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'93 Accord lx won't start, Help Please!!!!

Old Mar 19, 2009 | 03:54 PM
  #11  
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I looked at the 94 shop manual, and the wire colors match what you described.

yel/grn ECU (should have 10V when the key is at the II position & engine not running)
blk/yel Ignition switch (has 12V at all times)
grn ICM (should have 12V when the key is in the II position and engine not running)
blu tachometer (sends signal to tachometer)

If you have a 12V test light, you can unplug the coil, and hook the test light across the two pins. Try to start the car. The light should flash when trying to start. The light should be off when the car is not running and key is in the II position.

www.tegger.com has a lot of info on the ignitor.
 
Old Mar 20, 2009 | 05:38 PM
  #12  
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I just went and checked the voltage from the wires at the igniter, here's what I got:

yel/grn= 0 volts
blk/yel= 11.03 volts
green = 10.74 volts
blue = 0 volts

I checked the voltage earlier and the numbers were a bit higher, I'm guessing the battery is getting a bit weaker.
 
Old Mar 20, 2009 | 06:07 PM
  #13  
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Your battery likely needs charged.

I wasn't sure about the yel/grn wire when I wrote that up. That wire goes to the engine computer.

The problem is either the ignitor or the yel/grn wire that goes to the ECU.
 
Old Mar 20, 2009 | 08:05 PM
  #14  
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This might be a dumb question but does the signal in the yel/grn wire go from the ECU to the ignitor or from the ignitor to the ECU. Also, relevent to my last post, when I tested the voltage in the wires I had all four of them disconnected from the ignitor at the same time. Is this correct? I found the correct manual for my car but it seemed a bit vague when it was explaning how to test the ignitor.
 
Old Mar 20, 2009 | 09:16 PM
  #15  
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Set up the coil wire so you can watch for spark; open the dist cap off; remove the blue wire from the ignitor unit /// ground the 'blue wire' ignitor tab to the engine block.
The coil should throw a spark.......if not replace the ignitor.
Also be sure the ground at the T-stat housing is clean and tight
 
Old Mar 21, 2009 | 11:38 AM
  #16  
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I removed the blue wire and grounded the "blue wire" tab and then setup the coil wire to check for spark. When i tried cranking it over the battery was too weak so I put it on the charger over night. I tried it again today and now everything seems to be acting normal, the check engine light goes out after two seconds and I get a spark from the coil wire. This is very frustrating because I did not do anything different. This is the problem I had with it before when it was intermittent. I'll keep checking it periodically to see if it acts up again.
 
Old Mar 22, 2009 | 04:22 PM
  #17  
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I was looking closer at the yel/grn wire and I noticed what looked like a repair in the wire covered by heat shrink tubing. I replaced the distributor about 6 months ago with a remanufactured one. After I put the wire back into place in the small u-shaped bracket on the side of the ignitor the car starts just fine every time now. I have a feeling I have found the problem. I will repair the supposed repair done by the remanufacturer and see if that cures it. I want to say thank you to finch13, JimBlake, PAhonda and hondadude for all your help. I hope this will help others with similar problems.
 
Old Mar 23, 2009 | 07:37 AM
  #18  
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Originally Posted by hondaquad450r
This might be a dumb question but does the signal in the yel/grn wire go from the ECU to the ignitor or from the ignitor to the ECU...
From the ECU to the ignitor.
The ECU controls spark timing (advance based on RPM & load). That signal tells the ignitor when to fire the coil.
 
Old Mar 23, 2009 | 09:55 AM
  #19  
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If in doubt, you might want to bring the ICM to Autozones and let them test it for free.

Also, you may need to crimp the metal part at the end of the wires a little tighter to give it a good grip when it is pushed to the tab on the ICM. When I replaced my ICM last month in my '93 Accord, I found out that the thickness of the tab on the new ICM was a little thinner than the old one. There was so much slack that I could push the wires in and out of the tabs w/o using any force.
 
Old Mar 26, 2009 | 11:45 PM
  #20  
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Okay, I am no mechanic, but this same thing happen to me. What I learned is that when this occurs and your check engine light does not go out it is a modul under the dash board. One guy said I needed to replace it and another guy (the guy that got the job) said he could just soder it and it is fixed. I don't know the name of it, but someone on here should know.
 

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