1990 Dx suddenly died, won't start
 

Hi, I have a 1990 DX with 250,000 miles I bought 2 years ago from first owner which it was well maintained. Only problem was the valve cover gasket had a slight leak. I finally replaced it last year and noticed some oil on the plugs. I thought the seals were bad and it would be fine once i replaced them with the new ones in the gasket kit. Anyway, last thursday I drove not even 3 miles from my house and the engine just kinda bogged down and cut off. It didn't overheat or give any "warning" signs.I know some basics about mechanics with my truck but I'm clueless with this Honda. I sprayed some starting fluid into the throttle body and it didn't seem to want to start. My dad came over and we tested for spark by pulling wire out and puttin a plug in and grounding it..got nothing. I'm kinda clueless as what to do next to see whats wrong with it? I've looked at the tegger site. Seems like it could come from an array of problems . What is most common to go ? Cap, ignitor, or could it possibly be a fuel problem? What do you guys think? Thanks

Start with the simple things first. Check that all ends of both battery cables are clean and secure. Does the battery have enough power to turn the engine via the starter?

Replace spark plugs (NGK OEM plugs), distributor cap, and rotor if they are due. OEM honda spark plug wires are pretty durable. Check for any damage or cracks to the insulation of the wires.

Locate the blk/yel wire that goes to the coil. Unplug that connector. See if the blk/yel wire has 12V to ground when the key is to the II position using a volt meter.

most likely you got a bad coil or a bad ignitor,, go to the DIY section, there is a write up on how to test which one is bad ..

Month later.. after determining I had no spark I just went ahead and bought a new distributor. Still does the same thing. Turn they key..chugga chugga chugga but nothing. Hard to explain but the car seems kind of "weak" as i'm starting. Battery is fully charged,cables clean, everything. Could just be normal but I tend to notice it now that I'm working on it. Any ideas on what I should try now? Check the relay?

The weakness in the car when you are staring probably has more to do with the starter. The starter solenoid may not be making a good contact with the copper contacts. That is not your issue.

You should have done some more testing before spending the money on a new distributor.

1. Do you have 12V at the blk/yel wire that goes to the distributor when you turn the key to the II position?

2. Did you new distributor come with a new ignitor (inside of the distributor and has 4 wires going to it)?

3. There is a ground point under the distributor that you should check to make sure its secure.

4. If you have 12V and the ignitor is new, then the coil must be at fault.