My 93 Honda civic del sol had been sitting in my driveway for a couple of months. After I charged the battery, I started my Honda and let it run. It ran
for 20 minutes with no problem. It then stalled, when I attempted to start it again, it wouldn't start. The engin turns over but it just wont start. At first I thought I might have flooded it but even after an hour or so still no luck. Could it be a fuse or perhaps the fuel pump? I appreciate any suggestions. Thanks

fadedindigo

I observed the rotor with the cap off and it was spinning...but how fast is it supposed to be spinning? my rotor was spinning rather slow. about 1 rotation per second..maybe a tiny bit faster...is this normal?

Can someone be so kind and give me a picture of the firing order of a del sol? i wanna be 100 percent sure i have the firing order correct. Thanks.

CroCivic91

Here you go.

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fadedindigo

thanks for the photo. i am assuming the dark dot is number 1 and it goes clock wise in the 1342 matter, but when i look at the dist cap --how do i know where to start? i attached a picture with an arrow pointing to the one i think is number 1. please tell me if this is correct. thank you for replying so fast.

-Dave

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CroCivic91

Here's a picture that will help you...
http://img18.exs.cx/img18/7701/b16firingorder2.jpg

fadedindigo

how fast should the rotor be spinning?

CroCivic91

Check to make sure that a screw that's holding the rotor to the camshaft's extension shaft is securely tightened. If it is, then at whatever rate the rotor is spinning, it's fine.

fadedindigo

hey first of all, thanks for prompt replies and help.

I replaced the rotor today and it still isnt getting spark. The rotor spins and all. I made sure the screw was as tight as possible.

So far, i've changed the rotor, wires, plugs, and dist cap. So i know those little things are out of the way.

I read your posts about the main relay and the solution you gave about checking the main relay checked out. When the key is in the II position, a humming sound starts and the check engine light goes out and makes a loud click noise. So i am pretty sure its not the main relay thats crapping out.

Should I somehow check the coil next? I was looking at the coils on advance auto parts and they were around 70 dollars or so...before I buy something expensive, i need your expert advice. How do I go about testing the coil before I buy a new one? I have a circuit tester tool. Are there any other ignition components that I should look at?

This car is really making me mad .

Thank you so much for all your help.

-Dave

CroCivic91

Ignition coil is easy to test. It is explained in the FAQ. You should remove the distributor cap, unscrew the 2 screws that are holding the 2 wires attached to the coil, remove the wires and measure resistance between + and -. You should get around 0.7ohms. I measured 1 coil from a working car and got 1 ohm. I measured one coil from a non-working car and got 1.2 ohms. Then measure resistance between + and secondary winding terminal (it's the round thing on the "front" side of the coil. You should get around 12kiloohms. First time i measured mine, i got 18 MEGAohms...so then i scratched the connecting part on the secondary terminal and got a 12 kiloohms measurement. Another working coil showed 12 kiloohms. If you get infinite resistance somewhere, it would mean the coil is bad. Just make sure you measure right, and try scratching the connecting side of the terminal if you get too much resistance.

fadedindigo

Hi.

I tested the ignition coil today and here are the results:
Primary Terminal: 0.6 ohms
Secondary Terminal: 11.72 kilo-ohms

Does this sound about right? It is very close to your measurements so I assume it is in working condition.

What can I test next? Thanks for your help.

-Dave

CroCivic91

Ignition coil is in excellent condition!!!

Let's go over this again. The car won't start. Main relay is working fine and you hear a humming noise and hear a click when you turn the key to II. You can also smell gas at the exhaust tip when trying to crank it. Rotor is spinning so it means the timing belt is intact. Ignition coil checks out fine.

Have you tried getting a cheap used igniter unit and replacing it? Yesterday i managed to fix my car not starting up for 2 months...turns out it was a bad igniter unit after all. Try having someone lend you an igniter to check if it will work with it.

Does your car have a fuse box under hood? It should be at the passenger's strut tower. Check all fuses there (mainly the Ignition one - i think it's 50A fuse).