ignition issue

[So Cal Divin]

Hi and TIA !

1990 4-Dr. Honda Accord EX

Problem: Car will turn over no problem but won't start.

First thing I checked was spark. Pulled a plug wire, cranked motor over NO spark to screwdriver I was using for a ground.

Second step check coil for power. Power present at yel/blk wire + terminal with key at start position.

Step 3 test coil resistance. Resistance between + and - .8 ohms within Chilton's manual specs. Resitance between + terminal and secondary winding terminal 10,900 ohms. Chiton's manual calls for 12,800-19,200 ohms.
Could this be my culprit ? My police mechanic friend at work said you can't always rely on a resistance test on a coil ?

Step D Igniter/ICM Test. Chilton's manual states: Remove ignitor wires. Turn on ignition. Check for voltage at blk/yel wire. CHECK, VOLTAGE PRESENT.

Check for voltage at wht/blu wire (ignition on). NO VOLTAGE PRESENT. If voltage is not present, check the wht/blu wire from the igniter to the coil (didn't I just do that) an test the ignition coil.

Step 5. Turn the ignition off. Check for continuity in the yel/grn wire between the igniter and the ecu. How do I check that ? Yel/grn wire to ground for continuity. I didn't do because of the confusion (hope) that step 4 resulted in and fully understanding step 5.

Help me please. I'm thinking it's the coil but need to be 100% sure since you can't return electrical parts and I had to borrow $80 bucks from a friend at work til next payday. Thank you sooooo much Albert.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated !!!

Thanks again
Jeff Gray

[Noxidea]

Main Relay ...... Did You Check this ???

If it seems like u have all the spark you need goto Fuel , When u turn Key do u hear a whining Fuel pump in the rear if not it could be a Main Relay issue

Good luck , when this happen to me it was my igniter even though i had tested it , our cars are strange the signal goes to the igniter and bounces back to kick the coil ,

-Sean- Noxidea

[So Cal Divin]

Hey Sean

Haven't checked fuel yet because I can hear the fuel pump turn on when the key is in the on position then shut off after 5 or so sec., which I read was normal.

I guess I'll crack the service port and see if any fuel comes out, let it lose pressure and then do it all over again. I don't have a pressure gauge to check it though.

Any reason why I have power to one side of the ICM and not the other ? The wht/blu wire that is.

Thanx
Jeff

[xfactortype1]

jeff its your coil

i had an instance one time driving home from school. i came to a stop at a light and the coil gave out on me. same problem. turns but wont start. its shot.

quick question. how many miles on the whip and morso last time tune-up done?

for 109.00 summitracing has an awesome tune-up kit for internal coil dizzy's.

autozone also has a performance coil for like 50 bucks. ill try to find a link for the kit.
one thing i do know its the coil. like 95 percent sure.

hope the link works, tom

http://store.summitracing.com/defaul...=egnsearch.asp

[xfactortype1]

i found i have a new spare internal ..and some other stuff.. let me know ill hook you up

tom

[92accordexpower]

one thing i do know its the coil. like 95 percent sure.

It's probably your ignitor. 10,9kohms is pretty good for a coil, what you're looking for to tell if it's bad is either really high kohms or really low resistance.

Find a wiring diagram, and find the wire that goes to the negative side of the coil. what you'll want to do is get a test light, and hook it to the positive side of the battery, and then to the wire that goes from the ignitor, to the negative side of the coil. Get someone to crank the engine over while you watch the test light. You SHOULD see a flashing light... meaning you have a switching ground, which is what you want. also make sure you are getting good power to the ignitor.

before i knew how to properly diagnose these things, when i threw parts at things, i had the same problem with my cb7, so i bought a new ignition coil, and it turned out to be the ignitor, it's a very common problem on our cars.
And the ignitor i bought, just recently stopped working again, like i said... common problem.

[xfactortype1]

i have that for ya to

jeff,
i do agree accordpower is right as throwing parts at it isnt the right answer. but i have these parts if you want them.
i found the spare dizzy i took out of my cr-v when i got it. it is a td-97u
which has a internal coil like the 90-91. i put the new ignition coil in it.. i also left the stock kec ignitor which was working when i took it out. like i said ill also throw a set of bosch platinum 2 plugs and 2 ignition rotors with it. 25 bucks shipped i think is reasonable.

let me know
tom

[So Cal Divin]

Thanks to everbody for their input.

Hey 92accordexpower

I've continued testing the ignition system and am 99% sure I've found the problem. It hit home on the last test.

Step 6. According to Chilton's manual : Turn ignition OFF. Check for continuity in the yel/grn wire between the igniter and the ECU. So Ichecked continuity between the yel/grn terminal and the ECU fuse in the fuse box under the hood. CHECK CONTINUITY PRESENT.

Step 7. According to Chilton's : Check the resistance between the terminals which connect to the blue and wht/yel wire. Resistance should be betweem 1,100-3,300 ohms. RESISTANCE READ 2,430 OHMS. CHECK.

Step 8. According to 92accordexpower and my friend at work :Connect test lite to + battery terminal and probe to - side of coil. Turn engine over, lite should blink if ICM is good. CHECK LITE BLINKING.

Step 9. According to me ( I am an electrician) : Ground length of #12 ga. wire and hold other end 1/2" from coil secondary post and crank over engine. Check for spark. NONE PRESENT.

Step 10. Hook + and - leads of OHCP (Over Head Coil Pak) from a Ford Police Interceptor (MY FREIEND AT WORK LET ME BORROW IT) hold secondary 1/2" from block bolt and crank engine over. Check for spark. HOME RUN. SPARK PRESENT.

The best I can figure is that 10,900 ohms. may be plenty for a VW or Chevy but just isn't enough for my little ol' Honda.

So tomorrow it's off to PepBoys for a coil. Sorry Tom but time is a serious factor right now. But thank you for the offer which is more than fair, it's a steal.

And Thanks again everyone. If it wasn't for the internet and sites like these my edumication would be sorely lacking. Ain't that the truff...

Jeff Gray

[xfactortype1]

glad its solved

im glad its solved. iv'e had my cb7 for three years now and practically rebuilt it with aftermarket stuff...i put in my accord a crane fireball ignition with lx91 coil.


goodluck tom

[92accordexpower]

good job diagnosing...
upon further review, looks like an ignition coil, but good job taking the time to make sure.
good luck let us know how it goes.

[So Cal Divin]

Voila !!!

And so our little story ends.
And like all stories a lesson learned.
My little saga started with a gut feeling or edumicated guess. Hell I've been working on my own cars for 20 years. So I followed the manual and everything pointed to my gut feeling, the coil. And then my mechanic friend goes and sews the seed of doubt in the pit of my stomach and it grows. I thought cheap enough fix. Well not when you have to borrow money from a friend to fix your car til Pay Day ! I can't afford to follow my gut and throw the part at it. I'm broke.
So I test and research and test and learn a valuable lesson. In my youth I would have rubbed it in my mechanic friend's face and said "I told ya so !"
But it's so much more satisfying knowing I took the time to do it right.

A special Thanks to Albert for loaning me the money, Robbie for sewing the seeds of doubt, tech support and loaning me the parts to test with and yall for your tech support.
I hope to be able to help someone in the future on this board or possibly with this post.

And they all lived happily ever after...
Jeff Gray