If all else fails, it's the ignition switch.
I just went through that with my sister's '89 DX. Replaced everything, it would
crank, but just wouldn't spark. Turns out the Honda ignition switch is weak,
and doesn't like much more than the Honda key hanging off it.
David Avard
>Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 08:58:33 -0500
>From: William Loring <bloring@tirerack.com>
>Subject: Re: Honda troubles
>
>Mark,
>
>Change the cap and rotor. If I were a betting man, I'd put $10 on that.
>
>My 84 Honda used to burn out rotors over time. The plastic would melt
>through and spark would arc _through_ the rotor.
>
>My 90 Si hasn't done this quite this badly, but it does run lousy and the
>tach jumps around, when the cap and rotor are going bad.
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>Regards,
>
>William Loring
>
>
>on 11/9/03 2:06 PM, Mark J. Bradakis at mjb@autox.team.net wrote:
>
>> Well, shucks. A while back I drove the little black Honda home one
>> evening, it was running fine.[*] The next morning I jump in it, turn
>> the key and it cranks and cranks and cranks but doesn't start. So
>> I start trying to track down the problem with this '87 Civic Si.
>> At this point, I have checked out the fuel system, the engine is getting
>> gasoline at the appropriate volume and pressure. I replaced the crank
>> sensors in the distributor, and sort of made some progress. Before the
>> sensors were replaced, the car might fire up when cranking and cranking,
>> run roughly for a bit and them either die or run perfectly normally
>> for a bit. Now with the new sensors in place it will attempt to start
>> every time, but sounds like the timing is way off, like 60 degrees or
>> something. And as part of the debugging process I did make sure that
>> at TDC the distributor rotor is in the correct position and the new plug
>> wires are all on the correct plug.
>>
>> Perhaps some of you who are more familiar with Hondas might have some
>> further advice for me to track down the problem. Before I go and spend
>> $200 or so on a new ignitor for the distributor, on the chance that *might*
>> be the problem, what else should I check?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> mjb.
>>
>> *: Actually, now that I think about it, the tach was starting to twitch
>> while cruising down the highway, usually a sign of an ignition problem,
>> like the ignitor starting to fail. Hmmm...
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