Ask Me Help Desk - 91 honda civic

91 honda civic

I have a 91 honda civic 4 door sedan dx. I just replaced the rotor and distributor cap and now the car won't start. First I checked multiple times to be sure I had the firing order correct. I then read the thread written by CroCivic91 and checked my ECU codes. I got a 10 and 16. The 16 sounds like a possible main relay and the 10 is air intake temperature. I checked for the clicks in the main relay and I get all 3 leading me to believe that the relay is good. Is there anything else I could try. It seems very coincidental for a problem to occur that is not related to my changing the cap and rotor.

Thanks for any help.

Sal

I followed CroCivic91's procedure to test the coil and found the resistance to be too high. Replaced the coil and the car started right up.

Sal

There's nothing like a user finding an answer to his own question and posting the results back up...

If only there were more like you... thumbs up for fixing up your car yourself!

Quote:

Originally Posted by salr

I have a 91 honda civic 4 door sedan dx. I just replaced the rotor and distributor cap and now the car won't start. First I checked multiple times to be sure I had the firing order correct. I then read the thread written by CroCivic91 and checked my ECU codes. I got a 10 and 16. The 16 sounds like a possible main relay and the 10 is air intake temperature. I checked for the clicks in the main relay and I get all 3 leading me to believe that the relay is good. Is there anything else I could try. It seems very coincidental for a problem to occur that is not related to my changing the cap and rotor.

Thanks for any help.

Sal

How did you remove the rotor?

Quote:

Originally Posted by salr

I have a 91 honda civic 4 door sedan dx. I just replaced the rotor and distributor cap and now the car won't start. First I checked multiple times to be sure I had the firing order correct. I then read the thread written by CroCivic91 and checked my ECU codes. I got a 10 and 16. The 16 sounds like a possible main relay and the 10 is air intake temperature. I checked for the clicks in the main relay and I get all 3 leading me to believe that the relay is good. Is there anything else I could try. It seems very coincidental for a problem to occur that is not related to my changing the cap and rotor.

Thanks for any help.

Sal

Sal,

So you replaced the cap and rotor - and then your coil burned out.
To prevent damage to your new coil, be sure the spring inside the distributor cap isn't missing and that the button that contacts the rotor is in place. I highly recommend using Honda igntion parts - the aftermarket parts cause more problems. Also, make sure there is some kind of threadlock on the rotor screw - it will back out and spin on the shaft = no engine running. The Honda rotor comes with a new screw with threadlock already applied.

Code 16 is for the fuel injector circuit. Your engine is throttle body injected and so the positive side of the fuel injector circuit passes through the Main Relay. IF you crank the engine long enough with an intermittent main relay problem, you will get a code 16. If you haven't replaced your main relay already (or resoldered it) do so. Be sure to clear your ECU (disconnect battery) to wipe out the codes so you can use any new codes for diagnosing future problems.