Car just died on my wife, had to tow home due to no spark. No obvious problem seen on visual gonna run thru diagnostics on all the components but would like input on what might be the most common failures. This car has been pretty bulletproof for over 250k, tho I did have to rebuild the auto trans(mainly clutch plates and a few brngs and shims). Don't wanna wade thru testing all the components if there are a few that most commonly are the source of the failure. Thanks!

 

I'd check for codes to see if something obvious is causing the issue.

Does your car have a distributor or a coil for each spark plug? The switch to coil over plug happened sometime during the 98-02 accords. I can't remember exactly when.

Regardless of the code, you should do electrical troubleshooting for a sensor code before replacing the sensor, because it could be wiring a corroded connector, etc.

 

I haven't noticed a check engine light, but I'm gonna hook up my code reader. It may not have had time to set a code. Thanks for the input! I wonder if there is a database somewhere for auto failures. Wouldn't that be helpful, to know what are the most common component failures? And at what mileage? Take cam belts, for example. I've replaced them twice in 250k on this car, and both times the parts I pulled out looked great, belt flawless, water pump and brings, smooth as silk. I know you don't want to take chances with interference engines(bent valves are no fun, or worse), but I digress...I've tested distributor coil voltage and resistance, resistance was essentially correct tho not spot on book spec. like 11,5k instead of 11.9(example, not actual measurement). Thinkin' that's not it. More diagnostics tomorrow when hopefully it's not raining...

 

Got back into it, sensors at crank were both in spec., sooo...ICM? I hear some auto parts stores can test these, so I'll do that and if ICM tests ok , will spring for a coil since it's secondary was 10% out of spec 11.6 instead of 12.9 to 19k. Anyone have to replace either of these in your early 2000s accords???

 

A resistance check on a coil is good for severe changes in resistance where you have an open vs shorted coil. I've seen posts where the coil or the ICM is the culprit.

Is your coil under the distributor cap or outside? If you have a test light, you should be able to test if the ICM is sending a signal to the coil. I have to look up the wire color when I am at home to provide better instructions.

 

Back into it today, I found that the CYP sensor in the distributor is almost 50% out of spec.(342, min spec. is 600 ohms) that is the trigger for the ignition, isn't it? My goddam **** Haynes manual is unclear on that, I had thought that the crankshaft sensors triggered the ignition but still not sure. Did a quick swap of ICM and ignition coil, no spark so I'm thinking this CYP is the culprit or does the PCM cause no spark? The CYP output goes to the PCM I sure hope I don't have a bad ignition trigger output from the PCM. According to local auto parts, I have to buy a 250.00 distributor ***'y to get that CYP sensor, I wonder if anyone sells it separately? Looks like it ought to be replaceable...

 

Well, no one is responding, but here's the latest...I ordered a used distributor but got the wrong one, I need an unusual distributor, not the common Hitachi but a TEK that's entirely different internally. Proper distributor on the way, sure hope it works, cuz next up, PCM! Still could possibly be a wiring/connection issue as well...more info as the saga unfolds!

 

I think the crank and cam signals together give the spark trigger, but I'm not sure how the pcm uses the data. Hopefully the distributor gets your car up and running with a sensor in spec.

 

Car is up and running with a cheap new distributor 100 bucks!!! The CYP sensor which isn't available separately(ridiculous I see that I can dismount it easily), must have been the problem. Now to return 160.00 in distributor parts that I didn't need.