New Member. Electrical/Starting issues
 

Hi guys,
I've been doing research on the net now for the past three days. I've printed off a lot of stuff and I have a decent mechanical background. The issue that I'm having in an electrical one I think.

I didn't used to have any problems with starting her up. It started on Saturday when I changed my oil. I started after I'd finished to drive it out of the garage, and then went inside to shower and get ready to go out. So about an hour and a half later, I went out to start it up again. It sounded different this time. It sounded strained turning over. It used to only take two or three turns before it started, but now it was taking 6 or more. I got it started and drove up the 30 mins to dinner with my friends. After dinner and a drink (another hour or so) I went out again and I couldn't get it started at all. It was just turning over. I had one of my friends jump start me and I was fine. I started getting worried about my battery so when I got home and let it cool off I pulled the covers off my battery to check the levels. The cell closest to my positive terminal was bone dry. I topped it up with distilled water. I charged the battery to full and tried the car. It still sounded labouring when it was turning over and it was still taking almost twice as long. It worked though and I drove it for the next three days waiting for another symptom to give me a better idea.

On Wednesday it started getting really bad. Turning over 10 times in order to start without any throttle. Turning over between three and six times when giving it a bit of gas. So on the way home from work I picked up a new post clamp for my lead wires and a new digital multimeter. I put the new post on and checked my electrolyte levels on my battery and my voltage while off and while running. Voltage with the car off was 12.23V and while running was around 14.3V. So if I'm correct that means that my battery is okay and my alternator is working. So I moved on to the next step and checked all my fuses under the hood and in the cab. They're all fine. So I moved on to my ground wire. I cleaned the ground cable at both ends and the post and engine contact surface. So I left it for the night, there being no sun left.

On Thursday it was still starting badly, the same as Wednesday. I printed off a whole bunch of DIY walkthroughs and flow charts on the ignition system. I checked my main relay and my fuel pump. I already have that "Honda Main Relay" problem, or "Gas Station Main Relay Blues", but the three clicks are there and the whir of the fuel pump is there. I started getting impatient then. Without checking the sparkm, I labeled all my wires and pulled the distributor cap off to take a look. It was sooty on the points, so I wiped the soot off with my fingers and cleaned the crap off of the rotor terminal and put it back together. Now it won't start at all. The starter motor is clicking like a demon and the engine turns over but won't start at all. It looks like I've made it worse.

Any ideas? Is it my solenoid? Is it my ICM? Is it something else? How can I check these things. If you need pictures I can take them and post them. Please help.

RE: New Member. Electrical/Starting issues
 

What year and model is your Honda? Does the starter seem to turn the engine at the same rate as it did when your car started normally?

RE: New Member. Electrical/Starting issues
 

Geez. All that detail and I forgot that. 1990 Honda Accord LX. No, it turns it a bit slower.

RE: New Member. Electrical/Starting issues
 

Problem sounds like at least partially a battery problem. Suggest getting a replacement cable. Reterminating a corroded cable can produce a poor connection. If you measure starting voltage at the starter connection you should see about 11V during starting. If much less, somethings wrong w/ battery cable. Check ground cable and ground connections also.

If all that checks OK, a new starter or new starter solenoid contacts may be in order. Poor solenoid contacts can cause loss of starter performance. Does starter ever just "click" when key is engaged. If yes, then worn starter contacts are reason. Repair is simple. You can buy the starter contacts from Sherco Auto Supply and some pics of repair are on their site also.

good luck

RE: New Member. Electrical/Starting issues
 

So, I checked for spark. No spark at spark plugs. No spark at distributor. Starter contacts look fine. I checked all three of them. They still have the rubber boot on them and there isn't any corrosion inside.

When I opened up my distributor, my points are fine, my rotor looks a little worn, and my coil has heat tempering on it. Coil?

Is soon as I finish this I'm running up the the auto wreckers to pick up a full distributor, a starter, battery cables, and positive side wiring.

Note:
The only reason I reterminated my cables was because my flimsy copper cable clamp was tearing and it needed replacing. Since I was working on the electrical system anyways I just replaced it.

RE: New Member. Electrical/Starting issues
 

Now that you narrowed this down to no spark, the problem will likely be either the coil, ignition control module, or the ignition switch.

The ignition switch is the easiest to test. Pull the connector to the distributor, turn the key to the II position, and check the yel/blk wire has 12V.

There is a writeup in the DIY section to determine if the coil or ICM are bad.

I do not know if it is necessary to get a replacement distributor and starter, because you do not know the condition of those parts. You might cause more problems. Just fix something when it breaks.

RE: New Member. Electrical/Starting issues
 

Okay, so...I think I hit a snag. My battery drops to 9.<5V when I turn the ignition to On(II). Problem? You say I should be running 12V through the ignition switch, but if the battery won't even carry 12V at without an ignition attempt, how would that work? It's sitting at 12.07V when off, but with all the turning over and testing I've done without any charging I understand it being there. The drop to 9V I don't get. New battery?

RE: New Member. Electrical/Starting issues
 

The repeated attempts to start the car might have drained the battery.

If you have another vehicle, then you could take the battery our and have it tested at a parts store. Alternatively, you could use jumper cables to troubleshoot.

RE: New Member. Electrical/Starting issues
 

Okay guys. I got her fixed. It had something to do with the distributor. I put in the new battery along with the used distributor with a new cap and rotor, found TDC and plugged everything in and presto. Comparing my old points to the ones on the new cap, the old ones were trash. Massive amounts of build up.

Thanks for your help guys. Those pointers to the testing helped me reaffirm my suspicions. Thanks again.