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98 civic ex not firing

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Old 07-14-2012
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Exclamation 98 civic ex not firing

i have a 98 EX, and i was on my way to drop my kids off at the babysitters house. it started up fine and when i got to the first light i stopped, and when it turned green it died. the car is getting fuel to the engine, but there is no fire. i have changed the cap and rotor, and tested the coil pack it is fine, and we have changed the ICM. Still no fre. Help this is our only car and i need to get it fixed ASAP.
Old 07-15-2012
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Re: 98 civic ex not firing

and tested the coil pack
What method did you use to check this?
Old 07-15-2012
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Re: 98 civic ex not firing

We used an ohm meter to check the coil pack, and we used a test light. the primary and secondary are within specs. just no fire out of the secondary. i am thinking it my be my neutral safety switch as the car died when i was letting my clutch out. any sugestions?
Old 07-15-2012
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Re: 98 civic ex not firing

We used an ohm meter to check the coil pack, and we used a test light. the primary and secondary are within specs. just no fire out of the secondary.
A) An ohm meter won't figure this out.
B) What did you test with the test light?
C) Do you have a dwell meter?

i am thinking it my be my neutral safety switch as the car died when i was letting my clutch out.
Nope.
any sugestions?
Learn what the neutral safety switch is for, and you should then understand why this cannot be the cause of your problem.

Last edited by ezone; 07-15-2012 at 09:13 AM. Reason: I can't read.
Old 07-15-2012
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Re: 98 civic ex not firing

we tested the positive and negative terminals. the light stayed on constantly and did not flicker on either of the terminals.
Old 07-15-2012
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Re: 98 civic ex not firing

Got any codes?


Depending on the light characteristics and due to the dwelltime involved, an incandescent lamp MIGHT NOT flicker. An LED test light MIGHT have been better to use.

Use a dwellmeter to test.
Do you know how to use one?
(We used to use them all the time back in the good ol' days of points and carbs.)
Set to 4 cylinder scale.
Connect it to the neg. side of the coil and to battery ground.
Crank the engine.
If there is ANY reading at all (even only 2 degrees), the ICM is trying to fire the coil, and the coil is bad.
If the dwell reading is 0 or 90, the problem is elsewhere. Something isn't even trying to fire the coil.


See, most of the time I see these with a hole burned through the side of the coil. It may still make a tiny spark out of the tower, but the spark will seek the closest ground when stressed, and that is the metal shield around the coil. The coil would pass all tests except for the actual sparks output.


I bet the coil is bad, no matter what your ohmmeter said.


HTH
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