velozp

Hello everyone My 1995 Civic LX sedan auto was running rough a few days ago. I noticed one of the plug wires popped up and had oil in the galley. I shut it down and left it for the next day. I go to start it to pull it into the garage and it just cranks. This is what I can rule out: newer battery, new fuel filter, plenty of gas, the plugs have gas smell when I pulled them out, and Timing Belt is fine. I also placed one spark plug ( connected to the dizzy close to metal and HAS NO spark. So I will check all fuses today relating to the engine. One thing I notice is the dizzy is leaking oil and is quite wet from the bottom. Could oil get on any of the electrical connections that are below the dizzy? ? And how do you test out a dizzy? I will repost later today what I find. I plan on new wires, plugs, gasket set, after its running again. Thanks

Wankenstein

Any CEL's?

Don't throw parts at it and diagnose first. Countless posts of people assuming it's spark plugs or wires or rotor or distributor cap so they replace them and it still doesn't solve the issue. You did check for spark which is the right thing to do first. Read this: http://troubleshootmyvehicle.com/hon...rt-condition-1

The distributor can leak exteriorally via an outer shaft's O-ring: replace this as sson as possible because the leaking oil can deteriorate the coolant system heater hose below it..which can lead to low coolant..which can lead to overheating..which can lead to possible (unwanted) head gasket breech.
The distributor also has an internal O-ring inside it's housing..if it's leaking there will most likely be oil inside the distributor which could also cause a no start situation. Remove the distrubtor cap and inspect for oil. If igniter or coil is a concern read this: http://easyautodiagnostics.com/honda...system-tests-1

Oil in the spark plug hole is most likely from worn, spark plug hole seals (O-rings) on the top of the valve cover OR from
It's the lower spark plug tube seals shown in video below.

velozp

Thank You got more info from my son which I did not know. His brake fluid level light came on so he popped the hood to see it was down. Then he noticed while it was running 2 plug wires had popped out. He went to pull one of the wires and it ran rough then stalled. At this point it would not start. Damm kids never give the truth! I did change the NGK plugs, wires, tube seals, valve cover gasket. All were either old or bad. NO CEL lights are on. Its definitely cranking but is also flooding the engine. I did check fuses which are ok. I will check the dizzy tomorrow. Thanks

ezone

GOT SPARK?


I bet either the coil shot craps when it was stressed or it has a cap and rotor problem.

I'd pull the dist cap and check if coil can still throw a lightning bolt 1/2 inch or longer. If the coil can make sparks then go for the cap and rotor.

You got the wires in the correct order around the dist cap, no?

velozp

Hi ezone yes correct firing order I will get a spark tester today as the post did recommend.

ezone

I would not use one of those.....I'd use a long screwdriver instead, that way I can control the size of the air gap and see how big a gap a spark can jump.

Wankenstein

Maybe this can become another Ezone vid?
Comes up quite often here. Testing this way can cause possibly cause a weak/intermittent coil to fail?...which is a good thing.

ezone

I should have said in there somewhere the screwdriver method is FREE if you have one.

Probably not anytime soon, cars that old coming to a dealership for problems are few and far between nowadays.

velozp

Hi guys did some debug. I used my new spark tester HEI. No spark on all 4 wires, no spark on one of the cap tower connectors, and removed the cap itself and no spark on the tower ( spring) tomorrow I will remove the rotar and a rubber seal and check the 12 v signal with a meter to see if its getting 12 v . Their was some small amount of oil in the cap but not a lot. All this info is great. What do you guys think so far? And how do I tell if my dizzy is a TEC?

velozp

one more thing to add no spark on the ignition coil tower and the distributor rotor DOES turn

ezone

A GM HEI tester (sometimes called ST-125) may not work because it needs more voltage than a lot of other makes can deliver.

THAT is why I said what I said about using a screwdriver.

Did you use the HEI tester on that too?

velozp

The HEI tester is an autocraft brand I got at Advanced auto parts # AC657. Maybe I should try it on my 98 civic to make sure its working! So I took the rotor off and the dust cap. I went to the positive terminal on the dizzy with my digital meter and had my son crank it, showed 10-12 volts like it should . However went to the negative terminal on the dizzy using a test light. These instructions say to hook the alligator clip of the test light to the POSITVE battery terminal and the probe tip to the negative terminal on the dizzy and crank it. As it cranks I see the led goes off and on. Here is the example they give to why.
The next step is to find out if the igniter is feeding the ignition coil an activation signal (which I call the switching signal).
CASE 1: If the test light flashed ON and OFF while the engine was cranking, ( IT DID) then the ignition coil is BAD, replace it.
Here's why: The flashing on and off of the test light confirms that the Honda's igniter (ignition control module) is receiving its Triggering signal from the ECM (Electronic Control Module=Fuel Injection Computer) and that it's generating the switching signal... simply put: it's working correctly. So then, if the ignition coil is receiving 12 Volts (which you have already confirmed in TEST 3) and is receiving the switching signal from the igniter- IT HAS TO SPARK. Since it did not, it's BAD.

What do you guys think? BUT I WILL TEST the spark tester on my 98 to verify it works Thanks Ezone.

ezone

.....You just might ruin that cars ignition coil too!




Inputs good + no spark = Coil is bad.
Replace coil. tl;dr

You still have to deal with the fallout from the loss of spark, that means you might need to dry the plugs and de-flood the engine, maybe even re-oil the cylinders if they have been washed down with gas causing loss of compression.

velozp

ok I'm getting the whole dizzy 189.00 complete but I will keep the old dizzy for rebuild
Are you saying my HEI spark tester can ruin a cars ignition coil ?

Wankenstein

Is that an OEM distributor?

ezone

It can finish off a marginal coil, the same way your coil was (probably) finished off by having a loose plug wire. The extra gap increases the voltage demand.

The marginal coil can't handle the increased KV demand of an extremely large spark gap, but a good coil should be able to.


The GM HEI tester makes a coil try to deliver at least 30kv...but a GM DIS coilpack might be capable of generating 40-60kv....whereas many other brands might max out at maybe 30kv, which might be overtaxing some coils.

velozp

understood now. yes I will check if its an oem
advanced auto has the whole dizzy complete for 189.00 good price? for the price of the coil at 75.00 and my dizzy is leaking oil, a new one may be good including cap/rotar or do you have another place?

Wankenstein

Autozone doesn't sell OEM.

Internally or externally?..there's an internal and external O-ring

Honda Parts Now, Honda Parts Cheap, Majestic Honda..online OEM only dealers.

ezone

Um, there is a very deceptive cheapazz brand called O. E. M. (Original Engine Management) which is absolutely not the same as an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer).

Caveat Emptor!


O ring is external and easy to fix.

The internal seal around the shaft is (usually a double) lip type seal, and Honda doesn't sell it by itself.... but forum sponsor CAR ID may be able to get it.


https://www.civicforums.com/forums/m...399-carid.html

http://www.carid.com/honda-civic-accessories/

Call Toll Free: 800.505.3274 | Twitter | Google+ | myCARiD | YouTube

Wankenstein

Autoboned brand is Duralast (Dura-shaft) which is most likely a rebranded **** part ( such as the OEM brand ezone warned about).

There's YouTube videos of Civic distributor's internal seal replacement. Also many on external seal replacement.

velozp

Hey guys got my new dizzy from advanced auto online for 150.00 all new. However I am having a difficult time disconnecting the old one . The top connector came right out. The side connector has a push tab which you press on and unlocks it. I assume you pull the other end out but its really stuck in their. Seems to be locked on the bottem end. Does the small metal bracket holder have to come off 1st? Something so simple puzzles me. Thanks

ezone

You MUST release the connector from the metal bracket before you can take apart the connector.

Move the release tab and slide it off the bracket. Then you can take it apart.

velozp

it worked effortlessly thanks again ezone

velozp

hi guys I brought back my new dizzy. It had a big cracked cap so I have no faith in new. It was probably dropped before I got it. It is made in china. Scotty kilmer renowned Honda mechanic suggests remans instead of new. The new does have a lifetime guaranty but the reman only have 90 days. thoughts?

ezone

You paid for a good distributor. Keep replacing it until you get a good one.

Then if you finally get one that works.... be ready to replace it again in 30k.


Aftermarket distributors are crap.
I can place much faith in OE.
*snortle*

velozp

got replacement dizzy up and running yes I will make sure not to loose the receipt. Thanks to all