first off, this is'nt a crx post, but since i get good responses here and i am more familiar with the usernames, i thought it would be better to post on here ................(hey, all hondas are similar in some way right?), ....... even know the problem is of my mom's 1990 Accord LX.

here is the deal:

my mom barely drives this car, it looks "mint", it is a 1990 Accord LX with 130k on it, and it has been maintained at the honda dealer most of its life until now.
this is the first time it has had a problem, (something i never thought it would see)
it does'nt start, so i pulled out the plug wires, i saw oil, i replaced the sparkplug gaskets, put new plugs, and apparently that was'nt the problem. then i cleaned the battery terminals, and put anit-corrosive stuff on them and made sure they were tightened good, i also put in a new air filter, and cleaned out the throttlebody with STP stuff.
i tested for spark by putting a screwdriver into one of the wires, and resting it on the shock tower bolt, and having someone else start it, .................i did'nt see anything
i took out the ignition coil, and ignitor, and i had them both tested at autozone, and the ignition coil tested GOOD, but the ignitor tested BAD,............ ......i asked if it was a reliable test, they said yes), but somehow i was skeptical,....................... but anyways, when i was there i also got a new cap, rotor, ignition wires, and the next day i got a new ignitor at the honda dealer.

no ecu codes, fuses are good, grounds are good, oil level is fine, headlights work and door chimes when its open, so i assume battery is good.
so, feeling positive as to what the problem was, i proceeded to put the new parts on (the cap, rotor, wires, ignitor), and i put them on carefully, so i go to start it and ...................NOTHING !!!!!!

i tested spark again the same way, and nothing

btw, i smell some gas by the exhaust after trying to crank it a few times, does this mean my fuel pump and main relay are fine???


any opinions? any more tips i can check?

i owe my mom a favor for lending me money to fix my crx, and so since its her car's turn for problems, i wanted to fix it without her having to take it in and spend money, so i am stuck?


Modified by crxaddikt at 12:43 PM 8/21/2003


Modified by crxaddikt at 12:44 PM 8/21/2003

 

what does it do or not do when you try to start it ?

 

it cranks like its trying (that sound like "sheh-sheh-sheh-sheh-sheh-sheh-sheh"), but engine does'nt turn over, on the dash it just shows the red battery light, and oil drip thing.

tach does'nt do anything

i smell a little bit of gas, if i go towards the exhaust area right after trying to start it

it does'nt jumpstart either, and i am just assuming the battery is good, since the door chimes when its open, and headlights etc... work.

any ideas?

 

I had this problem last month.

Turned out to be ignition coil and my ignitor.

 

what sucks is that i tested both the ignition coil and ignitor at autozone, and i am just hoping they were correct in the test they did.

coil they said was good, ignitor said was bad, so thats why i got a new ignitor, but it did'nt solve it.

 

You know what. I DID THE SAME THING!

I spent like 92 bucks for a ******* ignitor. DIDNT FIX IT.

I HAD NO CASH...

Went to a buddy that has a million hondas and a box of dizzy parts.

Said I needed a IGNITION COIL...

Popped it in.. WORKED!

Trust me bro... get a coil, it will work!

 

or do you think its worth like paying a honda tech just a little bit to test the coil the proper way? just so i don't risk throwing money down the tube? ****, ........i am seriously thinking of what you said, ..............so just cause it tested good, does'nt mean its good?

 

Ya bro... autozone idiots are well, idiots...

Im serious. I was about to cry, and my brother goes dude, its the coil

So I went out on a limb with my last 20 bucks and my friend hooked me up.

Do it bro... I SWEAR IT WILL WORK!

 

if it IS the coil your lucky as hell because 99.9% of the time its not.

i replaced both with new parts, alot of $ and not to mention a waste. (but i didnt manage to put the old parts in the new boxes and convince autozone they were the new parts that didnt work ^_^) i bet its fried bearings and the distributor need replacing, thats ok buy 1 cheap of ebay. until u can afford a brand new 200-400$ 1.

 

i can't believe this ****, i put a new ignition coil on, and still nothing, ............maybe its the starter motor's clutch or selenoid thing, or maybe i should give up
i looked through the whole electrical/ignition section of the haynes manual and i pretty much went through all of it already, and also when i was at the honda dealer, the parts guy said that the test that autozone did on the coil and ignitor are not reliable and thats not the way you are supposed to test it, so basically i think i got a new coil and ignitor for nothing ($65 and $95 down the drain), cause i think they were good to begin with, but since i was stupid and was trusting the autozone guy, i was took the risk and just threw money at it, ...............oh well and i got the battery recharged also.

btw, the part the key goes into on the steering column was really hot (hotter than normal it seemed like) after just trying to start it once, don't know if it means anything or not

 

The Distributor Bearings Are Fried you need to replace it. buy 1 off ebay that will work until you get a brand new 1.

so easy to do.