I have a 1991 Honda Civic DX that will crank but not start. Of course, there's many things I plan on diagnosing, but one thing that I want to check is the igniter. The first step according to my service manual is to check fuse #32 (50A)..
Here's what fuse #32 looks like:

As you can see, the one on the bottom (fuse #32) looks pretty burnt compared to the one on top (fuse #33).

The reason why I believe it looks a little burnt is because after I replaced the fuel filter, I accidentally jump started the car incorrectly by hooking up the dead battery with red on red and black on ground like I should, but for the booster battery, it was red on black and black on red. It is likely why I blew fuse #31 (60A) and caused the car not to have electricity at all. As soon as I replaced fuse #31 (60A), it went back to cranking and not starting. Although Fuse #32 is still in one piece, do you think I should replace fuse #32 (50A)? What else could be wrong as a result of jumpstarting my vehicle incorrectly?

Of course, before I looked CLOSELY at fuse #32, I went ahead and checked the black/yellow wire and the white/blue wire of the igniter for voltage when the 6p and 2p connecters were hooked up, and I received some. I got no continuity when I tested white and blue wires with a ground bolt, but when I disconnected the 6P and 2P connecters and then tested the white and blue wires to those ends, I got continuity. As a result of this, I'm assuming the white wire and blue wire of the engine harness or elsewhere would be bad, but I'm not sure. Would that mean fuse #32 is good?

Of course, the fuse is only less than $5, but I'm just curious what you think.

 

if your worried about the fuse being bad
all you have to do to get rid of that worry is test the fuse

you say youve been testing for continuity so that tells me that you have a volt meter handy

so remove the fuse and test it for continuity and if your volt meter beeps your good to go



now for your not starting problem just to make sure when you run your test for the igniter
the key must be in the number 2 position or the run position



heres some info you may have already but it doesnt hurt to be sure

heres the igniter test

IGNITER UNIT
Check and service any Honda engine codes before proceeding.

Check the No. 32 50A fuse on 1985-91 models,

or the No. 39 50A fuse on 1992-95 models in the dash fuse box before testing.

Remove the distributor cap, rotor and the leak cover.

Disconnect the wires from the igniter.

Turn the ignition switch ON.

Check for voltage between the BLK/YEL wire and ground.

If there is no voltage check the BLK/YEL wire and ignition switch.

Check for voltage between the WHT/BLU wire and ground.

If there is no voltage check the WHT/BLU wire and the ignition coil.

Check the continuity between the WHT wire and body ground.

Service the wire or connectors as needed.

Check for continuity between the BLU wire and body ground.

If no continuity check the wire and connectors between the

igniter unit and the tachometer or the A/T control unit.

If any tests were not passed, replace the igniter unit.

Turn the ignition OFF.


hope this helps

 

Prior to you're reply, I used to think that you couldn't really test these kind of fuses with a multimeter because I was misled by a YouTube video. I just checked the continuity of fuse #32 (50A). As I understand, if there is at least 0.1 ohm of resistance, it would be a problem. According to my multimeter, it will just about if not always equal to the continuity of the test probes. It can take a while sometimes for the continuity reading to show up on fuse though. Would it be a waste of money to go ahead and replace this fuse? Or is it better to be safe than sorry?

 

There should be minimal resistance with that fuse. Checking continuity is ensuring the path is continuous - it is a binary operation. It is either continuous, or broken. I can't imagine how the fuse would fail with high resistance and still have continuity, but it isn't impossible - maybe vibration over time worked something loose or it developed a crack.

Most multimeters have a continuity function that beeps when it detects continuity. If the fuse is good, there will be continuity and it will beep. To test the resistance of the fuse, remove it and make sure the contacts are clean. Ensure your multimeter is reading resistance properly by putting the probes together, it should read 0 or near 0 resistance.

So, remove the fuse. It the contacts are clean, check continuity and resistance. If resistance is high, replace it.

 

What I meant to say in the previous was since the resistance of fuse was equal to resistance of test probes, that meant that there was 0 resistance of the fuse. This was the case for just about every time I tested fuse. How much resistance exactly do u think there could be before discarding fuse?

 

There should be no resistance - it is a high amp fuse so there is more material, and should not have any discernible resistance.