Now, where would the tach wire be to plug into the ICM. I seem to have lost it

It should be a blue wire.

But where does the tach wire come from? I can't seem to find it >:(

Also, I have everything in the car, lined it up, tried to start it. Nope! Lol maybe because the tach wire? But I pulled out my test light and both contacts on the coil will light, but all of the contacts on the igniter will not light. What does this mean?

The tach wire should not be the problem. Review how you have the three other wires attached. Did you have the negative battery cable off while you installed everything? The coil connection is likely so poor that it doesn't work properly.

No the negative cable wasn't off, would this fry something? Let me recheck wiring.

And the coil connection is actually pretty good. But, doesn't the coil's power come from the igniter? Why are the contacts on the coil testing fine but not the igniter?

You never know.

:O I'm stumped..

No. The igniter is like a switch that opens and closes power going to the coil. The coil is a simple step-up transformer and this build-up and collapse of the magnetic field by the igniter is what converts 12v DC to 35,000v. The ICM opens and closes the current, however, precisely when the ECM directs.

I think if you get everything hooked up properly and securely that the engine will start, when the ignition switch is turned to START. Obviously, the leak cover, rotor, and distributor cap need to be on.

So what should I test? Just re-did wiring, put it back in, to no avail.

I usually recommend replacing the ICM and coil together. It's possible the coil is what was bad.

All right, I'm going to cruise some junkyards in a minute. Sigh.. but I'm pretty sure my icm was bad too.it had a big crack/gash on the back side and a burn mark

That's likely true. They are crammed in that distributor together and they both experience very intense heat.

Don't give up.. . victory is very close!

Is there no way to test and check for sure to make sure its one or the other? I can't keep doing guess and check work :( no $$

Coil Test.

1. Remove the two screws to disconnect the BLK/YEL and WHT/BLU wires from terminals A (+) and B (-), respectively.

2. Measure resistance (ohms) between the terminals. Replace coil if the resistance is not with specifications. Primary Winding Resistance (between A and B terminals) should be 0.6 to 0.8 ohms. Secondary Winding Resistance (between A and secondary winding terminals) should be 12.8 to 19.2 k-ohms.

My experience is that bench testing ICM and coils is not reliable. They don't simulate the heat that is generated under load. They may bench test OK but not work at all. I've seen that many times.

Normally, if they bench test as bad, they are really bad. However, if they bench test as OK, they may or may not really be any good. So there's a little bit of value to it.

Here's the deal, just found a full distributor at the junkyard for 55, came of the same car totalled at 110k miles.

Cars can be expensive, which is why some of us get into preventive maintenance (especially for engines and transmissions). Otherwise, you had better have deep pockets.

Can you return your ICM? I don't want to spend your money so you have to decide. If you go that route, keep your old distributor.

I'm keeping my old one and all the parts, I just can't afford the new coil and the junkyards will only sell the whole distributor. So for now, to get back on the road, I'm buying this one. But I'm not stopping there lol.

Ok so the distributor is in, and I have spark! Tried to start up my engine, it almost started but struggled a lot.

Oops hit 'post' on accident, but yeah, what do you think I've done wrong?

The timing is too retarded--rotate the distributor more counter-clockwise.

Ah I've been so busy today. Finally got it though! Its been awesome!

So a few questions though, how do I set the idle speed? Its sitting ~100 and sounds like it might die sometimes. Not to bad but I want to get it ~700

Did you try advancing the timing by rotating the distributor housing counter-clockwise?

Yes but I don't know if its right. Is that the only way to change the idle speed?

Since your Civic was probably idling fine before you removed the distributor (around 700 rpm), I would rotate the housing counter-clockwise until the rpm is about 700. Then, allow the car to reach normal operating temperature, get your friend's induction timing light, and set it to spec, which you need to find out.

Use your common sense on this, but I expect your idle rpm is so low right now because the timing is retarded. Again, you should be able to tell by ear when it sounds right and performs well. After you get it set correctly, remember to tighten the three mounting bolts.

Awesome! Now I get to start my maintenance so this doesn't happen again. :)

And I'm idling perfectly, 700 on the money. Flawless timing. Pretty awesome.

How does the car perform?

Its great, but my rpm seems to be a little low at idle still, where the engine takes a bit longer on takeoff. Should I adjust the idle speed specifically or rotate my distributor more? The timing sounds pretty flawless though.

Sounds like the timing needs to be advanced even more. Don't touch the idle speed, yet.

Now, it's time to borrow your friend's timing light and check things out.

Well when I judge my idle speed, are we talking about when the car is cold or warm? Just want to clarify.

Normal operating temperature--fully warmed up.

Awesome, everything is great :)

Did you put a strobe light on it?

Couldn't get ahold of one, but I took it to a shop I had visited before and the guy remembered me and checked it for free. He even complimented me on the distributor haha - total confidence boost.