Rep Power: 0

I'm confused. Can anyone explain this?

I had no spark on my 1990 Civic. I did the coil and igniter tests in the FSM. I didn't have continuity on my white wire and blue wire (steps 5 and 6 in the Igniter Unit Input Test).

I finally just replaced both the igniter and coil, and the car started.

BUT I never found continuity in the blue or white wires.

Shouldn't the motor fail to start without continuity there?

 
Rep Power: 175

When you say you didn't find continuity, what do you mean? The blue and white wires should each go from the igniter to some point on the chassis.

 
Rep Power: 245

Was it a good chassis ground spot? No paint or rust. You should get continuity between both of the wires as long as there connection to the chassis is good.

 
Rep Power: 519

If WHT had no continuity to ground on step 5, you should have never made it to step 6.

Was your meter set to the correct setting to test continuity?


(Who cares? It runs now! LOL)

 
Rep Power: 0

The factory service manual page I posted says to "test for continuity between the WHT wire and the body ground." I set my multimeter to test for continuity. Then I put one probe on the white wire. I put the other probe on the chassis. I tried multiple spots on the chassis, even right where the g101 and g151 grounds connect at the thermostat housing. I did not have continuity.

 
Rep Power: 0

Yes, it was set to test continuity. I even checked to make sure it would beep on a random piece of wire.

You're right though. The freakin' thing started.

I must be misunderstanding something about how to perform that test.

 
Rep Power: 0

Yes, I even tried it in several locations. I must have done something wrong or misunderstand the instructions because after putting in a new coil and igniter it started even when I didn't get the continuity reading. Oh well. It's a mystery.

 
Rep Power: 519

Unless I'm missing something in the wiring diagram, the blue wire leads to the tach and the white wire leads to the ECM.

Neither should have true continuity to ground?

 
Rep Power: 0

That would make sense since I didn't get a continuity reading. Do you think there's some sort of typo on that page of the manual. It clearly says "There should be continuity" between the blue wire and ground and between the white wire and ground.

Please, tell me I'm not crazy!

 
Rep Power: 519

You aren't crazy, and I find errors in published info regularly.
I have no way to confirm, verify, or validate this as an error though.

I just looked at a wiring diagram that seemed to disagree with the input test specs.

 
Rep Power: 0

Thanks for looking into it!

 
Rep Power: 0

RonJ over at clubcivic.com confirmed that the directions for testing the igniter wiring are wrong in the 1990 service manual. They are corrected in later years.