You can check wires that are directly attached to the battery with the car off. Other wires you might need to turn the ignition on, not necessarily the engine though. I have to second that I think your starter might be cooked. If the gear from the starter that engages the flywheel was unable to retract and spun with the engine as well as getting power to it, things wouldn't hold up for long. 40 minutes running like that could put a serious strain on the whole engine as it would be trying to charge the battery just as fast as the starter would drain it and starters take quite a bit of power to turn. Some parts stores test starters, I recomend that. But I would also check all your fuses and relays before ripping out the starter.

 

I am trying to replace the ignition at this point. I picked up a 91 ignition for my 90 accord . I got the braket off from around the steering colum and went to pulg in all the connectors and I noticed that on the old ignition unit with the wires leading out toward the alarm system there is a wire that isblack with a yellow strip thathas a plastic piece thatflips open butdoes not look like it disconnects. From the plastic piece there is a additionalall yellow wire that runs up to intertwine with other wires that are pluged into a connector that is located above the fuse box. I am stumped on how to go about installing the used/new ignition with this addional yellow wire that is not on the unit that I need to intall. DO you know what the yellow wire does? HOw I can get around it. I tried first to bypass the wire and pug the new unit into the conections and the assesories lights turn on as well as the light around the igniton circle around the key so power is being supplied but the car will not turn over or inguage to begin to try to turn over. When I try to start it nothing happens.. HElp thanks Chad

 

Maybe that extra connection is for a non-factory alarm system?

 

Have you checked all your fuses? did you trace the power and ground wires from the battery to see if they were melted or damaged at all? The yellow wire goes to your #7 and #8 fuses (in a 91)

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Everything seems to check out ok after the I replaced the distributer, that was burned out over the ignition beeing stuck. Replacing just the tumbler does not seem like an option at this point. I stripped the allen wrench nut that was acting as the retaining screw on the ignition. So back to replacing the whole unit.I connected the two wires that are have been spliced that lead up to the alarm box and fuses. After I connected them instead of leading them to the box again the car started up. But I still have the other ignition connectd to the alarm and the yellow wire that I am still trying to figure, out might be from the alarm system as, somebody suggested,because the car starts with when I by passed it. Do you think that I should just go ahead and cut the wire or pull it out of the connection above the fues panel and see if effects anything? Thanks Chad