I have a honda that was in a minor accident. It sat for over six months before I was able to work on and get it running. I put a fuel stabilizer in it and just let it sit. I just got the body work done and had started working on getting it running again. No motor or wiring damage was done during the accident. The motor will turn over, the fuel pump is working, and I hear a click from the main relay. I replaced the rotor and cap just to eliminate that part of trouble shooting ( plus it was looking pretty worn). I am not getting any spark from the distibutor and after looking at the trouble shooting list from tegger.com I dont fully understand how to check the ignitor or the coil. Is there a way to check these with a multimeter? Is there a way to get codes from the ecu by a flashing check engine light or do I need a code reader? I am looking for ideas of what could cause it to not fire? It did start after the accident and even after a couple of weeks of sitting. The battery was also replaced. Thanks for any advice!

 

See how to get CEL codes writeup in the DIY section. Post any codes you find on here.

The easiest way to test the coil/ignitor is to use a 12V test light. The EX has the coil inside of the distributor. you can disconnect the two leads to the distributor, and connect the test light to each wire. See if the light flashes when you try to start the car.

 

I completed the circuit to get test codes, but the check engine light just stayed on after turning the key on. No flashes. Before I let the car set for so long there wasn't a problem and so that leads me to believe that there wasn't any codes stored. Apparently my kids found a better use for my test light because it is no longer where it is supposed to be. I pulled the main relay and repaired the faulty soldered joints. I found two cracks in the solder. Good to fix anyway. The fuel pump and relay are working correctly now and the check engine light goes off after a couple of seconds. I guess I am getting closer to the problem now. Inside the distibutor there is a magnetic piece, could you tell me what that is for? Is there a way to test it?

 

Inside the distributor there should be 3 sensors to control spark & fuel timing. They each have some kind of star-wheel & magnetic sensor. The shop manual says something about testing it by measuring resistance. But really the best is to watch the signal with an oscilloscope while spinning the distributor.

I'm not much help, but I saw your other post (I deleted it as a duplicate of this). It's better to keep the conversation together so we can follow it.

 

If one of the magnets was bad, you should have had an error code from the ECU.

You can do some test with the volt meter. See if the blk/yel wire going to the distributor as 12V when the key is in the II position.

The problem with testing the ignitor is that it switches pretty quickly. A bulb will flash, so you can see it. A multimeter may not. If you meter makes a sound for open/closed circuit, then you can see if the negative lead to the coil keeps opening/closing to ground (quick beeps).

You can pick up a 12V bulb at radio shack for testing the coil as I described before.

 

I found that the pick up was bad (magnet) The wires had lost some of their plastic coating and were shorting out. I also found the ignitor to be bad as well. I ended up buying a new distibutor because the price of the ignitor and the pick up, as well as the time to replace them wasnt worth the effort. All is well and it runs great. Thanks to all who helped and the site was very useful.