roknazn: any idea where that ground pin is located, do i need to actually remove the ecu plate cover to see it? the only wire that looked to be out was something that looked related to the a/c..plugged it back in and still no go..

deserthonda: i did the spark test, and i do in fact have spark...so do you think i should still try your test, which i thank you for btw!

i havent been able to listen for the fuel pump yet, its too noisy around this area to hear it when iminside the car, and i dont have a second pair of hands to turn the key for me while i stick my ear down the gas tank lol...will try that tomrorrow i guess

one more edit: when i checked for spark, i noticed that the plug tip was very blackened and oily around the threads...just trying to give as much info as possible

 

do the easy things first,do not go diving into the ecu yet.. , you got spark ok,, Now chk to see if you get fuel, remove the hose going to the throttle body, get a can of carb cleaner, open up the butterfly by hand, have someone trying to start the car and while they crank, spray some carb cleaner into the throttle body,, if car starts ,,, you are not getting fuel..( main relay? fuel pump ? )

 

what do you think of those blackened plugs tho?

the oil around them pisses me off - i changed the valve cover and the rings in the fall because i saw oil in the plugs back then and around the valve cover near the distributor and now its right back to that again...i wonder if it's because i didnt change the second set of rings under the rocker assembly? i wasnt sure if i should...used to have all civics with the d15b and you had to on those ones...do you know if that accord had that same thing...91 ex-r?

 

yes there are seals below the rocker arms assembly , but that will allow oil to be on the plug well ( wires) and not in the electrode part of it,, if there is oil in the spark plug electrode,, you got internal engine leak.. valve seals, worn rings ,,
but let's stay on track of the no starting issue first.. have you checked if it is getting fuel ??

 

really appreciate all the help desert..ok here's what i've done so far, and my assumptions (pls tell me if i'm wrong)

- got spark, so assuming can't be ignitor/icm
- removed timing belt cover, timing belt isnt broken
- had someone turn the key while I listened for the fuel pump. it did fire up, it was a short whirl with something that sounded like it was squirting something, assuming that is normal
- checked ecu fuse. its ok
- all the plugs are the same, black as coal and one had a bit of sludge on it: it was a dry black tho, which means not getting fuel, right?
- i forgot you said to hold the butterfly open, i just opened the vent hose itself and sprayed some quick start in there,i guess that won't do the trick tho?

also did some more reading last night...from everything i'm seeing so far, i dont think i need to test the icm, after all i'm getting spark. the timing belt isn't broken, the fuel pump seems to be working..

so my thought is it must be the relay - read a lot on another board about 90-93 relays and the soldering on the ground wire...what do you think?

 

ok,, so you are telling me that you are getting spark and you are getting fuel.......mmm
if you gert spark there is no need to chk to see if timing belt is broken ,, if belt were broken , camshaft would not turn, thus distributor would not turn ,thus no spark
remove the spark plugs, clean them and reinstall if plugs are worn replace them use NGK ZFR5F-11
before reinstalling the plugs put a bit of atf fluid in the cylinders through the spark plug holes ( not too much ) or you will chase all the bugs away .. ...I am also wondering if with all the starting you have attempted there might be what we call cylinder wash..
but if you are sure that you are getting spark and fuel .car should start ,, unless you got no compression
and 1 last thing,, when you turn the key on, the chk engine lite comes on for a few seconds and then shuts off correct ??
when you said you removed the vent hose and sprayed carb cleaner ,, which hose are we talking about ??

 

i *think I'm getting fuel...by the vent hose (bad descrip) i meant the tube btwn the air cleaner and the throttle body...i'll retry the whole thing by getting right into the actual throttle body as you suggested..

if the main relay was gone, it wouldnt send the signal to the fuel pump, right? if i hear the fuel pump, that should mean ok, right? or does it also do something with the ecu that might be screwing me up?

i'll try changing the plugs, i was using that kind and i changed them last fall so i can't see how they'd be worn so fast..

the chk eng light does come on for 2 secs, yep

 

update...cleaned and re-gapped the plugs, they were .1 mm off, big deal. theyre not cracked or excessively worn, so i wire brushed them clean

banged and wiggled the main relay in case it was a soldering thing, no luck

held open the butterfly and cranked, no luck

pretty much worn out my diy options here..dont really know what else to try..

 

did you put a bit of atf in the cylinders ?? when you say held buttefly open.. you were spraying some carb cleaner in the throttle body while someone else was cranking the car trying to start it ,,, correct ??
if you are sure that you got good spark and are getting fuel, and ecu lite comes on and goes off..
next step might be to make sure that the timing belt did not jump..

 

Have a '92 and a '91. On the '92 the distributor has gone twice. This is a known Achilles heel of the '90-'93 Accord. Symptoms are very reminiscent of this problem.