McD

I was driving down the road when my car suddenly bogged down, backfired once, and died. I recall this is what happened when my car died and created the problem I was having in a previous post I posted here, https://www.civicforums.com/forums/2...lls-video.html . I took off my Distributor, put the screw back in holding the rotor, and drove home in Limp Mode. on my way home, I noticed my Tachometer was not showing an accurate reading, it was jumping around 1500-2500 rpm higher than what the engine is actually running at until I get to around 3800rpm at which point it settles down and shows my actual rpm. mind you I can barely get to 4500rpm since I'm in Limp Mode. I've checked my fuses and wires, I had to take apart my dizzy and it looked ok from what I saw, I didn't inspect it hardcore.

I've done some research and it sounds like it might be my ICM, but I'm checking around to see if it could be something else and just to get a 2nd opinion so I don't end up spending 60-100 bucks on a whole new dizzy if all I need is a 20-35 dollar part.

ezone

Check my reply to your other thread here

McD

@ezone, I ran into another issue today while getting an ICM for my dizzy at the local parts yard. when I tried to start my car, I lost all power for around 5 minutes or until I jiggled the positive and negative terminals. I re-tightened the wires on my positive and it started right up, and took my ecu out of Limp Mode. I'm going to go through all of the wiring I can find on my car and make sure all my grounds and connections are good. Do you think this could be the root of my problems? After I check my wiring I'll take it for another test drive and see if the issue with my tach is resolved. If not I'll be replacing the ICM to see if that fixes it. I couldn't find a coil on any dizzys at the parts yard so I'll have to wait a little while before I can buy that and see if that's the issue.

I did reread your posts on my previous post and I'll be inspecting every component of my ignition until I find my problem. (I recently had to replace my ignition switch which I already knew was going bad and was just a matter of time until it broke.)

McD

also, though this seems to be a common issue in these older engines, I lose power in 2nd gear between 2500-4000 rpm, sometimes a loss of power in 1st after 4000, and rarely in 3rd around the 2500-4000 mark. just another thing I noticed happening.

ezone

Hard to tell from where I sit in my recliner LOL.
Loose battery cables or poor connections are certainly a problem by themselves.

I'm not sure what you are calling limp mode either.

I mainly posted because I thought you still had the tach needle climbing higher than actual engine RPM, which I figured could be the loose igniter (ICM) terminals issue. It's common enough there is a bulletin about it for some of the cars.

McD

It just started jumping higher than it actually is after my last breakdown. and I've checked all my wiring, and even figured out a few things I didn't know about my electrical while I was as it, and its all good, I redid any connections that looked sketchy and it's still acting the same. I'll replace the ICM in the morning when there's light to work by. thanks for all your help and knowledge btw

McD

Replaced ICM, car idles smoother and the tach is fixed. Problem solved now to replace the fuel pump, passenger CV shaft, and rebuild the shift linkage and I can sell this to upgrade to a 90-91 Si.