I've lurked here for a bit and found some very helpful info, but I now have a question. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm having some starting problems with my 88 Accord LXI 2-door. Thought it was main relay--replaced and the problem persists. Cold starts no problem, and will start up again within 5 minutes of running for awhile. The problem begins once it starts to cool. After 20 minutes of being parked, it will not start again until completely cool (i.e. overnight)

New:
main relay
plugs
wires
d-cap
rotor

Just used ohmeter to check coil and have no primary winding resistance. It simply shows continuity. Other readings are OK with service manual specs. Could this be my problem? I can alos check igniter, but if this is the obvious problem, I don't want to take apart any more stuff than necessary.

Thanks alot.

Cliff

 

Just to make sure I'm understanding correctly but when it's starting to cool you no longer have any spark? So we know that it is an ignition/spark related issue and not a fuel problem correct? IF you have no spark from there then based on all of that I'd say your coil sounds bad, typically it's an easily accessible part, swing down to an auto parts store and pick one up, loosely bolt it up and give it a try, if that fixes the issue then great, if not take it back and get your money back,

Check for spark from the coil to the distributor and if that's present check it on the plug wires, that should tell you where the problem lies, but it's starting to sound like a coil issue (or some freak loose wire problem, check all your wires and check for spark, possibly a choke problem?)

 

Yeah, when it is starting to cool, I'm not getting enough of a spark to fire the engine up. I'm getting fuel--the pump runs when the key is engaged (it then shuts off, audibly, after 2 seconds). Furthermore, I can smell gas when cranking during these no-start times. I'm getting a spark at the plugs, but have not yet checked for a spark to the distributer from the coil. Will do so now.

Also, I read on another troubleshooting page that less resistance from a a coil is not necessarily a bad thing--that it can still function properly. Instead, if a coil has too much resistance, it will malfunction. Is thjis necessarily true?

 

This may sound like an odd question but what kind of spark plugs are you using? are they bosch by chance? Those have a habbit of blowing out coils in honda's because of resistance issues.

 

I just read another post from a while back that mentioned on occasion the ignitor inside the distributor may have gone bad..... but start with checking for the proper spark plugs and testing for spark first

 

I've got NGR plugs.

Just went to the Auto parts store with the ohmeter to make sure that I got different readings in comparison to the existing coil...Unfortunately, the reading are the same--no primary winding resisstance in the new one either, so I didn't buy it. I guess I'll check the igniter next.

 

NGK-R plugs or NGR plugs? According to the consensus here honda's run the best with NGK plugs, bosch plugs cuase some stuff to blow out, if the coil is reading just fine and all the connections are good it may be the igniter... here's a link to the distributor teardown/parts list, unfortunatly I have no idea what the readings should be from that to test it properly

http://www.hondapartswarehouse.com/p...t6=E%20%200501

 

I found it! Here's the Service Manual Page for testing the ignitor, hope this helps, I can also e-mail it to you if you PM me your e-mail address

[IMG]local://upfiles/3079/57C87FF0C4F64B2FB613D90F1F1DD2A5.jpg[/IMG]

 

Here's the coil test instructions

[IMG]local://upfiles/3079/8683783D7ADC44FD821BCBB6B352C268.jpg[/IMG]

 

Yeah, they are NGK plugs, my bad.

Thanks a lot for the pages. I plan on checking out the igniter tomorrow.