My daughters 89 Honda Civic has been having ignition problems. In October I replaced the main relay, the igniter, and the coil. Plugs, Dist Cap and Rotor were replaced over the summer. The car has run well since October. Over Christmas, she drove the car on a 4 hour trip. The next day it failed to start.

1.5 FI 280000 miles.


Fuses under hood OK, checked with voltmeter.
Fuses under dash checked by turning individual circuits on.

Engine cranks. Can smell fuel.

Can hear fuel pump for 2 seconds.

No spark with timing light.

Blk&yellow wire has 12 v

Blue wire has 5 volts when cranking, might be pulses.

Lifted and landed condenser, no effect.

Placed igniter removed in Oct back in car. Trying to start.

Placed coil removed in Oct in car.

Finally started but loaded up. Cleared up after running a bit.

Car now 200 miles away but is hard starting.

Does the distributor go bad on these things?

Thanks FB

Perform the tests, outlined in Sections A and B, below:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...tml#post219451

Yes, distributors go bad on Hondas all the time. The bearing is not splash lubricated, but has a sealed grease bearing. When the oil in the grease wears out, wear develops and it can sound like a thrashing machine. It's also common for the sensors inside the distributor to go (CKP, CYL, and TDC), which are unserviceable. These distributors normally last 70-90,000 miles. It's best to replace it with a genuine Honda distributor housing, since members on this site have had a lot of problems with new aftermarket distributors for Hondas.

Be sure to answer the 3 basic diagnostic questions and perform the K-Test on the ECM, if the Check Engine Light ever stays on--it could be a sign of intermittent ECM failure, which is not uncommon on older Hondas.