3 days ago... my 1987 honda accord tach just died, immediately the engine lost power then died. re started but very hard to keep alive and no tach. the next morning everything was fine...

87 honda accord
5 speed
57k miles

any advise is greatly appreciated

 

sorry call me ignorant but can you please explain to me what tach stands for?then maybe i can help you?

 

thanks for responding, I meant tachometer

 

weird... Sorry 1987 accord is a couple years outside of my knowledge zone... When it dies will it start back up right away? if so it could be your coil...

 

yes it will restart, and do the same thing a few times, then in the morning it was completely fine. do you think the coil is going bad? if so, what can I expect, how long could it last, and could the air temp, very hot in traffic be a factor? thank you again for your attention

 

Does your tach bounce all over when it loses power and engine hesitate and stumble badly? That's what my 1990 is doing. Started randomly a year ago and would be fine but now it's everyday.
I replaced distributor rotor and cap, wires, plugs and seemed to help after the first time a year ago. Now it's back, I'm leaning towards coil or ignition control module. You might want to follow my thread if it's the same exact issue. One guy had this problem and was a loose ground to the motor.

 

most definitely hot air temp plays a big roll on a coil going bad! If i were to tell you how long the coil will last you id be lien to you cause there is no way to tell you how long it will last?
so this only occurs when the engine is hot?

 

Well no, the tach does not bounce, just went dead... but definately drug down the engine and then died. but would restart right away and then do it again.

and Yes it was very hot 100+F outside in traffic when it started happening, and then all better in the mornings...

 

ok do me a favor start it up and run your finger tips all along each spark plug wire 1 at a time now if you have a leaking wire you will feel it when you get a shock!if you get no shock then i would replace the coil pack!
where exactly is the coil mounted at?how close to the distributor is the coil?

 

My1sthonda93: The Coil is in the distributor. And nicolai, It's up to you If you want to shock yourself but I would try looking at your plug wires in the dark and look for sparks possibly mist a little water on them.

Here is a link I found helpful and easily displayed to test your coil or Ignitor (ignition control module aka Icm)

1990 Honda Accord LX: 230k..various times, the engine just cuts off - JustAnswer