Hey guys, obviously my first post, I read some of the FAQ's and such but I am stumped. As background, my brother bought a 1997 Accord Ex 4dr automatic with a VTEC motor. It's got 255k miles and drove great, the previous owners had no issues with it. Anyways, him and my mom drove it home, parked it, and the next day it wouldn't start.

Here is what is going on:
No spark anywhere, put a brand new cap/rotor in, nothing
new coil (brand new)
It clicks all 3 times for the main relay like it should
I'm getting power at both sides of the coil but nothing on the tip that contacts the distributor cap it...

I don't think it's the ignitor unless it went completely at once because it never had any problems running hot and the car was cold the first time it wouldn't start. It's his first car and he hasn't even had a chance to drive it yet (parents drove it home due to lack of registration)

Thanks in advance,

-Shawn C.

 

Does the engine rotate when trying to start it?

By The Way...Welcome to the forums...

WheelBrokerAng

 

Yeah it does, the rotor spins as well. The starter is fine, it's got to be something in the ignition system.

 

Main relay clicks 3 times, but does the fuel pump run for those 2 seconds between?

 

Fuel pump runs fine, I checked that and that it's getting fuel in the cylinders before I even posted. Additionally all fuses/relays have been checked; nothing wrong their either. it's not a fueling or starter issue, it is absolutely something spark related, plugs are wet, motor has compression, it cranks so the motor isn't locked/frozen. What I need help on is how the internals of the distributor work. Do these Hondas use a Hall window setup for controlling advance/retard? What is the purpose of the ignitor (how does it work, I'm assuming it is pretty much just a coil driver?) and what is the third electronic module inside the distributor besides the ignitor and the coil (it's located to the left of the intermediate shaft)?

Thanks,

-Shawn C.

 

If the coil is new and the coil has 12V, then the only two items left are the ignition control module or a sensor in the distributor.

A fault in either of those items should throw an engine code. Short the connector using a thin paper clip and count any codes. Follow these instructions. http://www.dhost.info/accordinfo/howto/cel.html

 

In the DIY forum Desert Honda has a post of how to test for coil or ignitor problems.

 

Distributor operation is NOT self-contained.
There's a couple timing sensors (CKP & CYP) in the distributor, along with one (TDC sensor) at the crankshaft pulley. Together, they give the ECU the timing information. ALL the advance/retard timing is done by software.

The ECU sends a signal to the ignitor, telling it to fire the coil. I think the ignitor is basically an isolation amplifier, to prevent voltage spikes from feeding back to the ECU.