump. No mods, just would like it reliable and get good mpg.

What do you guys think could be causing the issues? Haven't had a chance to dig in yet.

 

You should check the battery's age. Hopefully it's something as simple as a dying battery.

 

Could be a loose ground, may not be from the engine, but from another connector that's not completing a circuit. As far as the car not starting after it rains, that suspects something is leaking and shorting out. See if you can ask the following:
1) Did any of the cluster lights come on when attempting to start after it rains?
2) When trying to start the car, did the starter try to engage or did the dash lights just dim?

Getting an answer to those questions, can help us help you resolve the starting after it rains issue and possibly the parasitic draw. For the mean time for the parasitic draw, check the battery like @sup3rd said, then check the engine grounds, and if there isn't anything loose, check connectors.

 

Thanks for the reply guys.

​​​​​​battery is a few months old. Has a trickle charger wired in to combat the draw. Previous owner would keep the car plugged in while it wasn't being driven. I will try the old test light trick to see if I can find what's drawing.

As far as the no start, it will just crank over and not fire. Previous owner thinks it's the ECU.

 

Interesting.. You should check the ignition coil. Apparently they're notorious on Hondas. I actually got a free LS from a friend that wouldn't start and it was a $30 part that failed.

 

the coil is definitely the weakest link.
will bite your *** within 45-75k miles.
i always carry a spare. there are some dirt cheap
choices at rockauto. the $75 honda coil (made by tec)
at amazon is the way to go imho.
spare icm is a good idea too.
airtex makes one that is not prone to heat failure
like the factory nec dog. honda icm is about $200,
airtex only 40 or so.

 

This? 1988-2001 Acura / Honda Ignition Control Module - Airtex 6H1001 | eBay

I do not find a TEC coil on Amazon - I must be doing it wrong...

 

Hey guys,

Messed with the integra some last night. Mainly cleaning it up as the former owner loved cigarettes and scratch-offs. Started doing the bog thing as I've been reading about. When warm, it will start hard, but idle fine and perfect. When giving throttle it starts to sputter and dies. However it will stay running above 4000 rpm. Inside of distributor is all powdery white with corrosion. Got rotor screw out, but rotor is in pieces with the rotor bushing still stuck on. I'm tempted to buy a whole new distributor, but I like oem parts. Is there anything a new distributor would have that I couldnt replace on my existing one?

I'm thinking for now, I will replace fuel filter, cap and rotor, plugs and wires. May possibly need a coil or pickup? What do you guys think?

Everyone likes pictures, so I posted a picture. Not bad for a NY car.

 

Can you replace bearing in your existing distributor? I have heard mixed reviews...

 

Tracing a parasitic draw is fairly easy. Disconnect the neg batter terminal. Run an amp meter in between the neg terminal and neg terminal wire. Is the amp draw within spec? If it is within spec, hopefully it is just a bad battery. If it is out of spec, pull out one fuse at a time, until the amps drop. When you find the fuse that is causing the high draw, you have found the failed component and now know where to start.

 

Found this coil @ $20: NEW HONDA ACCORD CIVIC CR-V ACURA INTEGRA DISTRIBUTOR INTERNAL IGNITION COIL | eBay

 

Well on my car, I was getting a weak charge. Turned out it was actually the crank pulley! I had bought a new battery and alternator previous to this. It actually ran fine. Basically if the pulley is worn, the battery won't get full voltage. I also removed the battery plate, pulled the ground to body wire, cleaned the body and wire connector and added an extra wire. I'd recommend perhaps testing an ignition wire, maybe at the relay or radio, see if it turns off when u take the key out. Other than that, your ignition coil, crank angle sensor, and ignition advance are integrated into the distributor. Try another dizzy and set your ignition timing.